Deciding to climb Kilimanjaro is one thing. The training for it is another. We did not get a lot of hiking in this summer for several reasons. For one thing, Doreen was training for a couple of triathlons, and apparently you can't hike when you are trying to get as much running, biking and swimming in as possible. for another thing, we had the summer that never was summer this year.
So, our first real "training" hike was October 18 - four months before the trip. We are having great fall weather this year, bringing us the summer conditions that we did not get in the summer.
We started our "training hikes" by climbing Mt. Townsend in the Olympic Mts. Most years, we can't climb this mountain after September, but there's no snow yet so we're off. Our group was me, Doreen, and our best hiking buddy Lucy (photo). The hike is 3.8 miles one way, climbing consistently through a rhododendron forest and finally out on an open ridge, reaching the top at 6280 ft, with 2900 ft of ascent. One of my favorite mountains to climb anywhere.
The views on top are tremendous. The entire layout of Puget Sound is at our feet from the Straight of Juan de Fuca and Straight of Georgia, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and San Juan Islands, Seattle, and Southern Puget Sound. The Cascade Mt. range is seen behind all that. Mt. Baker in all its glory tops the view to the north, and Mt. Rainier can be seen to the south. Then- turn around and all of the Olympic Mountains are sitting there going on and on and on...
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