July 27th, 2011 Tiger Mountain Cable Line

Elevation gain 2100 ft
Distance 3.0 miles
Highest point 2525 feet

I was joined on this sunny Wednesday by Connie and Sandra.  Sandra, who recently returned from China, had already hiked west Tiger trail earlier that day, rock star indeed!  I carried my 35 lbs (still yikes) and scrambled (or should I say stumbled) upwards making it up in 90 minutes.  I beat my time last week by 10 minutes, so I was quite happy.  On the top, Connie fed a bird out of her hand a nutritious fiber bar.  The bird clearly did not appreciate the healthy snack as he did not come back for seconds!
We took the cable line on the way down, which made for more entertainment for sure.  Sandra gave us the details of her amazing trip which was the highlight of the hike.

July 23rd, 2011 Team Bonda takes on Mailbox Peak

Roundtrip	6.0 miles
Elevation Gain	4100 ft
Highest Point	4926 ft

Our team was complete this weekend, as Stephanie, the long-distance bondite, joined us from San Francisco!  Though I was nervous about repeating the dreaded mailbox, the hike was altogether a great experience.  The sun was out, hurray!  We started the hike at eight am.  My brother, Apoorva, joined us, and led the bondites up.  Steph, Apoo, and I took a break at nine and ten to drink water and enjoy energy chews.  Once we were out of the "root forest" the views were spectacular!  The last bit, though steep and hot, was beautiful beyond words.  Panoramic views of Rainier, the North Cascades, the Snoqualmie Valley combined with being surrounded by wildflowers was great motivation for the last leg up.

The root forest

My time up was 2:40 minutes, and I carried 15 lbs.  On the top, we enjoyed potato patties (thank you, Ajay), Reshma's yummy sheera, cherries that a friendly hiker was sharing, and Archana's glazed bananas.  Quite the feast!  The way down was a hard as usual highlighted by: 
a. taking just as long as the way up  
b. all four bondites slipping and gracefully falling at various times, luckily unhurt except for minor bruising  
c. a bee going under Reshma's shirt and stinging her, poor thing (Resh, not the bee)! 
d. Apoo sprinting down the mountain and taking an hour nap in the car waiting for Team Bonda to finish their slow decent



Only the very beginning of the steep descent!




July 19th, 2011 West Tiger Cable Line

Elevation gain 2100 ft
distance 1.5 miles up and down 3.1 miles (down on regular trail)



no switch backs here, straight up a very rocky path



Resh, Arch, and I did took on the cable line at Tiger Mountain.  It is straight uphill on rocky and steep terrain.  It was quite the workout, and the 35 lbs I was carrying definitely had be working up a sweat!  I made it up in 1 hr and 40 minutes.  Helpful to this climb, and climbing in general, was a "how to adjust your pack" video I had watched the day before (yes, 4 months into hiking).  I adjusted mine and Resh's packs (Arch's was already ergonomically sound) and we both felt a huge improvement.  I had also, on advice of fellow bondites, read about correct backpack packing/loading which also helped out.  We ran into these guys who actually were guides for Rainier.  They offered us lots of encouragement and were impressed at our loads.  All in all, a great strenuous week day hike!  go team bonda!

July 16th, 2011 Little Si

Distance 5 miles
Elevation gain 1200 ft
Highest point 1576 feet

On account of sickness and a rough night, our hike was downgraded to Little Si and delayed by several hours to the aforementioned issues in addition to the horrendous traffic in North Bend.  Resh, Arch, and I were accompanied by Chayya and senior citizen canine, Maya.  To make the hike worthwhile, I carried 37 lbs up.  The hike was highlighted by :
-Archana and I practicing and then "performing" our amazing race application video while Reshma filmed us with my flip and onlookers watched with amazement (that may be an exaggeration)
-while my chai, made graciously by Resh, was cooling off on a summit rock, Maya preceded to drink it all!
-"mountain" dogs begged us to play fetch and give them food.  These dogs apparently live nearby and go up Little Si on their own to hang out/play/eat with hikers.

Old M, pre chai fest

The stick fetching obsesses mountain dog!



July 14, 2011 West Tiger Mountain

Distance 6.2 miles
Elevation gain 2100 feet
Highest point 2525 feet

Another reunion of Team Bonda as we welcomed Archana back.  Headed up Tiger with 30 lbs, made it up in 1:45 mins (slower due to socialization).  This is the first time I hiked with mostly water weight and what a difference it makes!  I happily dumped out my water at the top and saved my joints on the way down.  Reshma had us going a quick pace on the way down.

June 25th, 2011 Poo poo point

Enjoyed an early morning hike with Shaili who was visiting and Connie.  Carried about 25 lbs with ease.  We started early so avoided the crowds who we saw in the parking lot on the way down.

July 9th, 2011 Mount Si

Distance 8 miles
Elevation gain 3700 feet
Highest elevation 4167 feet

We were rewarded with a spectacular view of our beloved mountain

Resh and I started early this Saturday, which was a blessing.  Hike start at 630 am, we reached the summit  by 850 which was quite an improvement for me.  I carried 30 lbs again.  The summit was spectacular with a great view of Rainier on one side, and the Snoqualmie valley on the other.  We headed down at 930 and happily smiled and bid good morning the hoards of hikers climbing up.  Our work was done!  We reached the bottom by eleven thanks to Reshma's quick pace.  I felt great, except I need to switch to water as weight so I can save my joints on the way down...

July 6th, 2011 West Tiger Mountain, partial Team Bonda Reunion

Distance 6.2 miles
Elevation gain 2100 feet
Highest point 2525 feet

Hot day with heavier weight makes for sweaty proof of our labor

We hiked Tiger Mountain on this hot (by Seattle standards, a balmy 75 degrees) Wednesday late afternoon.  It was so great to see Reshma and Sandra after more than a month!  Resh was glowing from her wonderful trip to India and Thailand.  Sandra was kicking up a notch joining us after just having hiked Mount Si right before!!
Anyways, I carried 30 lbs and we hiked up in 90 minutes, and down in about an hour.  I felt pretty good considering the weight and the hike occurred post work...

July 3rd, 2011 The Infamous Mail Box Peak

Roundtrip	6.0 miles
Elevation Gain	4100 ft
Highest Point	4926 ft

hikers beware!

Ajay and I took on Mailbox peak on this grey morning.  It was everything it was said to be.  Since the half mile is flat, the last 2.5 miles are steep to say the least!  A grueling uphill with hardly any switchbacks, elevation gains of 1500 feet per mile, and at times resembling an obstacle course through a jungle of roots, loose rock, etc.  What a workout on the ascent!  I thought my heart was going to pound right out of my chest at times.  The top was in cloud cover, so no amazing view.  We were very glad to see the mailbox however. 
The way down was hell continued.  I forgot hiking poles which was a mistake.  Basically, I had to brace my knees and lower body to try not to fall and be constantly alert with each step to not trip or slip (which I did several times, all minor falls, thankfully) on the roots, rocks or mud.  Whew, what a doozy!  I definitely however will be back, hopefully with better weather!  It took us 2 hrs and 45 minutes to summit, and just over 2 hours to come down.

Photo with my camera phone

Ajay signing our names in the mailbox notebook

June 20th, 2011 West Tiger Mountain Summit

Distance 6.2 miles
Elevation gain 2100 feet
Highest point 2525 feet

I hiked solo with 32 lbs, my max so far.  It is amazing how much harder 32 versus 25 lbs is!  Brought my I Pod shuffle which helped a lot.   Was achy and tired from the weight by the end!