Did I take into account having a 40-hour a week desk job made for one lazy summer? Nope! I think I went running all of three times this summer. But a cute guy invited me, so I was definitely in.
We left around seven Saturday morning and headed for the Wellsvilles. At first it was just the guy who invited me and his roommate. Everyone else had other plans (Homecoming Parade, sleeping in, etc.) but I didn't mind the small group. These two guys are pretty mucn expert hikers. The guy that invited me hiked over 200 miles this summer! (Of course I found this out after I went). The first part wasn't too bad, but then it got pretty steep. And not that it was just steep, but it was constantly uphill. Apparently the Wellsvilles have some of the most dramatic inclines of mountains in the West. It was three miles up to the Saddle, and I was so ready to be done right there. There were honestly a couple of times where I thought I might die on the trail. Up on the saddle we ended up running into a girl we all knew and a friend she was hiking with. She had left her car in Sardine canyon the night before and they were hiking over to it. We decided to join up with them and then have her give us a ride back to our car in Mendon. After the saddle we were able to hike along the edge of the mountain for a while and it was pretty flat. At this point I was feeling pretty good. Flat, I do really well with flat. Down hill is my next favorite after flat :). After we got around the mountain we had to hike up to the Cone, which just happens to be the highest point of the mountain range. It was so steep! It was ridiculous and I thought about telling them to leave me. After several stops and telling them I was going to die, we made it to the top. And you know what? The view was definitely worth it.
It was really quite incredible to be able to see the entire valley from the highest point of the Wellsville mountains. It was the perfect day to do it - the colors were gorgeous and it wasn't too hot.
I feel like this hike relates a lot to life. Sometimes it really sucks. Sometimes you think you're going to kill over on the trail right there. Sometimes you see the mountain in front of you and you can't imagine going one up one more steep step. But if you try and don't give up and just keep walking, it'll be worth it. You'll always have friends along the way encouraging you to keep going, and even pushing you up the really steep parts :) But once you make it up there it's all worth it, and it feels great to be able to tell people what you accomplished. You can point to that mountain and be like, Hey, I climbed that! True story :)
If I ever go again I'll just make sure I've actually been running and in shape. This hike was definitely a great motivator for that :)
Have I ever told you that I want to be like you when I grow up? Because I do. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this! I have been missing Cache Valley so much, and these pictures just made my day. :) I'm so glad you made it to the top! It really is worth it, isn't it? :) I vote we should be hiking buddies, because I'm horribly out of shape. We'd be like Frodo and Sam, but by-gum, we'd make it to Mt. Doom and get rid of that ring! ;)
Can't wait to see you!!