MikeSandy.net

Hike Report

Mount Olympus Attempt

Fact: I am out of shape. Truth: I didn't think I was so out of shape that hiking Mount Olympus would pose such a challenge. In fact, I decided to abort my attempt a couple hundred feet from the top.

Dan and I started hiking at around 11:45 AM. I started off slowly, which is typical for me, especially on Olympus. I got into a good rhythm though, and I was moving along pretty well.

I began to labor once we started up Blister Hill's switchbacks. No matter how long I rested, my legs couldn't stand more than a few minutes of climbing before they needed rest.

It got worse as we climbed higher. I needed longer breaks for shorter intervals of climbing. I advised Dan to hike ahead of me to the saddle. I'm not sure how long he was waiting for me by the time I arrived at the saddle, but I'm sure it wasn't a short amount of time.

After a quick break, we started the final scramble to the top. A girl we met at the saddle asked if she could join us because her aunt had decided to stay back at the saddle. Not before long, Dan and the girl were racing ahead of me, but I just kept plugging along.

At the crux of the scramble, I just got sick of being so exhausted. I figured Dan and the girl would be good company, so I shouted up for them to continue on without me. I decided to abort my summit attempt.

While Dan continued on to the summit, I just sat there halfway up the crux enjoying the view, eating some honey roasted peanuts I had packed, and watching people struggle up and down the tricky section.

Eventually, Dan came down from the summit and we continued on down the mountain.

If nothing else, this unsuccessful attempt on Mount Olympus was a good bit of exercise, and it served as a perfect barometer to indicate my level of fitness (or lack thereof). Almost exactly two years ago, Steve and I climbed Olympus. Of course, I couldn't keep up with Steve, but I did pretty well--much better than I did today. That hike was 26 pounds ago. I have a lot of work ahead of me just to get back to that level of fitness, which was still 20 pounds heavier than my ideal weight!