Last week we experienced unseasonably high temps in the midst of the monsoon, and it almost felt like summer. Sort of. It was warm enough to wear shorts in the mountains, and that is more than good enough for me.

Josie, Wellie and I took advantage of the weather window and hiked to Mount Pilchuck. I had been there once before, but we couldn’t really see much that time. Since it’s one of the most popular trails in the state, I figured it would be worth going back on a clearer day. I was right! (I’m never right!)

I distinctly remember thinking that this hike was really easy last year, so it was rather disheartening (though not totally shocking, given my activity level this past month and a half) to spend the whole hike up huffing and puffing like I was trying to blow the lookout down. I guess it’s hard for your blood to supply oxygen to your muscles when it’s 73% chocolate.*

Other than my lagging lardiness, the only problem we faced was getting Wellie up the ladder to the lookout. Last year JK took care of the pups, as evidenced in video – oh, how I miss Bobby! – but this time I got to carry Wellie up there myself. It might not look very difficult, but it definitely made this acrophobic’s heart beat a little faster.

Speaking of acrophobia, I want to brag about scrambling out on the boulders behind the lookout for this photo op. Even more shocking than the fact that I would even consider doing such a thing, was the realization that it didn’t really make me nervous. Success!

(Photo of Daredevil Ingunn and the following photo of Wellie licking my face courtesy of Josie.)

We ended up staying at the lookout for hours since the views were just too good to leave. It’s a pretty amazing payoff for such a short hike (and for being so close to civilization**). The crowds were thin by Pilchuckian standards, but still pretty impressive for a Thursday in November.

As the sun started to set, we reluctantly climbed back down the ladder and hiked out, motivated by the veggie fajitas that awaited us in Granite Falls. Good night, Mount Pilchuck! I’m sure we’ll meet again.

Big thanks to Josie and Wellie for lightening my mood with this moste excellente outing.

*I am drinking a green juice as we speak to rectify the situation.
**Depending on how you define Granite Falls.***
***Just kidding.

When I disappear from my blog like this, it either means that I’ve been too busy or really, really down in the dumps. This time, unfortunately, it’s the latter.

Between my Enchantments injury and getting the flu, I had a long period of couch-bound inertia. The subsequent bout of depression sufficiently proved, in a roundabout way, that GOYA works is absolutely necessary.

The good news is that I am picking myself up, piece by piece, and things are slowly but surely starting to look brighter. I’m still on a high from the fantastic Gorillaz concert last night; a mysterious, shining orb, not normally seen in these parts in November, is present in the skies above Seattle; and hopefully I’ll be back in the mountains for some therapy soon enough.