More than we bargained for

Happy Friday everyone!  This is always a happy day.  Time for a happy dance.

Yesterday I remembered something very important.  I had a sample pre-test on hand to take for my group fitness exam!  Over my lunch hour I took the test – 75 multiple choice questions.  It was quick.  About 20-25 minutes.  I ended up getting an 89%, which is a great score, but I need a 90% on Sunday to pass.

I’m so glad I took this because it told me what areas I needed to study up on, so that’s what I’m gunna do!

Time to hand it over to my aunt Arlene for today with a fun Northwest hike.  Check out the hikes page to see everywhere she has gone.  The list just keeps growing!    

Hike: Little Ranger Peak (WA)
By Arlene

I have read that, because of all the technology available, we are becoming a generation of gadget-dependent outdoors-folk. Today’s hike was a good lesson in the importance of using our own senses and not relying on our devices.

We hiked Little Ranger Peak and planned to go about 6 miles with 1800’ of elevation gain. After finding the trailhead (which proved to be less difficult because of one hiker’s clear description in his trip report,) we headed up the mountainside with a steady but never steep climb. The weather alternated between foggy and rainy making for a gray-toned view on the trail.

Foggy view from the trail

We have a pretty good sense of our hiking pace, so we were surprised when our GPS read only 2 miles after an hour and half of hiking. That just didn’t seem right, but we also were not sure the Little Ranger View Point was the destination in our hiking book. So we continued on until we hit snow and decided to turn around. The elevation gain was 2400’ at this point but only a little over 2 miles.

Christmas in June

 On our return, we paid attention to our time and took no breaks other than to take a picture of the bright orange fungus known as witches’ butter when stood out brightly in the gray landscape.

Witches’ Butter

After looking at maps when we got home, we realized we had gone 4 miles before turning around for an 8 mile total today. We got a good work-out, a nice view of snow, and an appreciation for using our own senses on the trail.

Like what you read?  Subscribe to the feed or by email to be the first with your hands on new healthy, budget friendly recipes, kitchen how-to’s, hikes, fitness tips and home workouts with some life and home balance thrown in there. 

Leave a comment below or email me at gethealthywithheather@comcast.net to connect, ask any questions or share your thoughts.