Humpty Hike

Yesterday I got to go on a real hike for the first time since well, a long time! When Kris asked me if I wanted to go up Camel's Hump, I said, "Yeah of course why not?" thinking back to the time that I think I did it when I was like 14 years old haha and it was sooooooooo easy right?

Well unFORTUNately I didn't get much hiking experience over the last few years and I only walk and jog for exercise on mostly flat surfaces so really I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I started off on almost a run going up the steepest trail that there is (starts with a B...can't remember the name though)
and....then....I......sloooooooooooooowed......down. Kris of course has these ridiculously long legs, and while I have long legs for a girl I was still finding it impossible to follow the same course he was taking. AND I kept stopping to take pictures of little mushrooms

and holes and leaves along the way so I was going slow. "Butterfly" I made with leaves

Finally we make it to the top and I was still feeling pretty good. The summit was amazing, beautiful, and a dream come true for me because here I am, in the midst of the things I love most about God's creations:

Clouds! They are rushing over me, around me, THROUGH me it seems. I can feel their cool misty touch against my sweaty cheek and through my hair. It gave me a chill, but not a cold chill. I watched them form together, then degrade, then form again and build up into what we see from the ground.

The air was so still, so quiet like it must have been before all living things were made. I can see why He felt the need for creatures to exist: it is very lonely without life.

So ok the spiritual feeling was great, but then we had to leave and go back DOWN which I thought I was looking forward to since going UP was so challenging. Oh and PS. I was wearing stretchy jeans, walking sneakers, and a long sleeve shirt over a tank top (i thought that was smart of me...lol). At least I remembered deoderant! At least I didn't have to carry anything. On the way down I was doing great at first, marveling at using my gymnastics skills (lol) to maneuver between the rocks and my crab-walk to get down the sheer places that had no real hand or foot holds.

As time went on my thighs remembered that they didn't get used that often and started protesting. I began to shake and my ankle began to twinge here and there. Kris had decided for us to take the "short" way up and the looooooong way down!! I was screwed!! I tried my best not to complain. I gave fair warning of my bitching and moaning and then just shut up and took it. Half way down I really thought I was going to collapse...and then I did. My ankle gave way and I fell onto my knee but caught a tree at the last moment. I just sat there for a minute, dizzy and confused. Then I got up, told Kris to keep going, and robotically went the last of the way there...for about 1.5 hrs.

While I was coming back I was thinking (and saying) "You know, maybe hiking just isn't for me. I like to walk. Obsessively. But hiking, well, it kind of sucks!!" But here I am the next day, thinking about the next time maybe I can do it again.......