Since I was booked on Thursday and couldn't make TNAB I decided to head out Wednesday night to get my weekly hiking fix. Never mind not feeling half my face thanks to the dentist or a hot heel thanks to new work shoes. It was a glorious night to be on the mountain, even it if it was Mailbox.
A plethora of cars at the trailhead turned out to be a false alarm as Eric, Scott, and I (and the yellow dog brigade) headed up a little before 5pm. (Yee ha for working from home!) Scott fell behind early making me wonder if (a) I had suddenly become fit or (b) he was horribly ill. Turns out he was carrying 40 pounds of water. Not because he was thirsty, but because he's crazy.
As for me, I barely kept up with Eric, mostly because I kept going while he stopped to "admire the view." That meant he had to hurry to catch up to me. I only felt dizzy once, right after Hydration Rock, but that was a big improvement from the last time I was on the mountain when I wasn't sure I was going to summit. My time improved, too. Down about five minutes to 1:49:56. Yeah, that's right. Four seconds under 1:50. I rule.
Ever wonder if Treen enjoys her time in the mountains? I'm guessing this will answer that question.
Scott and his extra 40 pounds were about 15 minutes behind us, but the weather was so nice I didn't mind waiting. Heck, we spent another 30 minutes just lounging after Scott arrived. So different from our usual summits that are a few minutes of standing around in the cold and dark before heading home.
Speaking of the dark, there wasn't any. We were early enough that we were off the trail while the sun was just turning the forest a fiery red. Of course, it was plenty dark when we left the Pour House.
