Climb, climb up Sunshine Mountain...

Actually, it was Red Lodge Mountain.

This morning was the first annual Climb to Conquer Cancer: a 5 mile (or so) round-trip trek through the ski resort, serving as a fundraiser for the American cancer Society. Our church participated in the hike-- some two dozen hardy souls, (mostly parishioners, with a few family members and friends sprinkled in).

The event was described in the promotional material thus:

An exhilarating hike at Red Lodge Mountain Ski Resort.
Walk the jeep trail that winds up the mountain from the upper parking lot past Miami Beach, through Tipi Trail to Mid Way. This scenic hike is sure to amaze you as you climb to find a cure for cancer. A festival atmosphere awaits you as you make your way back to the ski lodge.

"Exhilarating." Right. That's one way to put it.

Well... the part about the wildflowers was true. Even this late in the season, we stopped to see any number of beautiful flowers and vistas. Clearly, the stops had nothing to with a) being a native flatlander in less than optimal shape b) climbing from 6000 to 8000 ft elevation in less than three miles c) after being sick in the first part of the week with a nasty intestinal virus.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

The good news is, I did finish! We (my patient husband, and one of our survivor parishioners, and I) arrived dead stick last, just as the "festival atmosphere" was dissipating; but I did not quit partway, and did not need a ride down (as suggested by our son, who finished perhaps an hour earlier, and called several times to gloat check on his dawdling parents).

And the views were worth it.