December 1, 2023

Mt. Katahdin! One and done!

Mt. Katahdin! One and done!

Coach Cathy, the unintentional mountaineer of Hybrid Fitness, reflects on her daring encounter with Mt. Katahdin – the Maine hill that moonlights as a mountain. As winter rudely barges onto the coast, she finds herself reminiscing about the sweltering July day when hiking morphed into an unexpected extreme sport.

For those familiar with Cathy’s fitness philosophy, she’s not your average weekend hiker. No, she skips the small talk and jumps straight into conquering giants – Longs Peak, the Grand Canyon, the Inca Trail, and the Everest Base Camp Trail. Because she can’t let leisurely Sunday strolls be her beaten path; Cathy opts for marathons of elevation gain.

 

Now, why does she lump Mt. Katahdin into the same league as these Herculean trails? According to Cathy’s logic, one punishing day on Katahdin equals the sweat equity of traipsing through the likes of Longs Peak. Sure, Longs Peak might be a day trip, but the Inca Trail and Everest Base Camp? Well, those are essentially the “Netflix binge of hiking.”

With its myriad trails, Mt. Katahdin presents a choose-your-own-adventure scenario. It’s not for the faint-hearted or the unprepared. Cathy, ever the maverick, dives headfirst into the planning conundrum – from trail parking permits to toe-first, heel-first dance moves required between the rocks. The toenails will grow back, right?

Cathy’s accidental comedy of errors reaches its peak (pun intended) at the trailhead. A sign mocks her, proclaiming, “Set a turn around time and stick to it.” Cue Cathy’s realization that she missed the turn-around-memo, spinning her hike into an unanticipated test of endurance. Next time, she’ll pay more attention to signs and less to her wanderlust. Maybe.

Accompanied by her 15-year-old son, the unsung hero of the escapade, Cathy delivers the casual line, “We just need to get back to the car,” as if summiting a peak is akin to a stroll to the neighborhood store for bread, milk & eggs. Meanwhile, in distant lands like Peru and Nepal, multi-day hikes await – a stark contrast to the one-hit wonder that is Mt. Katahdin.

Joined by fellow fitness enthusiast Amy Mitchell and her son, weekend hikers with a penchant for waiting, they inadvertently become Cathy’s motivational squad, proving that if Cathy hiked on weekends, they wouldn’t need patience and fly swatters.

As Cathy navigates through breathtaking views, dazzling waterfalls, and greenery that puts emeralds to shame, she can’t help but draw parallels to Frodo and Sam’s perilous journey to Mordor. A Great Eagle swooping in to rescue her from the relentless trails and the horror of summit black flies (which conveniently do not show in the photos) becomes a wistful daydream.

 

Reflecting on her saga, Cathy contemplates the elusive balance between preparation and spontaneity. While Mt. Katahdin might be a “been there, done that, not doing it again” scenario, the siren call of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania adds another chapter to her unintentional mountaineering exploits. With a nonchalant “Hold on. Let me grab my backpack,” Coach Cathy sets her sights on another globetrotting conquest, ready or not!