When: August 2011
Where: Kendall Katwalk at Snoqualmie Pass
With: my partner and our friend Mike
What: hiking
Accompaniment: Down by the Water by the Decemberists
For the second year in a row, I had to admit defeat on this trail. Iād come the year before on my own, and felt uncomfortable pushing through without company. We’d made it farther as a team than I had on my own, but as we trudged up a rocky screefield, the heat was getting to us. We didn’t know how much farther it was to the “katwalk.” Without trees or clouds for relief, the sun beat down on us. Our legs were tired. The fun hike had turned into a slog.
The trail climbs from Snoqualmie Pass, gradually at first, then up a steeper forested section before opening up to alpine flowers and screefields. It’s six miles each way, a little farther than I’m usually up for.
Time to turn back.
Lush wildflowers lined the trail — paintbrush, tiger lily, lupine, columbine, penstemon, some of those white flowers that all look kinda the same. To the south, Mount Rainier stood out from the other blue mountains through a faint haze. Although we didn’t make it to the katwalk, it was hardly a failure.
When did you decide to turn back?
Share your story in the comments
Author’s note: I still haven’t ever hiked this whole damn hike š
An interesting variation on the question is “when did you NOT turn back” when you should have in retrospect? One time I did stop was hiking to the top of Elephant Mountain in Marin with my boyfriend at the time. He was super annoying about reaching the summit and hurrying me along as I dawdled with wildflowers. So when we got near the top I sat down and said ‘you go ahead, I’m just fine here.’ Oh my gosh did he have a fit. “How can you quit 10′ from the top?!?!?” I guess I can be annoying too.
š love it! Way to stand up (or sit down?) for yourself!
Ooh, that’s also a good question… a few weeks back, at the start of our really bad heat wave, a friend and I decided to go for a walk on a 95 degree day that was probably not prudent š¬ We drank lots of water and were fine but I realized I was sweating a ton three quarters of the way through and was like, welp, gotta get back to the start š¤·āāļø I think we’ve now agreed that walks are cancelled over 90 š