I Climbed a Mountain

This week has been a phenomenal week, and I’m excited to share it. I have a list of goals that I want to accomplish both weight related and non weight related. The list ranges from every 5 pound increment I have to lose until I reach my 250 pounds to going ice skating again or being able to get on a plane and not need a seatbelt extension, ect. It is a wide ranging list that is a list in two columns over three pages. (I highly recommend to anyone that you start such a list...I find it really motivating especially when I get to check them off.)

Anyway, as you have probably guessed now I was able to cross off yet another one of my goals this week. There is a mountain on Vancouver Island called Mount Tzouhalem that my dad regularly goes hiking on with a friend of his. He has also taken both my brother and my sister to the top off it, but I had never been asked to go, and I had never asked if I could go thinking I couldn’t do it. This week while visiting my mom though Dad actually asked if I wanted to go and I jumped at the opportunity. I was nervous about it because I knew it was going to be tough but Dad was willing to take his time so that I could do it. So Dad and I went on a hike, which is something we haven’t done probably since I was in high school. Anyway the hike was challenging but not too hard. There were parts that were quite steep but nothing that was impossible. There were a couple spots that I wasn’t sure I would be able to do but I took my time and was able to make it. We got to the top (well it’s not quite the top but close enough...the top apparently doesn’t have a view because of trees) and I felt amazing. The view was gorgeous even though the day was a bit cloudy. I think the highlights of the hike besides making it were 1) the area nearing the top that was full of rock figures, sort of like the Inukshuks of the Olympics and 2) the salamander I nearly stepped on but didn’t when we were coming down. I know strange things to be excited about but it was cool. The rock figures just look neat the way they stand amongst the trees and it was fun to take a few minutes to try and build one. The salamander was super cute. I made my dad move him off the path so no one else would almost step on him (because I almost did step on him) and then I took a few pictures. It was a great day and one of the highlights of my whole vacation to visit my parents.

Here are a few photos from the trip. The first is me at the top and the second is taken from below the mountain. The tiny red box is where the first picture was taken to give you a bit of an idea how high up I was :-) The third is me with Cowichan Bay in the background.





The only down side to this week was my weigh in today. Unfortunately I was up 1.6 pounds. *pout* Of course when you consider that I had two surprise birthday’s (Mom’s and my sister’s) and I was travelling I can’t really complain about the weight gain. I know that I wasn’t able to get my work outs in and I wasn’t tracking my food. I knew getting up this morning that I would weigh heavy. So now for the next week I’m going to work extra hard to get my works outs in as well as track everything I eat. As soon as I do that I know that my weight will drop next week and hopefully with any luck I will be able to hit my 25 pounds down. I would like to hit 50 pounds down for my birthday, although that might be a bit of a lofty goal as it’s only 7 weeks until the weigh in before my bday. For now though my world gets back to normal now that 40th and 60th birthdays are done and celebrated.