Mt. Si

My hiking season started yesterday with a trip up Mt. Si. It is indisputably one of the most popular day hikes in Washington, probably right up there in annual attendance to some of the lower Rainier park trails. Mt. Si is often called the “Space Needle” of hikes in Washington as it is a major tourist draw, and a big revenue catch for the retail/restaurants of the towns in its shadow, North Bend and Snoqualmie.

I hiked Mt. Si with my husband and friends back in 1999 (yep, 10 years ago) and it was a hard hike for me then. Not only was I in “below average” cardiovascular shape for a 26 year old, but I just wasn’t prepared for the stamina it would take to make relentless uphill switchbacks for almost 4 miles straight. The accumulative gain is 3,900 feet and is a pyramid shaped hike, meaning straight up and straight down. There are no meandering fields and flat spots, except for Snag Flats, which comes at the 1.8 mile mark, and is a brief respite.

What was impressive to me was the broad range of types this mountain draws. Although much easier hikes can be found, the popularity of Mt. Si brings folks from all walks (and all levels of preparedness). Some folks appeared to be out for a day of shopping, but ended up on the mountain somehow. Others were geared with heavy packs and poles, ready for anything. There are lots of dogs that make the brave trek up to the top, and some you wouldn’t expect. While the scores of retrievers are a given, there were quite a few small dogs huffing and puffing their way up… Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, Jack Russells, etc. I would never do that to pampered Polli. 100 yards and she’d be asking for a treat and glass of water for her efforts(yes, a glass. My dog drinks out of a people glass!).

Aside from dogs, there were a lot of kids. From babies in back carriers to older kids (6+), people were towing tots up that thing…not always to the top, but there were a handful up there when I finally arrived. Good for those parents setting a good example to their kids. Good for those kids doing it with very little complaint (that I heard).

I saw a couple on a first date (poor guy trying to be macho and not look like he was dying). I saw scores of Seniors (meaning 65+), some breezing past me effortlessly. One man was 80 if he was a day. He was at least 10-15 years older than my own dad…if not more. I remember thinking that he was going at such a slow pace, he’d never make it…sure he’d stop at Snag Flats and turn around. Nope. He was wearing a good sized pack and shuffling along like a Carol Burnett character, but did not pull out a bottle of water a single time, and never stopped once that I saw. Adding up the approx. quarterly mile stops I made, I only made it to the top about 20 minutes faster than him. He didn’t take a sideways glance at the view, but continued up to the haystack. In the end, he was just getting to the parking lot as I drove out. I was humbled beyond belief by that man and I wish I would have stopped him for a picture.

I was not entirely alone. I did meet a group of about 14 people, but everyone had different starting/stopping needs, so everyone was on their own pace by about 1 mile. I struck up a few conversations, but the reason for me was the hike and I’m not much of a chatter while I exercise. Some more sprawling hikes will be better for leisurely chat while we ascent, but not this one. I needed to concentrate on not dying. I did meet nice folks once up at the top though, and I’m glad I joined a group rather than going it alone.

The last half mile or so is a real killer. Just when it feels like it can’t get any steeper, the tree cover dissipates and the floor cover turns to pure rock. The boulder climb is a real test at the end, but opens to a big rocky opening with sweeping Southeastern views of North Bend and the summits of other wilderness peaks at the mouth of the Cascade mountain range. What’s really amazing is the view of Mt. Rainier from up there. It’s unobstructed (how can you obstruct the highest point in the state) top to bottom, and just literally glows in glory…because it has snow cover year round, it is a stark contrast to the now green foothills and the blue of yesterday’s sky. Pictures are cool, but there really is nothing like seeing it up close.

On the other side, a Westerly view displays the Snoqualmie Valley and Puget Sound basin in the far distance. There was just enough haze to keep me from getting good pics, but I was OK with that. They’re better than the pics I would have gotten if I hadn’t gone… that would be none.
The hike down was not as easy as I remember the last time. Eventhough tens of thousands of people pound this well groomed trail every year, it is still very rocky and root covered. My feet didn’t start hurting until the descent, and although I didn’t get any blisters, the balls of my feet felt bruised by the time I reached bottom. I also realized a fatal mistake… I drank way too much in an attempt to rehydrate at the top. I didn’t need it as much on the descent, and therefore quickly had to pee. There are no outhouses up there…and obviously none on the trail, so from about mile marker 3 and down, I had a very very full bladder. I was in pain by the time I reached my car. I was not about to use the outhouse at the trailhead, as I used it before heading up and had to hold my breath to keep from gagging. I am just not an outhouse girl. Call me girly, but I just can’t handle it. Smell aside, I’ve watched way too many horror movies. Bad guys and monsters hide in those things.

