Posted: Apr 20, 08 7:27am
"Social connections and having fun are key to mental and physical health"
That line reminded me of our first hike of the year last weekend. Seattle experienced close to 80 degrees, perfect for getting up early and hitting the hiking trail. This weekend with the snow and hail....not so great.
The parking lot for little Mt Si hike was full by the time we got there early Saturday morning. So it was one of those hikes to the hike after you find a parking spot along the river. As our small group started up the mountain we were approached by a beautiful young woman who asked to join us. She had missed the start time with her meetup.com hiking group, didn't actually know any of the people and wanted to be with others.
We did the hike up the mountain together and having another person along was great fun. She moved to Seattle from Costa Rica so we had a nice chat up the trail. Apparently she loves to hike, her husband doesn't, and the meetup.com group works out great for her, as long as she gets the right start time.
We met up with the meetup.com hiking group at the top of the trail. They were enjoying the views, having lunch and talking about future hikes. They seemed like good folks and there were about 20 in the group at this beautiful spot.
Do any of you belong to clubs or organizations where you meet up for outdoor fitness?
I get great ideas for hikes and activities from sierraclub.org/outings and hope to try spelunking with the group this summer.
