Mount Peak with John Anderson

We met at Safeway in Enumclaw at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 16; it took us an hour to get to the trailhead, partly because of the GPS and partly due to the hazy smoke that obscured the mountain.

John was out of shape and had to catch his breath climbing the mountain. On the way down his legs became wobbly and, even with trekking poles, he was unsure of his footing. He sat a couple times and his left leg was weak enough that he had trouble getting back on his feet. He had to butt board down the trail in some places to find a spot where he could stand. This was a wakeup call for him to get more exercise. I hope he will join me on additional hikes to get back into shape.

Statistics:

Distance: 1.8 miles, round trip
Load: 12-pond backpack 
Time: Several hours
Elevation Gain:  probably 1,000 feet (Washington Trails Association)

Stats, year to date:

Distance: 1406.50 miles
Elevation gain: 31,460 feet