After a winter off from hiking, my friends Megan, Emma and I, started off our challenge straight into Wilson. Although gradual, this trail is not one to just mosey on into. It’s looooong. We ended up logging 18 miles total from car to peak and back. Some of this had to do with how far down the hill we had to park, despite arriving at 7:30am. Some had to do with a double back when we weren’t sure which way to take at a split (turns out you can go either way lol).

I have bad knees to begin with so these hikes become extra painful on the way down. While hiking up, I kept dreading the decent and wondering if I even wanted to continue, knowing every step up was another step down. I also recently injured my right shoulder so my pack, although light, felt like a bag of bricks on it. Luckily, my dear friend Emma offered to carry it for quite a while so I could rest it. Needless to say, my friends are the best support system a person can have on these journeys. As Megan said “this is a ‘no man left behind situation’ and pushed me through. Thanks ladies!

Just as we reached the peak, we entered the clouds. I can officially say I now know what it feels like INSIDE a rain cloud! So wet and blustery! I honestly don't know why people say “soft as a cloud” anymore. They're not soft! They're soggy and gross! lol We enjoyed a bit of time at the top but with little to see and our sweat beginning to freeze over, we decided to start back down to the sunshine.

The decent was about as horrible as my knees anticipated them to be. While trying to keep ahead of a group of loud and interactive hikers, I powered as fast and long as I could until my knee caps began to wobble. At this point we decided it was best to let them pass and keep me on the trail and away from the cliff’s edge. Best decision we made all day, in my opinion. I’m sure my friends would have loved to beat those jerks down ?

Megan ran the end of the decent as she finds it easier on her feet to run then walk. I passed her my car keys and she pulled the car to the lot (never forget to tip your valet!). After grabbing some hot dogs and cokes at the pack station, we headed home to eat anything and everything we could find in our fridges (and order what we couldn’t).

If anyone else here has knee trouble and can offer any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it! I use walking sticks, mostly for the decent, and knee straps for lower support (they’re really for runner’s knee as I run a lot but maybe I should get other ones for this sort of thing). I’m thinking of going back to physical therapy to help strengthen them. Thanks ahead of time for any helpful tips!