MY COWLES MOUNTAIN EXPERIENCE

Yesterday Friday January 8, 2010 I got together with a friend, which I hadn’t seen in a few months. She is a very active outdoorsy type of personality and that’s something I really admire in her.

Many emotions have bubbled to the surface after a great day with my friend yesterday. I realized how much I love nature and being outside. Yet, I never really did many outdoor activities, except bicycle riding as a child, (when I could) so it’s nice to have friends who enjoy outdoor activities, outdoor experience and patience with me. I love boating, off road trucking, hiking, walking through the forrest, chasing after deer to try and capture a good picture, camp fires, although, I still can’t see me camping in a tent! A motor home-Yes, a Tent, I don’t think so.

As a child, I was sick a lot, Rheumatic Fever, spent lots of time in hospitals or bed rest.  Then before I knew it, I became a grownup (very young), and life happened. I’m not complaining, just stating a fact. Although the love for outdoor activities is in my heart, I never really got the chance to experience them as a child or adolescence as I would have loved to in retrospect. I was always encouraged to do girlie things, play house, listen to music, dance, my clothes were always neat and clean and my hair was always neatly combed.  I grew up playing with girls doing girlie things. The only boy around was my younger brother. Sports and outdoor activities were for the boys. Judd has always said that he believes I was deprived of playing with mud as a child, and he's so right!

Sure I went to the beach on occasions, but basically only swan (I really couldn’t swim, I played) in swimming pools, rode a bike until about 8 or 9, then I started babysitting and making money ($0.25 per hour) wow, talk about slave labor, that included cleaning the house too! I was a kid; I didn’t know any better and was thrilled to make some money! I also grew up very poor, another story I'll share sometime.

I realized yesterday how much I missed out on in my younger years in the outdoor activity department. I was always encourage to be a "lady."  I never had the opportunity to shoot hoops, play tennis, ride horses, etc… and now, I’m just so dam out of shape and embarrassed that I’m not good at any of these activities that I don’t do anything! My only outdoor activities and exercise these days is limited to walking.

Well, yesterday I did something different…Outdoors… Thanks to my friend Andrea…

I went hiking and climbed a real Mountain…         

                                                                   

We climbed Cowles Mountain, a favorite for the locals here in southern California. Cowles is the highest point within the City of San Diego with an altitude of 1592 feet and is a mile and a half up to the summit.

This hike was amazing! It was a real hike; I mean there was dirt and  rocks, and a good enough incline to produce a serious butt workout.

Not to mention the rattlesnake which crossed the trail and there were butterflies at the summit! I love my butterflies. The temperture was great and the views amazing! Certainly, this hike was unlike the only other mountain I have hiked on, the Otay Reservoir Mountain, although the views from there are pretty special too! The terraine is cotton candy.

Cowles Mountain had people jogging and running up the mountain, CRAZY…because the ground is a little difficult in some areas. There were families and even dogs running up to the top with their masters.

Well we started up and about 20 minutes into the hike I had to stop, my blood was pumping so hard that my temples felt like they were about to pop, it was the most intense pounding I ever felt, I began to get the chills and became nauseas. Then I realized I’m on antibiotics and shouldn’t be in the sun and began to feel the onset of a panic attack and wanted to turn back, but wouldn’t verbalize my feelings. Andrea the experienced hiker asked me what I ate and I thought uhmmm, what did I eat? Oh yeah, I had a piece of Swiss cheese a few slices of the orange I cut up for Judd’s lunch. She kind of shook her head, opened up her hiking pouch and threw me a bag of trail mix. Well, while eating the trail mix and drinking water I took this time to stop and reflect and enjoy the view…. So this was my first stop of many on our way up to the summit, it was beautiful.

We continued up, stopping at various points and enjoying each vista as we climbed higher and higher.

We chatted with some very nice people along the way and they offered to take pictures of us 

Oh, and that snake that crossed our path, which by the way we might not have seen if I didn't take so many breaks... anyway, from what everyone said it was Beautiful and had a large Rattler.

                

Well, it probably took us 4 times as long to reach the top because I needed to take so many breaks but it certainly was worth everything I endured. I didn't turn back, I finally made it to the summit, where the butterflies were, the monuments and the fantastic views.

Thanks of course to my friend Andrea, her knowledge of hiking and her patience. What normally might have taken her 2 hours to achieve took about 4 hours. Thanks Andrea…