Lake Blanch. I was told it was a 2.5 mile hike comparable to the hike we did two weeks ago (up Timpanooke until the first rim). Well, it was 3.7 miles (each way) all up hill and climbing over rocks. 1000x worse than Lake Annette when I was 16 years old. And I didn't even have a back pack on.
In all honesty there were about 5 times I stopped because I thought I had started wheezing. I thought I was having athletic induced asthma. 4 of those times Nate didn't notice that I stopped and I was too winded to call out his name. 2 of those times I honestly thought I was dying, and apparently I looked like it too because Nate kept saying "We should turn back, we should turn back". Those 5 times were before we were even half way done.
An hour and a half up the mountain a couple coming down told us there was about a half hour left until the lake. A half hour later another couple told us we were "almost there!". Well, they lied. Because almost to me is within 1000 feet. It was another 25 minutes of rugged rocks until we got there.
Most couples enjoy nature and talk about amazing things while they hiked. Most of our hike I was livid at Nate because he wouldn't talk about why he raised his voice at me in the car, and then I was hiking up a freaking mountain for no real reason other than Nate wanted to and it just fueled the flames. Meaning, most of the hike we were both silent and I gave one word answers to his attempts to make conversation.
When we finally reached the lake, I was almost attacked by a pot gut. Nate kept throwing it food, despite my nagging him not to have wildlife dependent on us. It jumped a gully and ran straight for me. If it wasn't for my cat like reflexes, my large body, and my child like scream, I don't think I would have made it out alive.
On the way down there was a 7 year old hiking up by himself. He was trying to catch up with the group that was about 20 minutes a head of him. He told us his parents were "just behind", but 20 minutes after seeing him, there were no parents in sight. I almost turned around and hiked with him to the group he was looking for (as they had not idea that he was trying to catch up to them and that he was by himself). Nate told me "He'll be fine" and another 10 minutes passed and his parents were on the trail. They didn't even ask us about him. I told Nate that it was a classic DCFS case of neglect. I can't even get away from work on a mountain!
We made it down as the sun was setting (we were stuck in traffic on the way up there and were about 45 minutes behind what Nate planned) and went to Carl's Jr for dinner (at 9 pm). By that time even the Pop Tart Ice Cream Sandwiches looked good. Today I have a charlie horse in my left leg, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to sleep through my alarm tomorrow.
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