2 posts tagged “climb”
On July 25th I made my 4th summit trip up Mt. St. Helens. It's a little over 8,000 feet above sea level, and the distance from the trail head to the summit is about 4 miles. Despite the short distance traveled, the terrain and the elevation gain are enough to kick just about anybody's butt. I made it up in 4 hours, with my brother, Trevor, about 30 minutes behind me. The rest of the party I had gone with made it up by noon, close to 7 hours from the time they left. It's a fun hike with plenty of diversity in terrain and some spectacular views on a clear day. It's one of my favorites, but I really want to climb a mountain that takes me up above the 10,000 feet mark.
Trevor and I were both sporting the Vibram FiveFingers or "Footies" as they are affectionatley known. We wore them from the trailhead, to the summit, and all the way back down. These shoes are basically the closest thing out there for being "barefoot", but still getting protection from cuts on sharp rocks. You still feel everything so share surfaces will cause discomfort and toe stubs aren't fun either. But the individual toes and the lightweight allow for amazing foot dexterity and agility. These are basically gloves for your feet. I loved the experience. It was liberating. and at the end of the excursion my feet weren't any more sore than they were the last 3 times when I wore thick hiking boots.
I would recommend these shoes for anyone that has an active lifestyle, they are amazing for walks, water sports, climbing, running (yeah!) and just playing backyard sports. I highly recommend the KSO model, they have the top of the foot covered to help keep out any grass, sand or gravel that you might be playing in.
About 45 minutes east of Monroe lies a tiny speck of a town known as Bering. This little town is nestled comfortably in the middle of the lower cascades. There are an amazing number of hikes found just east of Monroe, one of the more famous being Wallace Falls in Gold Bar. Some of these are extremely easy, like Barclay Lake. But some of the scenery is truly stunning. Of course there are more difficult hikes out there too. If you are looking for something fun to do, whether you have kids or not, you can find a fun day hike in our neighboring cascade mountians.
