Mount saint helens climb

I know what you are thinking...hell nah I ain't climbing no mountain. The truth is I love a good challenge. Turns out Oregon is perfect for my everlasting thirst for adventure. I would have never attempted to do this if it weren't for one of my super adventurous co-worker. About a year and a half ago I changed work groups and in my new work group it is a tradition to climb Mt. St. Helen's every year. 

The summit

Ok so this was the hardest physical thing I've ever attempted. Snow, cold, steep hills, elevation pshhhh why would one choose to do this...and this is exactly what I thought half way through this hike. I didn't make it to the summit on my first try. We were tired and moving to slow. In order to get back before sunset we made the executive decision to turn around at 6200ft. Although we didn't make it, I learned a lot about myself, what not to do and how to prepare for the next time. Yea that's right next time. Post my summit attempt of St. Helens I became more obsessed with mountains and watched a load of youtube videos about mountaineering. Someday I hope to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. See the top 3 things I learned about myself and life below. 

1. safety 

How can you be safe when you're already doing an unsafe thing? Right I know. Yet there are ways to be safe. After descending the mountain my eyes began to feel very dry, gritty and were completely red. Later that night I tried to go to sleep only to find that I had issues keeping my eyes closed because it felt like my eyelids were sandpaper. The next day I scheduled an emergency eye doctor appointment. I found out I had snow blindness...yes it's a real thing. My eyes basically got sunburned. In addition I got blisters on my lip and sun burn from the hike. Next time I will be wearing shades and sunscreen. I learned to listen and really take heed to the instruction of experts. 

2.Never give up

This hike reminded me of exactly who I am and how I've moved through life's challenges. As we were ascending the mountain our path become steeper and harder with each step. Not to mention as we got higher it became harder to get enough air hence our slow movement. I never once wanted to give up and was super determined to get to the top. It's just that we didn't move fast enough LOL.  This hike reminded me that I am an optimistic, hopeful determined individual and I can get through anything...with great preparation.

3.It's ok for your inner child to come out and play  

After realizing we were not going to summit and descend before sunset we were sad that we weren't going to make it, but this was where the real fun began. We spent most of our descent sliding down the mountain and laughing like little kids. With hard work comes great reward. Even though we didn't make it this was still an accomplishment. I'm black and I tried to ascend my first mountain. I made it pretty far, that alone is an accomplishment. I can't wait to try again this year and hopefully make it to the top.