Can I get a f*@k yeah?!

Can I get a F*@k yeah?! These were the words spoken by one of our teammates when we finally arrived back at our cars yesterday. We had just finished hiking to the highest peak in Los Angeles County, 10,064 feet high Mt. Baldy. The hike began yesterday morning at ~7:30am, and we made it to the top at 12:30pm. It was 5 hours of grueling pain, labored breathing, and crying. Our hike team split into a couple of distinct groups: the fast group, the middle group, and a few slower folks. I was part of the middle group and I would say it was them who got me up that mountain! No wonder we train as a team. I would have quit 3 miles in if it weren’t for them! But the feeling I had when I reached the peak was like nothing I’d felt before! I practically ran the last 30 feet just to scream “I made it!” From the top, we could see San Gorgonio, San Jacinto, Saddleback Mt., all of the high desert, Mt. Wilson, and even Mt. Whitney. I think my tears earlier in the hike were tears of disbelief that I would be doing something like this. We took the Devil’s Backbone Trail on the way up. The trail is named because it looks like a spine, and it was as hot as hell, so it definitely was named accordingly. On the way down, we took the Baldy Bowl trail. It was much steeper, and had much more snow! We had a few casualties in the snow, as it was slippery, but ultimately, we just wanted to get to the service road ASAP! Three hours and 20 minutes after leaving the top of Baldy, we were back at the cars! As I descended, I was filled with emotions. I was actually somewhat sad that I had to leave this mountain I had conquered. I was happy to go home. I was overwhelmed with leg pain. And I missed my husband, who hiked with the fast group. Someone asked me at one point, “Where’s Phil?” I said, “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in a few hours!” It was a very surreal experience, and one that will most likely be matched by nothing!