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!
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!
ReplyDeletei 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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