14, 110 ft

Yeah, that's right...I hiked it! On Saturday the crew (Mary, Tracey, Tim, Jeff H., Peter, Lindsay A., and I) set out to complete the 13 mile hike from Manitou Springs to the top of Pike's Peak. Our departure time from the Olympic complex was 5:15 and our start time for the hike was 6:05 am.

We had to warm-up fast due to the brisk pace set by Tenacious Tim, but I didn't mind because I wanted to get past the first 3 miles (for some reason I hated them)...and I felt challenged due a comment made by one of the male members of our crew, "Just let us know ladies if you need us to slow down." Well, I would have keeled over dead before asking for a slower pace after that comment! :)

The first part was a bit of an uphill battle, the middle of the trip evened/mellowed out and was actually almost a nice stroll. We finally reached Bar Camp and stopped for a bit for food/water/rest. Bar Camp is a little over half-way to the top and about three miles from the tree line. For me the hardest part was from the tree-line to the top. The temperature dropped drastically (at least I thought it did), the terrain got very rocky and there was this thick gravel on the path that made walking even harder. Breathing wasn't really an issue for me, I feel like I was in good enough shape, but my legs started getting weak and shaky. Stops started coming much quicker and this is where the group sort of split up. Mary the Maniac and her friend Tracey went on ahead of everyone else. Mary was determined not to stop and make it to the top! :) Tim was behind them quite a bit. Peter, Jeff and I were behind Tim, and Lindsay was in the back (partly due to the fact that she had only been in town a few days and was not acclimated to the altitude). The motto of team Jeff, Peter and Sarah was set small goals to achieve larger goals. We set goals of making it to signs that we could see up above. The view was amazing from up there but it was a little disheartening to see how far up you had to go. One of the most disheartening parts of the hike was when we saw a sign that said we had 3 miles to go and 3,000 more feet to climb!

The last 25 feet Jeff and I decided to run, I think it was out of sheer desperation to be finished. We arrived at the top with the theme song of Rocky playing in the background (thanks to a little blonde from KY!). It was a valiant effort and a great hike! I'm proud to say I (along with everyone else) made it. My group's time was 5 hours and 50 minutes.

We lucked out on the way down. We didn't even have to beg for a ride. An army guy that we had passed hiking asked us if we wanted a ride down in his 15 passenger van! What a lucky day for us.

Once we got back to complex we sought out food and rest, in that order. Everyone else retired to their respective rooms for a nice long nap. Tim and I decided that if we were going to rest we might as well do it at the pool. I also figured a good swim and the hot tub would help my incredibly achey legs. Our pool visit ended up lasting 3 hours! There wasn't really any sun, but the breeze along with the pool and comfortable lounging chair made for an insatiable combination.

Saturday night was house party time at NC Jeff's. Of course I went in thinking I would have one or two, but one or two Xemas downed in about 30 minutes makes for a deadly combination. I found out that I am much better at Beer pong with a little bit of alcohol in my system. During my first game I didn't make a shot. Waaaay later in the evening I ended up making about 5 in a row, but alas, team awesome still lost. :(

Sunday was a day of lounging by the pool once again. Mary, Lindsay, Georgia, Matthew, Tim, Lauren, and I had a nice time swimming and laying out by the pool. After losing to Lindsay in a pool handstand race and seeing the ominous clouds beckoning just ahead, we decided to leave.

At this point in the day I was exhausted, but I still went to see Wedding Crashers with Lindsay A., Marvin, Tim and Matthew. Good movie, nothing outstanding. I loved the surprise at the end!!! He's my favorite! :) that's all I'm going to say, and I found that Owen Wilson, who I used to think was not so attractive, is actually a little charming and cute.

I made a trip to the gym yesterday to work out my stiff legs and some negative energy I was feeling. For some reason I always feel down on Sundays. I think it's because I associate them with having to leave Adam and go back to school (I always hate that part of the weekend). Plus, we are halfway done with the summer. I'm torn. I love it out here and will be sad to go, but I realized yesterday that it has been almost 2 months since I've had a hug and kiss... sort of a downer.

Sorry that I have not been a regular writer. I'll try to keep this updated a little more.

Movie to see: I saw Closer over the weekend and liked it. I'm not usually into the raunchy sort of dramas, but the film was refreshingly unique and kept you guessing. I had never seen anything like it before. Julia Roberts as always was brilliant along with the rest of the cast.

Quote: "Great champions have an enormous sense of pride. The people who excel are those who are driven to show the world and prove to themselves just how good they are." -Nancy Lopez