Hey all!!!

So, there is an Infamous (notorious??) Mountain near my house that all of the super FIT people go to hike every weekend. I mean literally HUNDREDS of people visit the peak every day. I had heard about it and it always struck a chord of FEAR through my body. One day I was driving along the main road through my city and I looked up at the peak. IT LOOKED IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!! I'm like "People WALK to that place????" LOL




BUT the damned thing CALLED TO ME I TELL YA!!!! SOOoooooo, I decided that with the new year I would CHALLENGE myself to take on the hardest thing I could find and to BEAT THE HELL OUT OF IT!!!! This would be the STARTING POINT of my NEW YEAR!!! If I could SURVIVE THIS CHALLENGE then I knew that 1. I could take on anything that came out me for the rest of the year and 2. I knew I was capable of GREAT things! So, I gathered up some brave friends and GOT OUT THERE!!!

IT....WASSSSSS....FRICKIN......GRUELING I TELL YOU!!!!!!! THREE DARNED NEAR VERTICAL MILES!!!!!!!




IT WAS SOOO ROCKY!!! I thought about how easy it would be just to turn around and go back. I mean we had come REALLY far already...there was a TON to be proud of!!! HELL, I'm 335 pounds!!!! Do you know what a HUGE VICTORY that is???? A 44 year old woman, over 300lbs making it THAT FAR up that mountain!!!????? SURELY I had earned the right to turn back??? SURELY people would think I was a ROCKSTAR???!!! I mean look at all these other thin people huffing and puffing and barely making it!!!

But I kept going. Sometimes taking only about 15 steps and then resting...15 steps and then resting...8 steps and then resting. We each supported each other and motivated each other to continue on.


THAT'S ME ON THE RIGHT IN THE WHITE TSHIRT AND BLACK SWEATS WITH MY HANDS ON MY HIPS TRYING MY HARDEST NOT TO DIE!!!!

And you know what??




FOUR HOURS LATER WE REACHED THE TOP!!!!




I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO PROUD OF MYSELF IN MY LIFE!!!!






KEEP PUSHING PEOPLE!!!! YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO UNTIL YOU GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY!!!

Good for you, looks like a beautiful day to be out!

Starchile, what an amazing challenge to overcome. You are an inspiration!

Your final picture brought tears to my eyes!!! That's so freaking cool! Go you, go you, go you! Amazing!!!!!!

Very cool! Congrats to you!

What a great day you had. Are you going to do it again?

Fantastic... What a great feeling to have! You are doing great

Whooo Hoooo!

That's so awesome! Go you!

Fantastic!!

I'm crying. Like bawling. I so needed this reality check today, after an especially negative, "I feel like just giving up" day. I'm so very very proud of you!!!!!!!! What an awesome accomplishment. Thank you so very much for posting this

That is really amazing and inspiring!! Thank you so much for sharing that

You are an inspiration to me! Well done, you.

We never know what great things are inside us until we pull them out and try them on. Well done!! You are an inspiration!

THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!!!! I'm OVERJOYED that I could offer even a little inspiration to folks!! This journey can be CRAZY HARD at times but it helps for me to know that you all are here and UNDERSTAND the struggle!!!

HUGS ALL AROUND!!!

You're awesome! You ARE a rockstar!!!

Beautiful!!!!!!