a goal.

Have you been to the doctor recently and been told it's high time to make some changes? Well, I have- on more than one occasion. Time to get moving more and shed some pounds. Seems so easy in theory, and overall, I have a relatively healthy diet. I don't eat fast food or drink soda; I cook at home 90% of the time; I shop for local produce as much as possible, and try to grow a good portion of what I can; I don't eat a lot of fried foods (although I do love me some good pomme frites!); I have cut back my consumption of meat a good deal (but still a pretty big consumer of dairy, in it's cheese form). However, it's just not enough and definitely not enough when I'm consistently taking in more calories than I'm expending. You know where this story is going.

So. Dealing with threats of medication for cholesterol (hereditary, maybe), and family history of high blood pressure, heart disease and other ailments that I'd like to steer clear of, I've made a commitment to get moving. It helps to have a goal. I was asked if I'd like to hike St Helens in July; I immediately said yes. After all, I've lived here 17 years and never even been there. Admittedly, I had no clue what I was saying yes to. Hiking Monitor Ridge is not really a technical hike, but it's long and there's an elevation gain of 4500 feet. I've never done anything like this before. My enthusiasm was quickly replaced with fear and trepidation- there's no WAY I can do this! What did I agree to! What am I going to DO?! A little coaxing and encouragement was given, and I've settled my nerves a little. Needless to say, REI has become my new favorite shopping excursion- what a difference good clothing makes when hiking.

What I'm going to do is keep my head and my focus forward. 8 weeks of weekend training hikes. My first was a good push at Wallace Falls, another local favorite I've never hiked. For some reason, I did a fair amount of hiking my first 6 years here, and then nada. That's all changing this year. Wallace Falls has three falls to stop and ponder, on your 2.5+ mile hike to the summit. The elevation gain was 1200 ft, not too easy for a first time out.

But the scenery, the scenery! Rushing river at the beginning of the hike. Moss dripping from old growth trees. The falls just spectacular from each new vantage point. You can just breathe better in the forest, deeper.

I made it. It was hard but I pushed through, and there wasn't one complaint from me. Much of it is a mental challenge- can you push through the pain to get to the other side? Can you set your mind in a place of winning this challenge or will you let self doubt drag your will down? It's tough; I never played sports growing up, so I don't have muscle memory of endurance. I wonder if it would be different if I had that to call on. I was beyond beat when we got back home. But I made it. And felt strong and happy that I pushed through. As for the next 7 weeks? I am just taking it as it comes, one challenge at a time, working towards that big goal of the volcano.