Last year in October, my son and I climbed the Skyline Trail, and I swore that I would never subject myself to such a grueling climb ever again. Climbing 8000 feet in eleven miles is not a simple walk in the park. It takes preparation (you must carry lots of water) and you’d better be in shape. And even then it’s a hike that can take its toll on you. Hence my desire to never climb it again.
Still, climbing Skyline is a fairly major accomplishment for any hiker, and I admit that I was proud of myself. Perhaps a bit too proud.
My wife, wonderful woman that she is, had to put up with my smug superiority for months afterward, and, unbeknownst to me, this festered within her for a year. October swung around once again (Autumn being the best time of year to climb this trail, as it’s too hot down below in the desert during the summer and too icy near the top in the winter) and suddenly, out of the blue, I was informed that I would be climbing the Skyline trail with her the following weekend!
I tried to protest, reminding her of how much she hated hiking uphill, but it was immediately apparent that this was a doomed strategy on my part. She was hiking Skyline the following Saturday, with or without me.
At this point, my only course of action was Damage Control.
Click on the photo to read the complete Trip Report
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