Hiking a Mountain

Between giving an all-day workshop on Thursday and holding an 800-person event on Sunday, this week at work was one of the busiest of the year. I went home early twice and still managed to put in overtime.

Saturday was my one day to myself.

So what did I do?

Hiked a mountain.

Because relaxing is for the sane.

Stratton Mountain is a premier skiing resort in New England. It stands at an elevation of 3,940 feet with a prominence of 2,410 feet. It took about an hour and fifteen minutes for me to climb, which I am quite happy with for my first mountain. But it also gives you an idea of why I decided to spend my Saturday climbing it; it's not that big.

However, it is quite beautiful, as evidenced by these views.

Toward Bromley Mountain.

View from the summit.

As anyone who knows me might imagine, I was terribly excited to climb my first mountain. The exhilaration of nature!

I'm sure I looked like a tourist holding my camera, telling everyone I met that, "This is my first time up a mountain!" No one was impressed. I didn't care. The excited Minnesotan me couldn't help it! It's flat where I come from, people. FLAT!

I nearly ran up the fire tower at the top... until I realized that I hate heights and the wind was a-rockin' that thing. At which point I proceeded very cautiously and with great fear. But then this:

Panoramic view from the top of the fire tower.

After a brief lecture on how one usually climbs a mountain "with a buddy," one man was nice enough to offer to take a picture of me at the top of the tower just to, "prove that I did it."

PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

Now I need to make myself a punch card and climb Bromley, Magic, Equinox, and Aescutney. After that, who knows where these two legs will take me?