At the beginning of the summer, I had one goal: to hike Timp. I've lived in Utah for 10 years and have never done it; so it's been on the list and I decided that this was the year. Daniel was all for it and so yesterday was the day.
Let's just say that this trip was doomed before it even started. Friday night I was in a cranky mood - and a lousy 3-hour nap did nothing to help that, so when we left at 12 am to start our hike I wasn't any happier.
I proceeded to hate everything about the hike and let my complaints be known to Daniel. He - like a good husband - tried to remain positive and tell me it would all be worth it in the end. And so we kept on hiking through the trechorous blackness, through stream beds and along cliff walls and over rocky landslides.
Finally after 4 hours and 27 minutes of hiking and three wrong turns I was done. My head hurt, my hips hurt, my knee hurt, my back hurt. I was still in a cranky mood and I was really beginning to get scared. It was still very dark and the longer we hiked the more and more dizzy I felt - and when you're hiking up a narrow mountain path, balance it one thing you want to keep. So when we were about a mile or so from the saddle and we reached a part of the path that looked like it had slid off down the mountain side, I pulled out my white flag and surrendered. I did not want to slide off down the mountain after the path.
You might think dear friend that the trip must get better from here because we are now heading down the mountian. But oh no, don't be fooled. We now had to go back down the steep and slippery slope we had just climbed. I would much rather be going up than down any day. And so my terror did not end for a while longer until the grade lessened and the footing was more secure.
The sky was lightening little by little so that we could eventually see where we were going with out the flashlights but the remaining 4 hours of the hike back down never got pleasant. In addition to my head, hips, knee and back, now my shoulder was hurting and my feet were throbbing, all the water I drank on the way up had now reached my bladder, Daniel wasn't talking to me, and then there was the bees. I swear there was a swarm of bees that followed me all the way down the mountain and nearly gave me hysterics.
Am I sorry I wimped out a mile from the top and didn't get to see the sun rise from the summit? No. I was in such a bad mood I really don't think I would have cared if we had gotten to the top. Will I ever hike Timp again? Probably not. And I'm ok with that because I don't want to risk having a repeat horrible experience. Will I ever go hiking again? Of course! I still love hiking, but I have a few new rules: 1. I will not hike at night when I cannot see; 2. The entire path of the hike has to be dry - no crossing over any rivers or streams; 3. No part of the hike can be so steep going up that will cause me to wimper when I have to come back down. Those are reasonable requirements, right?
I did remember to take some pictures though. I suppose the only slighly redeeming part to the whole expereince was the views. Enjoy.
Let's just say that this trip was doomed before it even started. Friday night I was in a cranky mood - and a lousy 3-hour nap did nothing to help that, so when we left at 12 am to start our hike I wasn't any happier.
I proceeded to hate everything about the hike and let my complaints be known to Daniel. He - like a good husband - tried to remain positive and tell me it would all be worth it in the end. And so we kept on hiking through the trechorous blackness, through stream beds and along cliff walls and over rocky landslides.
Finally after 4 hours and 27 minutes of hiking and three wrong turns I was done. My head hurt, my hips hurt, my knee hurt, my back hurt. I was still in a cranky mood and I was really beginning to get scared. It was still very dark and the longer we hiked the more and more dizzy I felt - and when you're hiking up a narrow mountain path, balance it one thing you want to keep. So when we were about a mile or so from the saddle and we reached a part of the path that looked like it had slid off down the mountain side, I pulled out my white flag and surrendered. I did not want to slide off down the mountain after the path.
You might think dear friend that the trip must get better from here because we are now heading down the mountian. But oh no, don't be fooled. We now had to go back down the steep and slippery slope we had just climbed. I would much rather be going up than down any day. And so my terror did not end for a while longer until the grade lessened and the footing was more secure.
The sky was lightening little by little so that we could eventually see where we were going with out the flashlights but the remaining 4 hours of the hike back down never got pleasant. In addition to my head, hips, knee and back, now my shoulder was hurting and my feet were throbbing, all the water I drank on the way up had now reached my bladder, Daniel wasn't talking to me, and then there was the bees. I swear there was a swarm of bees that followed me all the way down the mountain and nearly gave me hysterics.
Am I sorry I wimped out a mile from the top and didn't get to see the sun rise from the summit? No. I was in such a bad mood I really don't think I would have cared if we had gotten to the top. Will I ever hike Timp again? Probably not. And I'm ok with that because I don't want to risk having a repeat horrible experience. Will I ever go hiking again? Of course! I still love hiking, but I have a few new rules: 1. I will not hike at night when I cannot see; 2. The entire path of the hike has to be dry - no crossing over any rivers or streams; 3. No part of the hike can be so steep going up that will cause me to wimper when I have to come back down. Those are reasonable requirements, right?
I did remember to take some pictures though. I suppose the only slighly redeeming part to the whole expereince was the views. Enjoy.
(click on this picture to view more)Ok, after thinking about it for a while I did think of one other positive thing about the whole experience: we burned so many calories that we didn't feel guilty going to dinner at Chilis later :)
4 comments:
I feel your pain! I did the hike about the same time of year (Labor Day weekend) two years ago, and I think it's the sort of hike that only hardcore hikers actually enjoy; for everyone else, it's about conquering the mountain. Although we hiked during the day (I think that might be better), it was still a little bit miserable. It's just a darn long hike. I had stabbing pain in my hips for about 2/3 of the day. Still, I think I would have to call it an experience worth having. There were enjoyable elements...
I absolutely LOVED reading this! I could visualize the whole thing. I have never hiked Timp, nor has it ever really been a goal of mine. This didn't really put it on my to do list. Glad that day is over for you.
I loved your description of your hike. You are very honest about how uncomfortable hiking can be.
And true, almost all mountain peaks are steep and long, and unfortunately, most of the hikes on the Wasatch front involve going (at least partway) up a mountain. I hope your new rules don't rule out too many beautiful hikes. (:
I tried to hike timp once and it was still slippery. Then I did again a few years later and it was amazing!!
To my surprise, I was the first to slide down the glacier!
I had a great time, but I can imagine deciding it was not worth it. It was a pretty big hike!
I'm glad you got Chilis :)
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