The Mountain is Calling, and I Must Go: Granite Mountain

August 22, 2015

Strolling through the subalpine meadow

As the goal of Mt St Helens draws ever nearer, the difficulty of the trails we're hiking continues to increase. The distances are getting longer and our elevation gain is increasing. The obvious payoff is being in condition for our trek to the crater rim. There is also an additional bonus of spectacular views. After a few hours of muscle strain and sweat, you get to gaze out over mountain tops, ridges and valleys those travelling below in cars whiz past, oblivious to what they're missing; sights they likely don't even know exist because you simply can't get there by car. You feel enchanted, empowered, and somewhat humbled by the scenery that lays before you. Granite Mountain offers such a payoff. The view from the fire lookout at the summit is astounding.

We hit the trail at 7am. There were few cars in the parking lot, and the trailhead services two trails, so we knew we wouldn't encounter too many fellow hikers for a while. As with most of our hikes, we started off walking through a beautiful forest and we left the stresses of the world behind. It quickly got down to business and we soon had climbed out of the lush forest and our vertical adventure began. The trail became increasingly steep, with boulders around and over which we had to navigate. Up and up we hiked, our lungs and hearts working to get fuel to our muscles. It felt good to look back on our training and realize how little we were actually struggling, in comparison to where we were just a few weeks ago. We crossed an old avalanche chute and eventually came to a beautiful alpine meadow drenched in autumn colors and dotted with large granite boulders. We stopped here for a few moments to catch our breath and rehydrate. From the meadow we could see the fire lookout at the summit and it seemed close enough to touch. I remember thinking "Ok. All we have to do is push up that steep chunk right there." We were, alas, still an hour away as you have to hike around the summit and come up from the other side.

Feeling ginormous, towering over the subalpine firs!

After our quick break we continued up the trail, making our way through a field of rather impressive granite boulders. I looked over to my right and had one of those moments that take your breath away. I had to stop to take in the wondrous sight before me and tears came to my eyes as I thought of my dad. He would have loved that spot, looking over the layered sawtooth ridges ... I don't know if I was overlooking the Stuart or Tatoosh Range, but I felt so close to him right then. Was his spirit hiking with me that day I wonder? I'd like to think he joins me on every hiking adventure and I could picture him alongside me in his red-laced Waffle-Stompers.

We finally made it around to the back side and made our final push to the summit, arriving at the fire lookout a whopping five hours after leaving the trailhead. We took advantage of the shade under the lookout to eat lunch and recharge. Surprisingly, the sound of vehicles travelling on I-90 below us was still audible although, at this elevation, it was nothing but a distant hum. The smoke from the fires consuming our state was visible in every direction we looked. To dwell on the situation was disheartening so we focused instead on our accomplishment of attaining the summit. We ate, laughed, and rested. Chipmunks scurried all around us, hoping for handouts and entertaining us with their whimsical antics. They scampered and darted all around us, over and under the boulders, and a few of the bolder fellas actually ventured up onto our packs and legs for a moment before zipping off again.

Eventually it came time for us to pack up and head back down. The descent wasn't as difficult as I had expected, and went more quickly than the ascent had. Considering the struggles I've had with the descents all year, this made me happy. Chris, who hasn't hiked with me since late June commented on how much better I was getting with the descent, which pretty much made my day. My quads and hip flexors felt the strain of their labor, but weren't in a condition of over-exertion. Once back at the trailhead I walked around to cool down and stretched out. Nonetheless, everything stiffened up almost immediately upon climbing into the vehicle, so climbing out was almost comical.

I'm feeling much better about my conditioning and preparedness for the upcoming climb up Mt St Helens. I remain skeptical that I will be at the level of conditioning that I need to be, but I'm beginning to think I'll make it.