The Neurotic Wanderer

Was a huge success!     This was hike #25 of my 52 Hike Challenge  and I'm so glad that it was. I first attempted Mt. Humphrey's about two months ago and it was a bit of a disaster (more on that experience later). I hadn't done a hike that week and I could feel my moodiness returning to me, so I decided last minute to try this hike again. I did some research to better understand the hike and how best to prepare (last time I relied on the information of the other people in my group, which was a big mistake). My first attempt of the hike gave me some insight as to how the first, and easiest, leg of the hike was going to be, so I knew I just needed a bigger picture. View from "the saddle"     In my research I found that there were several "false peaks", meaning that you would look at a peak and think it was THE peak, only to get there and see more peaks beyond that. I would say that there were 4 to 5 of them in the last mile of the hike. That for...

The Summit Trail This was a pretty local hike, maybe about one mile away from where I live. The hike itself was created out of the ruin of a dormant volcano. This time, I went with my dog, boy friend and his daughter. It was a pretty wet weekend, but we trudged the four miles up the side of the mountain anyway. It was really great! We probably got an extra work out due to the caked on mud, but the views at the top were worth it. The trail itself was mostly switch backs. We didn't see very many other people, just a few brave souls who also decided to venture through all of the mud. I have to say, the Columbia boots that I got for Christmas were perfect. At one point, my dog got excited and took me on a crash course through a large mud puddle and my book took it like champs. My feet stayed dry the whole time! We didn't take much in regards to supplies since it was just a quick trail, 2 miles up and 2 miles back. In hindsight, we should have packed a few snacks as a reward o...