Major Pain in the Butt

What a week! I'm feeling so good and happy and healthy! Last Monday, exactly 10 minutes after discussing with a friend that our other friend was going to come visit on Thursday, the friend arrived at the door and was around for an extra couple of days. Very exciting.

Then on Saturday night, I was discussing with a different friend how I wanted to hike up to Groundhog Lake, but was skeptical about doing it myself because it is far, and there are bears, and I don't know where it is etc. Then, 10 minutes later two other friends mentioned that they were planning on hiking up to the lake - on my days off! Awesome.

So, Sunday afternoon, Conner, Sheena and I packed our bags and started the walk through Barkerville and Richfield, down the old Cariboo Waggon Road, past Summit Rock, hung a left at the creek and continued 12km uphill toward Groundhog Lake. 

 I'm sad that despite the beauty of our hike, you can't see the incredibly steep terrain that we traversed. Over the course of our 12km hike we climbed over 500m in elevation.

 Snow, ice, mountains, sunshine, warmth, all great things.

 We spent the night at a cabin that is located beside the lake. It was a beautiful ending to an intense hike.



The thing that I was most excited about doing this hike - other than checking it off my 'list of things to do' was that for the first time in years I felt incredibly fit and healthy. I was not slowing anyone down, Conner, Sheena and I took turns setting the pace, we packed everything in that we needed on our backs and took it back out again, and the minimum 3.5 hour hike - we did it in less than 2. Which means we were booking it! SO awesome. I got to the top - exhausted, with burning muscles, but feeling like I was on top of the world.

The next morning we walked down the mountain and back into town feeling energized and yet exhausted, and proud of our accomplishment.

The next morning after that, I couldn't walk. Did you know that the sides of your bum have muscles? That can hurt? A LOT? Cus I sure did learn about them this week.