How I got the hiking bug.

A couple years ago in August of 2003 I wanted to do something different, so I decided to go on a hike.  Somehow I stumbled upon a hike review of Gothic Basin.  It sounded like a wonderful hike and maybe even doable for someone that had barely went on 4 or 5 hikes in the last 15 years.

I convinced a friend (18 years younger than I) to accompany me on this hike. With a couple quarts of water a cheap daypack and wearing some old work boots, my friend and I hiked to Gothic Basin.  It was much harder than I had anticipated, but was well worth it when we arrived at foggy lake. 

Ever since I was about 14, I had ridden dirt bikes in the mountains, but had never felt I was really in the wilderness like I did on this day.  It was the hardest hike I could remember, but I soon forgot about my tired legs as we rested on the rock slabs next to foggy lake. I thought the hard part was over, but the trip down was much worse than the trip up.  Failing to tighten my boots before heading down, blisters started to grow on the bottoms of my feet.  My feet had never felt pain like this before.  I was in pain for the last 3 or 4 miles down the trail.  When we got back to the car, I could hardly walk.  My legs started to cramp and when I tried to pull off my boots, I got a major cramp.  I think it took me 10 minute just to get my boots off.  When I did get my boots off, the bottoms of my feet were covered in large blisters!  Although I was in pain for the next week I couldn't forget about the gorgeous views of Gothic Basin.

About a month later, a guy at our church organized a hike into Lake Valhalla.  Before I went on this hike, I read what I could about the correct socks and boots.  The hike into the lake was easy and I cooled my feet in the lake when I arrived.  A friend suggested we make a quick scramble up to Lichtenberg Mountain.  I tightened up my boots and off we went.  With lots of pain, I finally made it to the top and signed my first summit register!  Before we headed down I put on my spare pair of socks and tightened up my boots.  All the way out and not a single blister.  I can be taught!

All winter I just couldn't get the picture of Gothic Basin and Lake Valhalla out of my head.  I couldn't help thinking that there must be other places just as spectacular or even better.  Winter finally receded and in early May I hiked to Wallace Falls, then Lake Dorothy, then Lake Annette, and on and on.  That was back in 2004 and ever since I try to hike at least 20 hikes during the summer and a few snowshoe trips in the winter.  So far I have done more than 75 hikes since that first hike.  Living in Western Washington since 1984, I can't believe I wasted so many summers not hiking the Cascades.  Well even in my late 40s, it is time to make up for all those years!