The End / The Beginning

If all goes to plan this weekend I will be taking my 52nd hike since I conceived the "52 Hikes" concept.  In 2010 the day after my 34th birthday I was reflecting on how great it felt to complete the long and strenuous hike to the top of Larch Mountain.  If I kept up that pace for 52 hikes in a row I would surely lose the extra 52 lbs i had gained since college while also documenting my journey.

As in life, the 52 hikes journey has been full of ups and downs.   In 2010 the 3 hikes after Larch Mountain ended with a broken into car, a hurt leg and the first and worst blisters of my life.  In 2011 I ended up hiking 24 times including the most memorable hike of my life Munra Point.  In 2012 I had full intentions to continue the journey but my leg gave out (hernia) and I made it an excuse to give up after just 2 hikes.  This year, shortly after my 37th birthday and an 18 month hiatus from hiking I decided it was time to stop making excuses.  I had gained nearly 30 lbs, missed hiking tremendously and was just tired of being tired.

I walked to the end of our street, probably no more than a quarter mile and had to call Isobel to come pick me up.  From there I tried a few small hikes (around 2 miles) walking VERY slowly.  Things started to change on Herman Creek when I discovered that if I could make it past a few miles the endorphins kicked in and the pain in my leg was manageable....too much advil helped too.   By mid-summer I found myself hiking 15 to 18 miles on the Wildwood trail and over the past two weekends I earned nearly 8000 ft of up and 24 miles in the Columbia River Gorge.  So 52 Hikes, is coming to an end.

But this is just the beginning.  I will post my next 52 hikes

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1/15/2012 - Latourell Falls

1/15/2012 Latourell Falls. 2.4 Miles, 520 Feet Elevation Gain

Portland Hikers description of Latourell Falls describes the season for this hike as "Year round except during winter storms"  Since it was only snowing and not icy we went for it.  I had promised the girls I would get them to the snow and I also promised them a waterfall and Latourell Falls delivered!  As we arrived at the falls, big snow flakes started to come down. 

Unfortunately unlike last week, my leg gave me a lot of trouble.  I have a muscle hernia through the fascia of my calf muscle that requires surgery to repair.  In the meantime, it's safe to hike but it hurts like hell especially on steep uphill sections.  I found that I could take about 100 steps until the pain was too great.  After 15 to 30 seconds of rest, I could keep going.  Flat and downhill did not hurt as bad and I actually did some trail running to catch up to my family after taking too long to photograph the upper falls.

1/8/2012 - Cape Horn

52 Hikes, 52 Weeks, 52 Lbs.  In 2011 we went on a total of 25 hikes for 110 miles and approx 20,000 feet of elevation gain.  I was very fortunate to have my daughters join me on nearly every hike.  I am proud that we averaged a trip every other weekend but will double that effort this year by hitting the trail 52 times in 2012.  The highlight of 2011 was climbing Munra Point (Search for it on YouTube!) with Ava.  I wanted to quit numerous times and she kept pushing me on and on and we shared a beautiful moment of accomplishment when we reached the top.  I also really enjoyed the Trail of 10 Waterfalls with Helayna as she took my DSLR away from me to capture the fall colors.  

1/8/2012 Cape Horn.  4 Miles, 670 Ft Elevation Gain

My mom moved to Vancouver, WA on New Years day.  Having her 30 minutes away will mean she will get to go on many more hikes with us.  She joined Helayna, Ava and I on Cape Horn this weekend as it's the closest Gorge hike from her house on the WA side.  Taking advantage of the nice new tunnel under Hwy 14, we climbed up to the new overlook.

  

After 30 minutes of extracting all interesting rocks from the gravel, we went back down the trail to enjoy the view from the cliffs overlooking the Columbia River.

I will check tonight at the gym if I lost my first of 52 lbs this year.