June 18th, 2011 Poo poo point, shoe drauma continued

Hiked up Poo poo point with Archana.  We had originally planned on Mailbox Peak, but a combination of my serious boot issues and Archana having a bad cold made us wisely downgrade.  Alas, my metatarsals ached even sooner on this hike.  Luckily, I had my running shoes in my pack.  I chained into these on the way up and my feet were glad for it!  No more hikes with the La Sportiva five hundred dollar boots!

yay, for comfy feet!

Archana powered through despite being sick!

June 16th , 2011 Boot Drauma at West Tiger

I went on a solo hike with Maya and Chayya on this lovely Thursday.  My boots started causing me trauma on the way up this time.  When I summited, I sat on a rock and took off my boots and got instant relief.  The way down only got worse.  First a grumpy man berated me for not having the dogs on the leash.  I warned every other hiker I passed (all whose dogs were off leash) about this guy.  Anyways, my metatarsal pain got so severe I was almost in tears.  I could barely walk.  I finally sat on a log and took off the boots again.  I contemplated walking shoeless the rest of the way but realized that would not be wise.  Many a helpful hiker on the way down, one offered to carry my pack for me.  It took me 90 minutes to get down, incidentally the same amount of time it had taken me to get up!  After the hike, I immediately went to REI to get   "superfeet" and cushioned socks...

June 11th, 2011 Mount Si

Distance 8 miles
Elevation gain 3700 feet
Highest elevation 4167 feet

Archana, Ajay, Chayya, and I headed up Mount Si on this cloudy but pleasant day.  I was worn down from many weekends of travelling, being sick all week, and losing some of conditioning I had gained.  Nevertheless, I carried my 25 plus pound backpack up the mountain with the encouragement of Archana.  Ajay seemed to enjoy the hike, he practiced his music, and enjoyed playful jeering at Team Bonda.  On the summit, we enjoyed sheera and bhel that Ajay made.

My feet and toes suffered badly on the way down.  That and the crowds made for a slow decent.  My boots need some tinkering so my toes don't bang so much on downhills.  Overall, a good experience, I need to step of the conditioning though!

June 1st, 2011 Poo poo point trail

Distance: 5.0 miles

Elevation gain: 1650 ft

Highest point 1850 ft

 

Headed up Tiger Mountain with Archana and both dogs for an evening hike.  Archana's jasmine rice bag was abandoned on the trail, luckily still safely there on our way down.  Chayya briefly went missing which gave us a scare, and we ended in the almost dark parking lot as the last two on the trail.  But we prevailed, no less...

May 22nd, 2011 Family Hike at St. Edwards State Park

The Kanjilals and the Kamaths hiked the beach trail and enjoyed a fantastic picnic.  In honor of Archana's birthday, Ajay made shevai and pathroda, enjoyed thoroughly by all.  The kids and dogs had fun running on the beach and did well on the hike with the exception of Neela's new found fear of slugs...

May 20th, 2011 Little Summit Hike on Mount Constitution on Orcas Island

While at Moran State Park for a family and extended family camping trip, we enjoyed an amazing hike with breathtaking views on the Little Summit trail of Mount Constitution.  I carried a decent load with all the picnic goodies.  We enjoyed chutney sandwiches while taking in the view of the Puget Sound and Mount Baker on this stunningly clear day. The kids all did great and seemed to enjoy as well.

May 15th, 2011 Rattlesnake Ridge

Enjoyed a very social, and after Mount Si, quite easy hike up to Rattlesnake on a rainy Sunday morning with Sandra and Archana.  Despite weather, and starting with an empty trail, we passed quite a few hikers on the way down.