Sunday Paula and I hit the road at 4am to hike to Rocky Peak Ridge (RPR). Did you know that this peak is the Eastern most peak out of the 46? Hikers also start at the lowest point- 600 or so feet above sea level; meaning one has about 4000 feet in elevation gain. RPR is the 20th highest at 4420 feet and was my 31st peak to date!
- We saw: a porcupine, a deer (and did you know they squat to pee?! I guess I’ve never seen a deer pee before) and a toad the size of a boulder. Okay, not a boulder but a big rock- one that I was going to put my foot on for the next step… and when it hopped away, it nearly made me fall! I was terrified and yelled profanities.
- We hiked over: Blueberry Cobbles and Bald Peak to get to RPR, and then turned around to get back to the car. We didn’t hike on to Giant because we banked this peak last year. It was worth it because there were views almost the entire trip!
- I did my good deed for the day: I found a utility knife that I suspected belonged to a group of kids we saw hiking out. I was planning on calling them (from the register book) but we caught up to them within the last two miles of the trip. The kids seemed super thankful.
- I consumed: 20 EnergyBits, 2 peaches, one MOJO bar, one hummus and sriracha sandwich on Ezekiel toast, a cranberry delight bar, fresh blueberries off of the trail! and 2 liters of water throughout the hike. I ate 12 homemade zucchini fritters/pakoras and swiss chard chips once I got home. Oh, and two mason jars of water.
- We discussed our final trip into the mountains (for the 46er title): it’s exciting to plan ahead for celebration! My goal is to complete my final 15 before November 1st, not because there’s a deadline but because this goal is weighing me down- the anticipation that is. I’m officially saving Sawteeth as my 46th peak- not only would it be a single peak day, but it’s the shortest trip left at 12 miles. Distance isn’t the problem for me: I’d like to celebrate with friends and family on the peak! I understand that many of those closest to me aren’t going to be able to physically come along, but I’d like to bring as many up as possible. I’m going to start reaching out to those of you who I’ve either hiked with before in the past, who I know hikes and has shared stories but not the trail, and those of you who I KNOW are physically capable of reaching the top and sharing the amazing views. If you want to possibly join us, meet us up at the top or want to celebrate once we make it back to the car, let me know. I’ll be posting more as it gets closer. The date will be determined by the weather.
Although there were continuous ups and downs, it was probably one of my favorites because of the views. Also because of the blueberry bushes that lined the trail; I could easily scoop them up and snack! The weather was perfect and reminded me of the cooler weather to come- my most favorite time of the year. It was a great 13 mile trip and I’m looking forward to the next two months!
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