I Just Hiked Up a Mountain - WHAT!

That's right! Today my sister and I spent 3 hours hiking up an enormous mountain in the Okanagan called, "Giant's Head Mountain". Holy smokes it was hard! I wore my awesome pedometer so I would know how far we went - 14,900 steps later, we hiked a 7 mile distance! My legs are killing me now, so I know I did an excellent job on the hike. Also, I managed to get a wicked sunburn on my face! The mountain is pictured here:



This is what the mountain looks like from my parents back yard (looking up):



My photo doesn't do the mountain justice - I really need to get a camera because taking pics on my laptop ain't working for me!

While hiking, I was explaining to my sister that my goal is to weigh as much as her (130 pounds), and she replied, "That will be weird - I have never seen you that skinny before". I love my sister's honesty - her comment adds to my motivation to actually follow through with this entire journey, and not just get to a "skinny weight" and stay there.

I haven't hiked in more than 5 years or so (and certainly not up a mountain), but I have to say that I really feel a sense of accomplishment. Something about getting to the top, looking down over the town and then climbing back down and looking up - knowing that just a few hours ago you were sittin' at the top - very rewarding. I think running a "run" such as a 5K or the sun run would yield the same sense of accomplishment. This is definitely going on my "to do" list. Maybe this is what will keep me motivated once I get to my "comfortable skinny weights" i.e. the 170's.

I am very happy that I have stayed on plan this whole trip - I did have wine, but in moderation and I think I ate better foods while I was here than I do at home - lots of fresh veggies, fruit, salads and seafood. I deserve a big pat on the back for the awesome food I stuck to these past couple days. What's more, I think I've motivated my family to turn up the healthy living dial - my mom has started talking about making healthier foods and my sister said she wants to make exercise a routine for herself. It feels good knowing that my progress has inspired the ones I love most to take better care of themselves. Who would have thought that me being more selfish and putting myself first would inspire others to get healthy - crazy!