We did it. We hiked Mt. Olympus. Started at 5:45 a.m., took enough breaks so we didn’t die, got to the top about three hours later, spent 45 minutes lunching on the summit, and finished the day after a total of eight hours. Picked the perfect day, too. Not. Sunny and 101 degrees at least! Thank goodness we started while it was still cool.
I felt exhilarated after this hike. I’m so glad we succeeded. I had a few moments of near-panic when I looked down and saw how high up we were…or when I looked up and saw all the “scrambling” ahead…but nothing too petrifying. No twisted ankles. No sunburn (SPF 50, reapplied several times). No peeing outdoors. Went through over like 2.5 liters of water. Ate a peanut-butter-honey-cinnamon-wheat-bread sandwich on the top of the mountain. (Other snacks—granola, a sliced orange, and chocolate chips!)
Would I do it again? Not likely. Was it worth it? Absolutely.
I went with a fun group of three buddies—Jake, Brock, and Bryce. They kept me entertained and we all looked out for each other, making sure we took enough breaks and drank enough water. They praised me for keeping a good pace, and thanked me for forcing their weary butts out of bed so early, so we could beat the heat. I will cherish the memories we made together and our sense of triumph over the mountain.
A video I took while sitting on top of the world:
An excerpt from the summit notebook:
Note the moon in the background.
A sleepy city wakes up. The glowing orange gash in the Oquirrh Mountain range is the copper mine.
The city is more awake now. The shadow is Mt. Olympus'. I thought it was pretty neat to see the silhouette of what we were attempting to climb, and how far it stretched.
Meet hiking buddy 1 of 3: Jake.
A little overlook to the other mountains of the Wasatch range...our last photo op before the big summit push.
The summit of Mt. Olympus! Gee I sure am high up.
Hiking buddy 2 of 3: Brock. I didn't like him sitting on the edge of that rock. It was practically a cliff.
Whenever people ventured too close to an edge I hid my face in fear. I couldn't take it.
I preferred to hunker down into a cave of sorts, protected by many rocks surrounding me. Here I am making a little nest for myself.
The view behind me is what graced my eyes as I relaxed and ate my sandwich. Can you believe those mountains have snow on their caps, and it's July 18?
looking west toward the Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island
Hiking buddy 3 of 3: Bryce. How suave does he look in this picture?
The slope of the mountain, at this kind of angle, was encouraging. But how else do you expect to gain 4,200 feet in elevation over the course of only 3 miles?
Once again the hiking poles come to the rescue. I NEVER would have been able to accomplish today's hike without them.
Tried to capture how red my face was from the heat and exertion. But so worth it.
One last image—our group together. Before we went on this hike, I dreamt that I did the hike with my brothers. That would have been cool, but these guys were a pretty good substitute:
Looks great! I knew you could do it. It didn’t seem windy from the look of your vids (that’s videos but abbreviated so it doesn’t take as long to write or use up as much space as typing out the whole word). I like the look of Salt Lake and it definitely seems like there is more then enough of that type of activity to keep you occupied. Congrats (once again it is a shortening of the full spelling of the word congratulations with the intention again of saving space but not to lose meaning or continuity)!!
How annoying was it to hike up Mr. Olympus carrying a mailbox? I wonder if people kept stopping him part way up to try to mail a letter?
No one cares about your sandwich, Jake.
Utah is such a great place for hiking. I look forward to my next visit (wonder when that will be.)
congratulations
Cons Sar
Rod Kimble: Cool beans?
Kevin Powell: Cool beans.
Congratulations on a decisive victory over both the mountain and your nemesis. You have proven yourself a hiker of great skill and cunning, and shown grace and humility even as you grind your unworthy opponents into the dust of the trail.
Long may the name “She Who Walks With Sticks” echo through the canyons.
By the way, have you done that one thing that you was supposed to did? No? Hurry up! Carpe dialem!
I love the excerpt from the summit log!!! hehehe
SO JEALOUS of all your outdoor adventures… can’t wait for this weekend’s hike!
[...] Salt Lake City, perhaps also Mt. Timpanogos.” I have successfully completed that goal. I summited Mt. Olympus on 7-18-09 at 9,026 ft. above sea level, and Mt. Timpanogos TODAY at 11,749 ft. above sea level. [...]