I've Been to the Mountain Top...

This week has been a special one for yours truly. During this time period, along with getting a lot of work done of my project, I've hiked to the top of Lion's Head and Table Mountain.

Now some of you may be thinking that this is not a big deal. Well, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I grew up in a family that nobody would consider…uh…outdoorsy. My mother isn't too big on nature. In fact, I remember her getting really upset when Terrence and I came into the house covered in mud. Because my dad had to spend so many long days working in the fields back in the day, he doesn't care too much for outdoorsy stuff either. Unless you count running up the levee by the Stein-Mart in Greenville, the hiking record of my youth was pretty pathetic. When I lived in the Delta, I remember my dad took me to a meeting for Boy Scouts. Unfortunately, the guy that was suppose to lead the troop skipped town, so no scouts for me. Terrence and I had numerous biking adventures with our neighbors in Starkville, but that was about it. There was very little hiking, and no sleeping bags (at least none outside)

Along with my "wilderless" upbringing, it should also be noted that I have allergy problems (said that in my nerd voice). And let us also not forget that I have a well-documented love of various forms of fried and grilled meats.

Having said all of that, I had a wonderful time hiking over the past week. I've been to the top of Lion's Head twice now, most recently last night under the light of a full moon. The best part of last night (and the scariest) was that the 5 of us that went were the only people on the entire mountain. The saddest part of last night's trip was that I was really hoping to see Goat Boy. "Goat Boy" is the guy we saw on our first trip that ran (yes, RAN) up and down the mountain before we made it to the top. He had a long, grayish-colored goatee, and he looked like a goat as he made his way down the mountain.

The hike up Table Mountain was memorable for two reasons. First, that mountain nearly kicked my butt. There were a few times I had to stop for a quick breather, and I was definitely not the first one to the top. In the words of MLK, "I may not get there with you…". For the record, my 5th Social Studies knowledge tells me that Table Mountain is actually a plateau. Either they didn't use the word "plateau" back then, or perhaps people really liked calling it a "table" and saying "Table Plateau" would've been redundant. Secondly, while at the top of this plateau, we saw a sign that prohibited horseback riding. I'm sorry, but I had a heck of a time making it to the top that mountain. If I found a way to make it up there with a horse, I should be able to ride it wherever the heck I want to!

I hear that people are hiking up Devil's Peak this weekend. Sign me up!