A lot of cross training

Today I climbed Mt. Olympus with Kat, my co-worker. It is "only" 6 miles but it's about 4200 feet (1280 meters) of elevation gain, from 4830 feet (1472 meters) to 9026 feet (2751 meters). It is a tough hike, with a serious rock scramble at the top. This was made more serious by the fact that we missed the correct trail near the top and scrambled up some harder rocks. It was challenging, but not too bad, and we still made it to the summit without incident (click pictures to see a larger view).













We started at 6:40 am (to beat the heat!) and made the summit at about 9:30. Once at the top, we stopped for a while to enjoy the amazing views, and also to listen to the people singing. Yes, singing (see photo below). A guy had lugged an LDS (Mormon) hymnal up to the top, believe it or not. First these guys sang the Star-Spangled Banner, and then they sang a Mormon hymn that I am not familiar with - something like "Up on the Mountaintop", appropriately. I've been living in Utah for 8 years, but I can still be surprised by the local culture sometimes.













Now for a sample of the great views:














On the way down, we encountered a rattlesnake at the side of the trail. Some other hikers pointed it out to us. I was glad that it was sitting on a log minding its own business a foot off of the trail. It was pretty neat, but I did NOT want to be any closer.














We got back to the trailhead at 12:30 pm, and it was VERY hot for the last hour or so of the hike. We promptly drove to a 7-11 and got some Slurpees (I got one w/Crystal Light, so didn't even consume many calories!) to cool off.

My quads are pretty sore now, so we'll see how I feel tomorrow. I had planned on a track workout before I decided to climb a mountain. If my legs are really sore, I'll probably just do an easy recovery walk. If I feel good, I'll hit the track for an economy workout.

I got a ton of stuff done today - it felt great. When I returned from the hike, after eating lunch and putting the kids down for a nap I watched a movie with Loren. While the movie was on, I made a baby sling for my other co-worker, David, whose wife had a little girl on Thursday. After the movie, I repaired Calvin's sunglasses, gave Loren and Calvin a haircut, and canned some plums from our tree. I cooked dinner, and after dinner we all headed to Baskin-Robbins for a little treat (I had 13 points I had to use up :)!).

I think we might take a soak in the jetted tub tonight - perhaps it will ward off muscle soreness. If not, at the very least it will feel good.