9/26/10 Posting

Well, can you believe it? The CHS hikes are over for the season. It seems to have come so soon this year. Congratulations to all of the folks who completed their graduation hike this month.

I spent the glorious weather on Saturday doing a scramble up Mt Pugh in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. The views were incredible and the route presented a good challenge for me as I keep pushing the limits of my ability to handle exposure. I consider it my Graduation hike for the summer. I’ve included a happy photo of myself at the summit with Glacier Peak over my shoulder.

As graduates of CHS, you have also challenged yourself this summer. Many of you have hiked longer and higher than you ever have before. Those of you who are repeat graduates may just be challenging yourself to keep in excellent hiking condition for another summer. I know that as I grow older, it seems to take a little longer each year to get myself back in CHS shape.

So as you move on to the next phase of your post-CHS hiking life, I encourage you to meet a different kind of challenge in your hiking career: Figure out one bad hiking habit you have developed and get rid of it. For example, I have a bad habit of not putting on sunscreen every time I go hiking. I have lots of excuses, but there really is no good reason for not applying I before I head out in the morning. I’m sure you have a different bad habit. Here are some common ones:

· Do you always bring the Ten Essentials? Including the map?

· Do you always bring extra food and water.

· Do you let an emergency contact know where you are going hiking and when you’ll be back?

· Do you start walking before you put your camera away (another big one of mine)?

· Do you eat and drink enough to avoid low blood sugar and dehydration?

· Do you let hiking companions know when you need to take a break or do you walk along suffering in silence?

· Do you stretch after a day of hiking?

I could go on and on. Pick one bad habit and make it into a good habit. That’s my off-season task for you.

CHS Graduation Party

The graduation party is next Saturday, October 3^rd at the Seattle Mountaineers clubhouse at Magnusson. I’ll see you there and we will celebrate your accomplishments. Please contact me if you have any questions.