Hiking To Heather Lake

Last weekend, the stars aligned and both boys were home on Sunday.  My energetic husband had the brilliant idea to go for a hike.  Is there an emoticon for sarcasm?  I need to come up with one, because I would use it a lot.  Anyway.  Due to general life busyness, we haven't had the chance to hike for several years, and I jumped at the opportunity to do something outdoors as a family.  Apparently I forgot that I'm not as young or fit as I used to be.

Mistake number one:  letting the sixteen year old choose the destination.  I handed him our "Best Short Hikes" book, and he thumbed through it until he came to Heather Lake. I had a vague recollection of hiking this trail before, but my aging brain couldn't quite remember.  I grabbed the book back from him to read the description.  Hmm...four miles round trip, 1000 foot elevation gain, moderate to steep.

Mistake number two:  believing the same teenager when he claimed that the last time we hiked here, it was really easy.

We used to do a lot of family hiking.  One advantage to living in Seattle is the mountains on both sides of us.  When the boys were babies, my husband carried them in a backpack, and as they grew old enough to walk themselves, we chose level, easy hikes. The bigger they got, the harder the terrain.  There was usually some complaining (from the boys and me), but it was worth it in the end when we reached our destination.

About ten years ago, on a particularly strenuous hike, I remember prodding the boys along the entire way.  My husband commented that "one day" the roles would be reversed, and the kids would be forging ahead while we struggled to keep up.

Last weekend "one day" showed up.

Things started out pleasantly enough.  It was a decent day by June standards, and the beginning of the trail to Heather Lake winds through old growth forest and green ferns.  It's flat and peaceful, to lull you into a false sense of security.

But then....the ascent began.  Suddenly, every detail of the 1000 foot elevation gain came back to me.  Not only is this particular trail steep, it's also narrow and very rocky.  I seriously considered going back to the car to take a nap, but I figured I needed to set a better example. Luckily for him, the sixteen year old is too fast for me to catch and throttle.

It didn't take long for the boys to be out of sight, far ahead of the old folks.  They would stop on occasion to wait for us to catch up, but they got bored quickly, and pretty soon my fun family outing consisted of my husband and I plodding along, cursing the teenagers with their boundless energy and low body fat.

The other hikers who were on their way back down could see the look on my face, and I kept hearing that I was almost there.  Yeah, whatever.  Ten years ago that was my line.

Just when my knees and lungs couldn't go one step further, we rounded the corner and saw this, and I remembered why I like hiking so much. 

We still hadn't caught up to the boys, but I could barely see them on the other side of the lake. The little turds had all the water and snacks, so we were going to have to keep going to get to them.  And we needed to move quickly, before they ate everything.

Et tu, Abby?

We relaxed for a while, taking in the beauty surrounding us, accessible only by hiking two miles through steep terrain.  It was a wonderful reminder that sometimes you have to put in great effort to reap great reward.  All was well in my world, with my three favorite people around me.  I didn't even want to throttle the teenagers anymore.  

Until I remembered I still had to get back down....