This past Monday my boys and I decided to go hiking.  It’s rare that they’re not working on the week days, and more rare that they are both wiling at the same time to join me for a hike, so when they were home and wiling, I jumped at the chance.  Also, I am writing this while working with my husband, so all photos will be at the end as I don’t have time to do anything fancier.

We originally decided to go over Hatcher’s Pass to Independence Mine and hike a quick 1 mile hike called Gold Cord and then go grocery shopping.  It was a great plan, but as we approached our berry picking spot, my older son said we should hike up to one of the abandoned mines.  The one he picked was less than 200 feet from the ridgeline.  Which was close to 1000 feet of steep climbing with no trail.

My boys are 18 and 2 weeks shy of 17.  They are in peak physical shape, and while I am in really good shape for my age, and I have better endurance than they do, they can out perform me in almost everything other way.  But, I was up for a challenge so we parked and started out. 

Going up is never the problem for me.  However, there were areas I was pulling with my arms on bushes and branches as much as I was climbing with my legs.  Standing straight up, we could reach out and touch the mountain without bending at all.  There were areas I wasn’t sure how we were going to get back down from, but I knew my boys were there to help if need be.

It didn’t take as long to reach the mine as I thought it would.  There was an old wood platform with the remains of railroad tracks for the mining cars.  The entrance was gated off but the gate was open.  We did not venture far into the shaft as it slowly descended and filled with water the farther back you went.  But the views from the platform were breathtaking and well worth the effort getting up there.

Then came the time we had to leave, we had to climb down.  The top half was the sketchy half as that was the steepest area.  It basically turned into a controlled slide, grabbing bushes and branches to keep from sliding too fast.  Consequently, that half was very quick to descend.  The bottom half was still quick, but required more walking than sliding. 

We all finished with a great sense of accomplishment and a sense of gratitude for healthy, strong bodies and the beautiful land we live in.  We also finished soaking wet, so instead of heading to the grocery store thereafter, we headed home to change clothes.  I am grateful my boys went and decided to climb that mountain.  I never would have done that on my own.  I anticipated being extremely sore the next day but was pleasantly surprised that I was only mildly sore and today, 2 days later, the soreness is almost gone.