I drove out to the trailhead of Tumalo Mountain after a quick pitstop at Target for some Aleve and to hit up the restroom after summiting Black Butte. I'm sure I looked a little worse for wear as the temperatures had started climbing and I began turning into a sweat monster. I was met by far more vehicles than I expected at the base of Tumalo Mountain. In one section it looked like there were about 20 people sitting together on a fallen tree eating lunch. All looked sweaty and a little worn out. Gathering my backpack, water, trekking poles and situating my headphones to provide me with some musical accompaniment while questing to the summit, I headed up the trail.

In the words of Gob from Arrested Development: “I've made a huge mistake”. The incline on Tumalo Mountain is not a kind mistress if you've already burnt out your legs going at a moderate pace up a different mountain earlier in the day. I'm slightly embarrassed (only slightly) to mention that I stopped virtually every 5-10 minutes during my ascent. Luckily for me, the earlier portions of this trek is covered heavily with trees. By the time I started, the temps had already reached 82 degrees and that was already a bit warmer than I would have liked. I'm not going to lie, this part was tough.

To make things a little worse, I started getting passed by lots of people that arrived before I did. Luckily, living here in the PNW, they would make small talk and upon learning that this was hike #2 for the day, they were both horrified and amused at the same time! I get a pass!

Every time I thought I was close to the summit, another hill would appear for me to conquer. Sweat rolling down my temples and my legs on fire, I continued. There were times I considered turning back and attempting again later but I was not going to back out now. Once I made it to the summit, I was alone. Those that had passed me had long since began their descent and had passed me again, encouraging me that “it is worth it”. The view was breathtaking. It was silent. Standing there, by myself, no sound but the wind, fresh air in my lungs, and battery acid in my leg muscles… I felt alive. But also… a missing something.

You see, my wife, Tash has wanted to go hiking with me. She is currently fighting a battle that has lasted 4.5 years and at the moment, she is about 80% wheelchair bound. Before she became ill, we were walking/running about an hour a day after I got home from work and had planned on doing some hikes in the near future. So In essence, I'm doing this for her. But with her not here with me, it felt a tad empty… until I remembered something…

I'm old school. One of the first pictures she ever sent to me I have kept in my wallet. It has migrated from wallet to wallet as each one dies but the picture lives on! So I whipped out my wallet really quick, found the picture and snapped another pic and sent it to her. You see, no matter where I go, she's always with me. And while I was in a TON of pain ascending Tumalouch Mountain… She was there with me. my whole family was with me for that matter. My Spotify Hiking playlist consists of a few songs that remind me of each person in my family and they all played during my trip. I keep them with me even when they're not physically present. Love you guys!

I have a few lessons learned from this double hike day:

• Next time I decide to summit two mountains in one day, smack me.
• PACK ENOUGH WATER. And if you think you have enough, add a little more (yes I ran out. No i'm not proud of it).
• Get some really good boots. Picked up some Columbia hiking boots on sale and omg it's night and day!
• Cut your toenails down a bit before hiking because ouch.
• Bring plenty of battery packs to plug your phone in if you're listening to music and taking pictures. It'll drain your battery fast

I need to pace myself. Going up doesn't need to go fast. Don't fret if people pass you. Take your time and enjoy it, Kenny!

My next hike will either be Maiden Point or Mt Bachelor. I'm giving South Sisters the Side eye right now being that an old neighbor of mine posted pics of his hike up to the summit the same day I did these and he said it was pretty brutal. But there you have it. Three of Six… COMPLETE!