On Saturday we climbed a mountain.
For years, I’ve driven by Mt. Si on my way to and from Eastern Washington. Under an hour away from Seattle, it’s one of the first big mountains you see as you approach the pass, just north of I-90 in North Bend. I never once considered climbing it or even realized you could. But on Saturday we were hankering for an outdoor adventure but didn't want to spend hours in the car getting there. Mt Si seemed like a great option. An awesome and challenging hike, it was well worth it even when we reached the top and found it cloudy. Will definitely be making a trip back on a guaranteed clear day.
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| Look at all those switchbacks. |
It's four steeeeep miles up to an elevation of 4,176 feet. And then four steep, much faster, miles back down.
When we started the hike, the top was hidden in clouds. Good thing I couldn't see what I was getting myself in to or I would have been really intimidated.
Even when we got to the top, the views weren’t quite as spectacular as they could have been…or really there weren’t many views at all.
But we still lingered at the top and snacked on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pita chips, while the clouds swirled around us.
It wasn't until we staggered to the bottom and stopped the North Bend outlet mall that the top of the mountain emerged and we could see clearly what we had just accomplished. No wonder I’m still having trouble walking, three days later.
