Mount Hillyer

4 July 2002

By: Sara Wyrens

This short little jaunt was a very special hike for me despite the easy class 1 rating given by the HPS website. There are two routes possible; one with a distance and gain of 1.5 miles rt, 300' gain; and another with 6 miles rt, 900' gain. I opted for the latter. What made this little trek unique was it was my first hike since a medical incident I suffered just 4 weeks earlier and wasn't even sure if I would ever hike again at all! Perseverance and luck did pay off as I set out with four buddies who came out the day to support my efforts. They were: Kate Rogowski, Laura Joseph, Lilly Fukui and Rick Gordon. The well maintained trail starts at Silver Moccasin Trailhead (11W06) and winds around to Horse Flats Campground, follow the sign heading west, winding further until the trail flattens out, then start looking for a group of boulders just west of the trail. This is the peak. Easy to miss as the trail continues on north. Our arrival time was noonish so we jumped right into a potluck lunch which consisted of sushi, courtesy of Kate; soybeans courtesy of Lilly and fresh watermelon. We topped it off with Laura's decadent homemade brownies ... yum! Our hike ended early afternoon and we all parted ways and off to 4th of July celebrations of one sort or another.

My fellow hikers and friends were so supportive during my hospital stay, it really made a difference in the early stages of my recovery. I received so many wonderful cards, phone calls, visitors and e-mails from so many awesome people NOT allowing me to get my spirits down, and encouraging me to get right back out there. There is no doubt in my mind this all contributed to my fast comeback! THANK YOU ALL!