You say youd like to see me try
Climbing.
You pick the place and I'll choose the time
And I'll climb
That hill in my own way.
Just wait awhile for the right day.
And as I rise above the tree-line and the clouds
I look down,
hearing the sound
of the things
you've said today.
~Fearless, Pink Floyd
Today instead of our first ski we went on a team hike. Our fabulous team of coaches gathered us together in the East Bay to climb Mission Peak. Here are some photos courtesy of Bay Area Hiker (bahiker.com)....
It's just the beginning of early morning wake up calls. In fact, I was secretly thrilled that we didn't have to get up as early as I would have to have gone up to Bear Valley. Arrived at the parking lot and it was FREEZING out, it was actually cooler in the east bay than it was in the city! There was a giant cloud hanging over the mountain. It looked like it might rain, but that would've just been a cruel joke by mother nature considering we were supposed to be skiing in the snow today! I wasn't quite prepared, I wished I had grabbed a hat. Note to self: wake up 10 minutes earlier to make sure you have everything you may need! The sleepy group gathered, shivering but still smiling and greeting each other good morning. We were handed a raffle ticket, a little later we had a mini raffle for some great prizes!
We warmed up with a quick brisk walk and then the series of strength exercises that are becoming all too familiar, a few quick instructions and we were off!
Navigating between cowpies, we climbed and climbed the mountain. Enjoying the scenery and conversation with teammates along the way!
One of the honorees, George, shared his story with us today. He told us about his diagnosis, his treatments and bone marrow transplant, let us know that even though he's in better health now there are still lingering effects to those treatments. I got a great chance to hike with George today and got to hear about his experiences with Team In Training and he gave us good advice about skiing and what to expect in anchorage! This is his THIRD ski season with the team, he's done the tour of anchorage twice and will be doing the royal gorge course this year for a change of pace and he's done the hike for discovery grand canyon hike in between ski seasons. George has two college and almost in college-aged daughters who he clearly adores and is so proud of. George, you're a great inspiration to all of us!
On the way back down some of the coaches were stationed at various spots where we were to practice ski specific exercises, like bounding up a hill, balancing, and how to use the polls and what to do with our arms while skiing. They certainly are trying to give us as many ski skills as possible without actually being on them.
Reaching the bottom 2+ hours later felt GREAT! Stretching, snacks, announcements and the work out was over. A few teammates met at a local sandwhich shop for lunch and once I got home I felt that I had deserved the one thing I wanted to do the most: Take a nap! :)
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