I made it home less than 20 minutes later and despite not really being able to feel my legs during the drive home, I have to say I recovered almost immediately. Slept fine through the night with no leg cramps, and only some residual hip/quad stiffness today. Dare I say I’m ready to go up again? Maybe it’ll be a monthly thing. Shame on me for not timing myself at each mile/elevation marker. I will have to do that next time.

This week: I plan to do a Wednesday afternoon hike with a ladies hiking group I joined, probably a Tiger Mountain trail…and then I am scheduled to do Rattlesnake Ridge on Sunday. This is Southwest of Mt. Si by a few miles and with it’s own set of great views. It’s another challenging hike and has some steep ledges, but we’re planning on going about it very conservatively. Just yesterday, a hiker went too far out on a ledge, lost his footing, and fell to his death. Tragic, but preventable.

From yesterday’s hike, I learned some do’s and don’ts that I hope I can take into my next hikes. More than anything, it was humbling. If I thought it was a tough 4 miles up with less than 10% of my body weight on my back, I can only imagine what a trek up Mt. Rainier would be like with dozens of miles ahead in any given leg, and almost ½ my body weight strapped to me….in the snow. I’ve got a lot to learn.

Do’s

-Bring a pack just big enough to carry the 10 Essentials and no bigger.

-Wear liner socks under hiking socks. They made a big difference in how my feet moved (or didn’t move) in my boots

-Get good trail sunglasses. My designer numbers were a total pain and finally found their way deep in my pack.

-Clip a towel to my pack. I bought a medium sized shammy towel from REI and it was a lifesaver. I used it to wipe my nose, kept sunscreen from running in my eyes, and wiped sweat off my neck. It was a good $10 investment.

-Have some way to have water hands free. Whether that be a Camelbak apparatus or just a way to clip my bottle to my pack, the only battle scar I came away with was a hot spot on my index finger from carrying my water bottle the entire freaking time.

-Have a wrist loop for my camera. I dropped my camera on the trail and broke off a non-essential piece…but it made a loud shatter noise and scared me to death. It could have been much worse.

-Make an effort to meet new people. I’m horrible at this, but it made the hike more enjoyable, even if most of us hiked it independently after mile 1 or 1. 5.

-Feel great about the older folks making the effort. That old guy I mentioned is a hero in my book, and I know there are many many others just like him (such as my own dad) that shatter the “retire, then die” stereotype.

Don’ts

-Use a cell phone. I was shocked at the number of people hiking deep into that hillside with a cell phone at their ear. Unless it’s with 911 for a ride out, I think they should be outlawed on the trails. I want to get away from technology (beyond maybe a GPS) when I’m out there… I’m thrilled that they get good reception, and I’m sure it’s a really cool iPhone App you’re using as a compass, but shut up and walk. The rest of us don’t really care about who’s nominated for Best Kiss at the MTV Movie awards.

-Drink a ton of water at the top. I was so intent on getting electrolytes back in my system that I forgot the liquids were no longer going to be sweating out of me. I had to pee the worst ever ¼ of the way down…and was not going to go off trail to do it. Leading to the next one…

-Pack a portable role of biodegradable TP. See the previous Don’t…just in case I’m on a much longer trail and don’t have a choice.

-Ignore right of way rules. There were a couple of times I was almost taken over the side by people with a gaggle of kids, dogs, and poles. Granted, I can see how momentum coming down makes it hard to just stop for oncoming traffic.

-Get there any later than 8am on a weekend. I arrived at 8:30 and the lot was already almost full…and it’s a very big lot. There were already tons of people coming down and not as many going up at that point. When I arrived back at my car, there were “pretend” parking spots popping up everywhere, making it hard to get out. I’ll never do a mid-day Si hike on a Sat or Sun. That’s for sure.

-Assume I’m fit for these hikes. I need much better cardio (and at steep intervals) if I’m going to take this seriously.


Below are a slew of pics from the hike. Most are from the top since it just isn’t feasible to stop and pull out my camera along the trail. It also felt a lot like my backyard growing up, so much of the forest section was ho-hum for me. I’m sure it’s the same for the folks who live in Downtown Rome and have to stare at ruins/monuments all day long every day. It’s just not as awe inspiring as it is to the tourists.

