Sleeping Giant Death March

I am sooo sore I think we will have to take a day off.   Every trip has to have its death march and today has topped them all. Seems like we are getting more and more adventurous as time goes by.  The plan changed quite a few times before we settled on climbing Sleeping Giant then picnicking at the beach.

Took a bit of time to get all 6 Arndts and 1 Lockwood in the car but we finally did and we're off and running by 11:30.  Sleeping giant is a mountian that looks from the road like a man with a big chin sleeping on his back. It is half way up the coast toward Hanalie Bay. It over looks Kelelia Beach.

The beginning of the hike was not so bad. We were hiking through a forest of north fork pines, then the trail turned to mud and more mud and steep and more steep. Slippery and sliding. Yes I had the most wipeouts, my orange pants will never be the same. I am sore. It had rained in the morning so the mountian was wet. Haley went ahead and and took a nice slide, and a gentlement hiker awarded her with war paint and called her the queen of mud. Slippery Switchbacks were  everywhere it was not a hike for the faint at heart. Boots made it to the top. Amazing. The picture is between two switchbacks, Laurie and boots at the bottom, Kevin and I on the middle and Krik , Gus up top, Haley taking the picture. Kirk saying I am not loosing any height for this picture. 

Gus Haley and Laurie went to the tip top where it said "do not go beyond this point." Gus posted a movie. The rest of us stayed and rested for the return hike.  They say that the mud, people pay big bucks for in Hollywood, will I got my mud bath but without the big bucks or cucumbers. 

The view was spectacular, over looking the ocean and a double rainbow.  But the worst was yet to come. 

Going down was a challenge. Haley and I were on the Vanguard while the rest were helping Boots down.  At one point as I was on a switchback and did a slow motion slid into the splits, as a fellow hiker coming up the mountian commented, " Interesting Yoga position", Haley was helping me but could not help me avoid this fall, yes, I fell again. I was not the only one. We were covered in mud by the time we got back to the car. My nice orange pants were now brown red mud. 

Time to head for the beach, stopped by the farmers market and tasted some Jack Fruit, it tasted like juicy fruit gum. Huge big ugly looking thing, also tried some red spiny onion looking fruit that was sweet.

Got to Kelelia Bay and had a picnic while a double rainbow appeared over the ocean. Gus and Haley went for a swim to get the mud off.  Gus went boogie boarding and we watched the sun set over the Sleeping Giant as we sat on the beach. That muddy beast makes for a long day.