June was a miserable month. It rained every day. I felt cooped up and trapped. Then July came and brought the sun and I suddenly had this overwhelming desire to climb a mountain. I needed some perspective.
So last week, I climbed Mt. Greylock, Massachusetts' highest peak, for the first time since high school. It was great—I got completely drenched in sweat, realized I'd totally underestimated the amount of water I needed to carry and became totally dehydrated, and on the way down my knees burned in a way that made me feel they were going to literally pop any second. But I did it! And then I drove straight to the McDonald's conveniently located at the foot of the mountain and ordered a large chocolate milkshake.
Over my celebratory shake, I decided I needed to take a big, summit-gaining hike every week this summer. Tomorrow, my friend Mary and I are going to climb Mt. Monadnock in NH. According to the parks website, it's the second most-climbed mountain in the world, after Mt. Fuji. So I guess we'll have a lot of company.
I'm hoping that this will be the summer when I finally get my ass back into shape and gain some much-needed perspective on my life and my future. Plus, I hope to take some really cool mountain pix. :) Do you have a summer goal? Please tell me!
2 comments:
Such beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing! I've climbed Mt. Monadnock several times. I think you are going to love it. The 'view from the top' photo from your post reminded me a bit of the view from the top of Monadnock, actually. Can't wait to see your photos from that excursion!
i love your photos, especially the second one and your cute dog. i'm glad you recovered and are going to do it, again. i'm in a 'what am i doing with my life phase' right now, but i'm not sure i'll find the answer this summer, although it would be nice. happy hiking!
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