When looking at the incline in these pictures, I have to point out that it was MUCH steeper. The pics of The Great Wall in China were much the same….Much, much, much steeper and uneven than pictures could ever indicate.

I've also included a little bio of the mountain for those not from around here.

Mount Si (pronounced sigh) is a small mountain in the U.S. state of Washington. Although just 4,167 ft (1,270 m) high, it lies on the western margin of the Cascade Range just above the coastal plains around Puget Sound, and towers over the nearby town of North Bend. The mountain was named after local homesteader Josiah "Uncle Si" Merritt. It was made famous in the show Twin Peaks, which was filmed in North Bend.

Only about a 45-minute drive from Seattle, the mountain is a favorite outdoor destination for Puget Sound locals. On most summer days one can count numerous hikers on the trail to the summit. Mount Si gets between 80,000-100,000 hikers annually.

The trail climbs 3,200 ft (3,500 ft including the "Haystack") in about 4 miles (6.4 km), making it an ideal conditioning trip, and it is open during the winter and spring when most of the Cascades are snowed in. Hikers wanting extra exercise will carry up jugs of water in backpacks, then empty them at the top so as to reduce knee stress on the walk down.

View of the mountain from the valley

This was the older man who, in my opinion, kicked everyone's butts. I hope I'm still this capable 40 or 50 years from now!

From the 3.5 mile marker. I-90 and the opening to Snoqualmie Pass

This gal was with her teenaged grandkids. She said she's hiked this hill so many times, she's lost count. You go, Granny!

The rocky last few steps

The endpoint for some... for others, just a resting spot.

The mountain and unique cloud formations were worth it

Another view of North Bend and I-90

Me with Mt. Rainier in the background (looks so much smaller than it really was)

More Rainier

And then a little more

I did not go up to the Haystack, but it's a rock scramble to the top for a little more view. I did get pics of the Snoqualmie Valley view, though:

This woman probably wouldn't have done this if she knew a man had fallen a on Rattlesnake Ridge ledge (maybe right around the same time)

Me with Snoqualmie in the background

My neighborhood (look for the golf course, then up and to the left just a bit)

Hard to see thru the haze, but Seattle is in the far distance, then the Olympics

A rock formation just across the way

Another view of the valley

A gal from our group climbed out pretty far to meditate. I hope she has good equilibrium!

My car is so perfect for hiking.

Do Something Every Day

Most good goal setting strategies follow this principle. Do something every day that will move you forward.

Yesterday, I went to a Backpacking Clinic held at the Seattle REI store. For those not from around here, it is an outdoors-person's mecca. I could truly live there, and I'm no "granola" by any stretch. It's really everything I love about the outdoors and it's full of gadgets, which I am an absolute sucker for. I'm also a bit of a shoe junkie, an addiction they do a great job of supporting. The day fashion and function fell in love was a day to rejoice, in my opinion. There is nothing better than an adorable shoe that does a job. OK, enough about that. I could probably write a blog on that one topic alone.

So, I had learned of the clinic from a calendar at the Redmond store, but also online through Meetup.com. I've joined several area hiking groups that have very well attended hikes. This was on one of the calendars, so I RSVP'd and headed into the city after my normal Wednesday workout.

The clinic was good, in that it helped get me in an outdoor mindset, but it was definitely a backpacking course. I need to know all of that info, but for now, I'm training via conditioning and day hikes. Down the road, I'll need overnight experience, but I hope to do much of that on or near the mountain in classes through one of the mountaineering companies local. I'll need multi-day treks under my belt for the sheer experience of carrying a heavy pack for dozens of miles, and how to handle the elements at night, but for the time being, day hikes it is. It's my version of baby steps.

I did get lots of info on packs, tents, and sleeping bags, which are good to know no matter what. I also got the "Ten Essentials", which I need to have regardless, even for a plain vanilla hike up Mt. Si. With a little one at home, I can't afford to go out ill prepared.

In the zone, I wore my new hiking boots yesterday in a desperate attempt to work at breaking them in. So, I was at a backpacking clinic with my boots on.

It lasted 2 hours and the speaker kept it interesting, but I left as soon as he was done. I was hoping he would discuss GPS, mapping software (or maps in general), and compass use.

