ryan mccoyWell I’m back from my mountain climb (click here for pics!). As predicted, it was the most challenging ‘hike’ I’ve ever faced. It was a long battle to the top, and it didn’t help morale much when the group ahead of us turned back. But we pressed on. I kept setting small goals for myself and after doing that enough times, I started feeling the strong gusty winds indicating the summit was within reach. Suddenly I found myself perched atop a snow covered volcano, looking down at the clouds and world below. Little did I know that the worst part of the hike was still ahead of me.

Since I am really into lists, I am going to list the reasons why climbing South Sister was one of the most excruciating experiences of my life.

  1. About 9 of the 12.5 miles of trail/slope were completely covered in snow.
  2. The snow varied in depth anywhere from a few inches, to a few feet, so you never knew when an unexpected step was going to sink up to your knees. Or cause your footing to slide to one side (this was particularly annoying on the way down).
  3. The trail got steeper the closer we got to the summit. So not only were we getting more tired, but each step was harder than the one before.
  4. I developed altitude sickness as we descended, turning a relaxing hike down into a miserable struggle.

    5. So the moral of the story is that I survived South Sister (which Ian and I are now referring to as “the devil mountain”. And now that I have done it, I can sleep at night knowing I will never have to do it again.