Break On Through

I walked through a mountain last Sunday!

The big deal here is, I got to go on a hike! Just a day hike on easy terrain about an hour east from home.
So why the big deal? I'm still suffering from the ribcage injury. I can't walk up or down hills without pain (so much that I avoid the little ramps on the street corner of every sidewalk). While I can sit in a car, driving (working the pedals) causes pain. I can only lift things under 10 pounds. So I haven't got to do a lot this summer. I desperately wanted to go hiking out in the wilderness. And I knew of one trail that was pretty flat. The Iron Horse Trail is a former railroad turned into a hiking and biking trail. More info here about the history.

My old kayaking partner became my new hiking partner (and driver) for a day.
We started near Snoqualmie Pass. Neither one of us had hiked this section before. We could either hike along a lake or through an old train tunnel. Both of us were curious about the tunnel. And yes, I realize the irony of spending one of the few sunny days inside a tunnel that drips water.

The entrance of the tunnel.  (He's around 6'3" to give you an idea of how big it is.)
The whole day we saw a lot more bikers than hikers. About 75% more.


Almost to the exit.
Water would occasionally be dripping down. Flashlights were mostly used for avoiding puddles/water dripping down and to warn hikers/bikers of our presence. Occasionally we would turn them off to "see what we could see." For me, being night-blind, I could only see the light at the end.
At one point it seemed like the exit wasn't getting any bigger like an object should when you get closer to it.


Random things found in the tunnel. I liked investigating all the things left over from the railroad days as well as seeing what time and nature has done to things.


And out the other side! Now back through the other way! No, not right away. We hiked a little bit further in the "real" outdoors but we did have to turn around and go back through since it isn't a loop.


Picture proof that I actually did it! Here I am sporting one of my best garage-sale finds. An only-used-once REI CamelBak that I could carry with ease (if the bladder is half full or less).
This is close to the area where we turned around to head back.

There was only a couple of times I had trouble with my ribcage, but I was always able to pause for a moment and recover quickly. What I didn't expect was... vertigo?
Going back through, we couldn't see the exit at the end. It curves slightly right at the entrance/exit so unlike the first time where we could at least see a tiny dot of light, there was nothing. I was hogging the flattest part of the trail, causing my partner to weave a little while walking in the ruts. I have a deep breathing exercise I do to help ease the pain. Combine having no horizon, someone who isn't walking a straight line next to me, and probably doing too much of the deep breathing, I got dizzy and had to hold on to my partner a few times. But all in all, it was a great day and a really fun hike. And it wasn't very painful - less pain from that than an average day in the city.
And... I GOT TO GO ON A HIKE! I can't run yet, I can't kayak, but I have hiked! More flat trails, please!