Mt. Dickerman

Last Saturday, I hiked Mt. Dickerman. It *kicked* my ass. Near Granite Falls, the trail is 8.5 miles roundtrip and we did it in 4 hours 16 minutes (not too shabby as the reviews said it would be 5 1/2 hours roundtrip). 3800 foot elevation gain with a lot(!) of switchbacks. Supposed to have a fantastic 360 degree view from the top, but unfortunately we went on a mostly cloudy day. I did catch some gorgeous views of the 4 Sisters peak on the way up, super bright with lots of snow--to me that made it worth it. That and actually making it to the summit. I brought up the rear on the way up, I actually wanted to quit not even a quarter of the way up, but being the only lady I had to represent. Thankfully there weren't too many protests as I made frequent stops for water and to catch my breath (Sean, the gazelle that he is, left us in the dust, making it to the top 20-30 minutes before the rest of us--I guess that's what happens when you're in training for a marathon, running 6 miles/day). I had my 'regular' camera with me and only took a couple of pictures (bonehead me saw the 23 and thought that meant I had 23 pics left--getting too used to my digital camera I guess) and I still need to get the roll developed. I'll post when I can. Note to self, get in better shape before doing another hike with huge elevation gains and do not bring up the rear when the 4 boys you're with are tooting themselves down the mountain.