Okay, in retrospect, doing the 3.5 mile hike up Kamiak Butte with trashed out knees and having been fairly sedentary because of them was probably not the best idea I've had in a quite a while.
But I had a good time, even tho I am on serious muscle relaxants and pain killers. It was a beautiful day and I was in good company.
No pictures as yet, I was too exhausted last night to do more then download my pics and look at them. I'll have them in the next couple of days. I spent at least 2 hours in a hot bath seriously dosed with Epsom salts when I got home and then about the most active I got was to fix chicken and dumplings for dinner.
So back to the weekend. Saturday was spent puttering, putting the new stereo in the can, cleaning out the van and putting the seats back in the van. We were car pooling to the butte in the van, hubby was our chauffeur. Backed more coconut oatmeal cookies for the trip and laidd in sandwich makings for our lunch.
So up early Sunday morning, packed up the car and off we went. Picked up the first person and had to swing back home to pick up the liquids we'd forgotten to put in the van. Then it was off to pick up everyone else.
We got to the butte in good time, it isn't that far away. Met up with more of our party there and geared up and up the hill we went. We took the 3.5 mile loop which wasn't too steep and very pretty. Made the ridge in pretty good time and I got lots of pictures. One nice thing about having a camera, I did have to stop frequently to snap some pics, which gave my knees a break.
The view from the ridge is very spectacular, esp of the harvested wheat fields. Can't wait to get the pics processed and posted.
Then it was along the top of the ridge and to the summit. When D and I got to the summit loop trail, we decided that the final bit to the top was going to be a bit too much. My knees were tweaking and I somehow managed to strain a muscle in the top of my right thigh and I didn't want to push it too much. So we sat and enjoyed saying hello to folk who came by.
Then it was down the butte. The short down trail is STEEP!!!!!!!! Very, very pretty, but very, very painful by the time I got down. It was only a half mile, but next time I am going back the way I'd come (after getting to the summit of course). I was seriously whimpering by the time we got to the bottom and hubby came with the van to pick us up since I wans't going to make it back to the picnic area from the end of the camp ground.
Everyone else had staked out a couple picnic tables, so we laid out lunch. Made sandwiches and shared the cookies with those of the group who could still eat wheat. Had a wonderful, then it was time to head home and take more serious pain killers LOL!
I was loving my walking staff, I took the knob on the end off and put my camera on it and it made a great monopole for snapping pics. I am thinking about getting a second one for hiking. I've seen people using two and I think that is a great idea I can use. Would have made some of the coming down parts easier if I'd had two poles instead of one.
We are planning on going back again next spring, maybe even camp out at the campground there. I will make it to the summit then, but I will be coming back down the long way!
But I had a good time, even tho I am on serious muscle relaxants and pain killers. It was a beautiful day and I was in good company.
No pictures as yet, I was too exhausted last night to do more then download my pics and look at them. I'll have them in the next couple of days. I spent at least 2 hours in a hot bath seriously dosed with Epsom salts when I got home and then about the most active I got was to fix chicken and dumplings for dinner.
So back to the weekend. Saturday was spent puttering, putting the new stereo in the can, cleaning out the van and putting the seats back in the van. We were car pooling to the butte in the van, hubby was our chauffeur. Backed more coconut oatmeal cookies for the trip and laidd in sandwich makings for our lunch.
So up early Sunday morning, packed up the car and off we went. Picked up the first person and had to swing back home to pick up the liquids we'd forgotten to put in the van. Then it was off to pick up everyone else.
We got to the butte in good time, it isn't that far away. Met up with more of our party there and geared up and up the hill we went. We took the 3.5 mile loop which wasn't too steep and very pretty. Made the ridge in pretty good time and I got lots of pictures. One nice thing about having a camera, I did have to stop frequently to snap some pics, which gave my knees a break.
The view from the ridge is very spectacular, esp of the harvested wheat fields. Can't wait to get the pics processed and posted.
Then it was along the top of the ridge and to the summit. When D and I got to the summit loop trail, we decided that the final bit to the top was going to be a bit too much. My knees were tweaking and I somehow managed to strain a muscle in the top of my right thigh and I didn't want to push it too much. So we sat and enjoyed saying hello to folk who came by.
Then it was down the butte. The short down trail is STEEP!!!!!!!! Very, very pretty, but very, very painful by the time I got down. It was only a half mile, but next time I am going back the way I'd come (after getting to the summit of course). I was seriously whimpering by the time we got to the bottom and hubby came with the van to pick us up since I wans't going to make it back to the picnic area from the end of the camp ground.
Everyone else had staked out a couple picnic tables, so we laid out lunch. Made sandwiches and shared the cookies with those of the group who could still eat wheat. Had a wonderful, then it was time to head home and take more serious pain killers LOL!
I was loving my walking staff, I took the knob on the end off and put my camera on it and it made a great monopole for snapping pics. I am thinking about getting a second one for hiking. I've seen people using two and I think that is a great idea I can use. Would have made some of the coming down parts easier if I'd had two poles instead of one.
We are planning on going back again next spring, maybe even camp out at the campground there. I will make it to the summit then, but I will be coming back down the long way!
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