Valentine's Day. A day for sweethearts, for those in love. For those of us who are single, it's a reminder of our single status. That is, unless your love is the outdoors, like mine is. Since I don't have a sweetie to spoil and pour myself into, I chose to hike a trail that has long been on my bucket list. In my mind I pictured hiking up to the picturesque ledge with one of my beloved dogs, enjoying the sunset, and heading back down the trail in the dark. With it being Valentine's Day, I didn't anticipate sharing the trail with many others - surely girls would rather be taken out to dinner, right? Apparently I misjudged the romantic nature of my fellow PNW ladies, as the trail was packed with casual hikers from the city ... and their dogs. I had chosen Benny to hike the trail with me, as he is the most fit of my dachshunds, but he's not exactly known for his pleasant social skills, which was more of a hassle than I'd hoped for. My hiking buddy Jeanne joined me as well, with her brother-in-law and son.
The trail elevation was a steady climb with few obstacles. I wouldn't say I powered up it, but only had to stop a few times to catch my breath - which, considering the number of people I had to stop for, I had ample opportunities provided me. Once at the top, the view didn't disappoint. The ledge was packed with couples - there was even a wedding - all with the same thought of watching a romantic sunset from a truly awesome vantage point. Benny and I carved out a spot for ourselves and shared some snacks and water. We decided that although the sunset would be lovely, we didn't want to be stumbling down the trail with the horde of people up on that ledge, so we headed back down early.
I continue to have trouble with the descents and find myself lagging behind my hiking partners. I can see that I am going to need to employ some cross-training to help me in my conditioning if I am going to keep up with my hiking partners on subsequent hikes, not to mention our ascent up Mt St Helens. My hip flexors and knees vexed me the entire following day.
Miles hiked: 4.0
Elevation gain: 1160 ft.
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