Dying on Mt. Olympus. Oops, I mean Hiking Mt. Olympus..

Hitch Hiking Mount Olympus

may be the way to go....

Just a little word of advice from me to you.

Oh, I'm just kidding.

It wasn't that bad.

It was actually a lot of fun!

The five of us and Tundra

made the 6 hour round trip trek up to Mount Olympus.

 We ended at about 9026 feet in elevation,

after climbing 7.5 miles up and back.

Just when you think you have made it to the top,

after non-stop, steep climbing

with people passing, saying things like:

 "Don't worry, you're almost there!" and "You can do it!"

Hate that by the way.. I'm fine! Thank you very much!
I don't need you reminding me that I look like I might drop dead any second!! Not helping... :)

Anyway... to cut to the chase..

the top, was not the top!

Not the "top"... :)

But at least we got to enjoy some lunch at the almost "top"

To get to the very top

we had to continue climbing up,

a wall of rocks!

We were basically on all fours

making our way up this steep, rock garden.

It was fun, but would have been more fun if we weren't already exhausted.

At the top
you immediately forget that you nearly died hiking to get there.
It was just incredibly gorgeous and crisp.
We snapped a few pictures and relaxed,
before making the inevitable and dreaded trek back down.
I am beginning to learn that as much as you dread the uphill battle,
it's always the overlooked downhill that kills you in the end.

Derek and I often dream about hikes with zip-lines taking you back down.
Haven't found one yet.

It was the funniest thing...
On the way down, Tundra was the one we worried about most.
The poor guy was just done!
Every chance he had, he would lay down in the shade.
He literally just called it quits.
Surprising...
Since he never seems to tire..

It certainly wasn't an easy hike, but I would do it again.