Mt. Si
Date: February 11, 2011
Difficulty: 6 out of 10
Distance: 8 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 3,400 Feet
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: No Permits Required
Trail Conditions: Dry to the top
Hiking with: my wonder dog Macho

Another Friday, another hike day; I didn’t get up real early this morning so I got a late start.  On my way to the Mt. Si trial, I was listening to NPR and they announced this morning Hosni Mubarak finally resigned as President from Egypt after 18 days of protests.  The whole world has been watching the protests and waiting for the outcome for the past couple of weeks, so it was exciting news to start my hike with.

The parking lot only had maybe 12 to 15 cars, which some days you could see easily see over 50.  Macho and I started around 12:30 p.m. and casually made our way to the top before 2:30 p.m.  I forgot to bring Macho’s food along, so I ended up giving my beef pouch that I smuggled from China on my last trip to him.  On the way down, my right knee area was throbbing with pain, so I broke out my trusty first aid kit and took a couple of ibuprofens.  After the hike, I grabbed a towel and rinsed Macho in the creek before putting him into his car kennel.  Before I made it home, I stopped for a beer and a cup of Jambalaya soup at North Bend Bar & Grille.