Time to get “The Beast” backpack (Gregory Deva) out and start training for summer hiking. Fortunately, I get to condition on Mt. Peak in Enumclaw twice week while the kiddo is in class, which makes for a great conditioning hike. It’s 1000 feet to the top, and you can either take the steep trail up (1 mile/1000 feet), or the not-so-steep side up (1.5+ miles/1000 feet). Or, better yet, park one one side, go up to the top and down the other side, then turn around and back to the top and back down to the car. That gets you about 4.5+ miles with 2000 feet of elevation gain and 2000 feet of loss. The only problem is that you get some pretty strange looks when hauling a fully loaded backpack, while most people do this carrying a single water bottle, if that. Oh, well…
As John Muir, a brilliant man, said… “The mountains are calling, and I must go… “