Most people don't know that I considered Cartography as a career path for college and even looked into it in the Forestry program at WSU. I was pretty obsessed with topographical maps at one point, so I'm OK with those...but I have no idea how to adjust declination on a compass or get a sight reading...or how to use a GPS unit.

These are all things I'll be trying to learn and/or teach myself. If there's anything I do well, it's becoming a geek in whatever it is I do... I obsess over every tiny detail of a travel destination, an interest, a task, a purchase, etc. I know for a fact I get it from my mother, who should have been a researcher or an event planner. It's in my DNA. If I can't learn everything there is to know about something, it's not worth doing. Maybe not entirely true, but it sounds good.

What was my "do something" today? Ian and I went to REI (the small store near my house) and I picked up a couple of items for my 10 Essentials (mostly for my first aid kit) but I also got a whistle, which I personally think should be on that list, and a quick dry towel. Ian loves REI and goes straight for the bikes. He also likes the tents and sleeping bags, and the "pretend jeep" they use to show how car storage and racking systems work.

I am also in the process, as we speak, of loading mapping software, which is more detailed and trail specific than "street/trip" mapping programs. I also picked up waterproof printer paper. See, I'm a total geek in the making.

Below are several pics of the Seattle REI store. They have the tallest indoor climbing structure in the country, which I would like to try out sooner than later.

A Journey Begins With a Single Step...

This is my first post in what I expect to be many. I have made a mental and verbal commitment to myself that I will climb Mt. Rainier on or near my 40th birthday.

I've gotten reactions anywhere from eye rolling (which the person must think is invisible because it's followed by something like "oh, neat"), to huge enthusiasm- and everything in between. One person gave me a really encouraging response of "well, it's no Everest". Thanks. I'm sure most people think I'm talking about a leisurely hike, but I'm actually talking about a major climb here...and Mt. Rainier is no joke. This is why I'm giving myself 4 years.

I'm ashamed to say that I've lived in Washington my entire life and have really ignored the beautiful scenery of our area. Sure we hate the rain and cold, damp, ickiness that goes along with it, but few will argue that late Spring to early Fall is flat out gorgeous here.

Also sad is the fact that I live in Snoqualmie, which puts me less than 30 minutes to literally thousands of trails. Ridiculous that I haven't gotten up and out more. Instead, I've gotten bogged down in the rat race and motherhood and forgotten to put myself back on the list.

I did my share of hikes into mountain lakes and streams to fish with my boyfriend in highschool, but never really got into it as a true hobby.

For months now, I've been researching everything possible about it and decided that Shawn isn't the only one who can have an outdoor hobby. Where's my extreme sport? I guess I have to go out and invent one. No one's going to come knocking and ask if I want to climb a mountain, now are they? Since there's no extreme sport in reading paperbacks by the pool or shoe shopping, I guess this is the next best thing.

So here I am, attempting to put myself as a priority again. I'm so frigging selfish, I know. Ian won't notice...and by the time he does, he might just want to go with me. What better example can I set for him than to be a mom with goals...and not the goal to watch as much TV as possible. He is bound to be a healthier and more well rounded kid because of us (Shawn and I). It's our job to make that happen.

I have nothing else to say at this point other than if you're actually reading this, you either know me or are trolling. Either way, welcome. You'll be faced with at least a year of nothing but talk about cardio & strength training and discussions about hikes. I'll try to keep it interesting!

If you do choose to comment, please keep it positive. Although this is a public blog, criticism is not welcome, but encouragement and tips are.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon to see if I've been able to tear myself away long enough to actually do my "one thing every day" toward my goal: Mt. Rainier 2013.

Below are a few pics I found that gave me both the "ahh, this is good" and "holy shit, what am I doing" feelings. I guess I need a little of both in order to pull this off. Forgive me for not knowing the specific regions and landmarks on these pictures. One day, I hope I laugh at the fact that I didn't know the name of a particular ridge or peak.

The cliche picture that makes Mt. Rainier one of the country's most popular tourist attractions.

Above the clouds

Don't know that I could imagine anything more beautiful

This is cheating since it's from an airplane...but still beautiful.

Looking north toward Mt. Baker and Adams (what's the 3rd? I should know this!)

Wow

This picture made me pee my pants just a little

And if I didn't pee a little in the prior pic, this one made me a little sick to my stomach. OMG. This is the route to take when the elevator's broken, right?