My Weekend as a Mountain Goat

This weekend I went on my first ever "overnight" hike. The group started at 2500ft elevation. We camped at 6000ft. It took us 5.4 miles to get there. So about 11 miles round trip. Needless to say, this was exciting and a little intimidating. I knew I didn't have the right camping gear and I wasn't sure I had the fitness level to carry me, my gear, huge camera, water and food up that far. But I love challenges. And I knew that the views were going to be worth it.

In a nutshell, it was awesome. We saw a bear. Not at our camp.. that was a little high for bears, but he was near the trail up. Look for the black dot in the green grass in the back.

I would have taken more pictures on the way up, but I was breathing too hard to be creative.  When we got to the pass, where we planned to camp, we found the most astounding view. And snow. Lots of it. So we set up camp on the snow. Another first for me. Ski on snow, check. Sled on snow, check, check. Sleep on snow? How do you do that? Well, first, you have to flatten out the snow a little so you can pitch a tent.

After you set up camp, time to look for a good place to go sledding. Or, in my case, find a good place to watch brave souls go sledding.

Dehydrated dinner was also a first for me. Sure, I've had Ramen noodles. But dehydrated Turkey Tetrazinni is in an entirely different league. I'll admit, it starts out looking a lot like dried dog food, but surprisingly, after some quality time with boiling water, it turns out pretty good. The great view helps.

Before sunset, the snow started to steam. Something I've never seen before.

Sunset was pretty awesome. I felt a little like like I was on top of the world.

The next morning, we headed up a nearby peak for some 360 views which were totally worth the hike. We could even see Mt. Rainier.

For those of you who are wondering.. yes, I am quite sore from my stint as a mountain goat but no, I didn't bring Bonsai with me. Maybe next time.