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!

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...