2/20 22052 steps later

On Tuesday, January 20th, Meg (my Governor's School roommate) and I hiked over NINE MILES (about 22052 steps!!!) at Crowders' Mountain. It was absolutely insane!! but super worth it because the exercise--I hate to say it--was much needed. not to mention the weather was basically perfect hiking weather! AND I haven't seen Megan in a gazillion years and it was super nice to catch up with her :-)

(the view from the top was beautiful! If you look hard enough, you can see Charlotte in the distance--next to the giant hill in the center)

STORY OF THE HIKE: we got lost. okay not TOTALLY lost but still lost. so basically Meg and I got to the top (which is what we wanted to do obviously), and obviously what comes us must come down (US). so, after quickly looking at a map, we went down a gravel trail that we thought would do the trick. this gravel road did not. we ended up at a different access point/parking lot of the park...that was on the opposite side of OUR destination: the Visitor's Center. what's ironic in this situation is that I had originally parked in that parking lot but then drove away because Megan wasn't there. anyways so now we had to walk ALL THE WAY back up to the TOP of the mountain. THEN, only after seriously looking at a map, we realized that we took the wrong trail. however, our mistake can be somewhat justified as the trail that would take us down to the Visitor's Center stems off from the gravel trail. so basically we just passed it. like really really passed it. sigh. so that's how we hiked so many miles. 

on the upside, Meg and I met some pretty cool and inspiring people! Like seriously these people make me want to be them in like thirty or more years. SO SUPER FIT AND COOL. (but let's be honest, I have to be super fit and cool now so I don't know how it's gonna work out, man) For example...

• three mid-sixties or late-fifties ladies from Asheville (super hipster obvs) that commented on my Selfie Stick
• a guy in his mid-forties that jogs the mountain like a lot and helped us find our way back to the right place 
• another guy in his mid-forties thru mid-fifties that jogged PAST us on STEPS...he said he was about two minutes from beating his record of getting to the top...which he runs on a twice-a-week basis...
• two late-forties women that helped us feel better about getting lost and even offered to give us a ride back to the visitor's center where our car was parked
• a mid-or-late-sixties man who took a Polaroid pic for us and told us how he runs basically the entire mountain about once a week

(we took some cute Polaroid pics!)

Finally, here's the video I made :-)

(this is exceptionally shaky and I am sorry. I was really excited about my SelfieStick haha)

NOTE: This event marks off some things on my "18 goals for my 18th year" YAY
NOTE: this is being posted WAY late because it was in my drafts and awaiting the video (sorry)