in an effort to actually do some of the things that we always say we're going to do, rob and i joined a group of friends yesterday for a hike up "The Chief".
i'm not a super-outdoorsy person. hearing about the grouse grind, or bears, or one's adventures while downhill skiing, rock-climbing, or trail running makes me want to move to a proper city like toronto or montreal and drink and smoke myself into an early grave. feckin' hippies. but i do like a nice view and a bit of fresh air, so i try to participate when i can.
the day did not start well. a birthday party the night before at the anza club left me short on sleep and looooong on hangover. i took some weird "energy" tablets and prayed for relief. none was forthcoming, but the bright day and my lucky hat--combined with the delicate ministrations of the mule--cheered me up a bit.
the chief is steep, and a lot more challenging than, say, an aquafit class. it wasn't too much of a problem, but my piss-poor attitude didn't help.
case in point: one particularily sketchy bit, standing between two giant rocks with a chunk of chain in my hand.
fancy: i can't do this. this is fucked. how the fuck am i supposed to get up here?
mule: do you want a boost, sweetie?
fancy (whining): noooo! i want to go home. i hate you.
what a giant suck. anyway, we made it and it was very pretty and all that. my favourite were the tiny chipmunks who live on the peaks, scavenging tidbits from lunching climbers. they climbed all over bruno like he was a buffet. i also liked scaring myself by bellying up to the edge of cliffs and hanging my head over to stare into the massive drops. the creepiest was seeing the bolts drilled into the rock where climbers had come up. blargh! those people are fucking mental cases.
we took a different trail down, thank christ, and while most of the group seemed to be hating it, i found it the dirt-n-roots combo much easier going than all those slippery rocks and wooden steps. unfortunately, near the bottom one of our group sustained an injury when she slipped and chipped a tooth, twisted her ankle, and gave herself an impressive collection of scrapes and bruises. with a some burly shoulders and a wet towel tied around the ankle, she made it down and even insisted on going to the pub after. what a trooper. made me feel like even more of a tool for being so sucky earlier.
today, i ache a bit, but not as bad as i thought i would. next week, we're going to mayne island, where the mule and i will conquer mount parke, a fairly easy--and familar--outing.
Yours
very truly,
Ms.
Fancy Lady
PREV:NEXT
