Dehydration isn't for wussies!!

Just after I filled my tank for the second time on my way to the Jack Johnson Concert, I decided that I needed to have a hike on the way home to make my travels worth while. My friend Betty was very helpful in finding information on gorge hikes and we had already discussed hiking up Dog Mt. We planned to meet at the trailhead around 12 noon. The 7 mile hike took about 4 hours round trip with an elevation gain of 2950'. The pic below was about 3/4 of the way up. Betty took a fabulous panoramic shot!This was the trail to the top. Not much longer to go!
From the top of the trail you could see THREE Mountains! I love the Northwest! Below looking North at Mt. Adams.Betty and Mt. Hood to the South. Lastly is Mt. St. Helens to the Northwest.

The view was spectacular and we took our time enjoying the scenery before heading back down.A huge highlight on the way back down was watching four of the cutest baby squirrels playing in a tree stump. They were so small and cute I wanted to take one home!
So this is where my dehydration story begins. Shortly after observing the baby squirrels I started to feel not so good. I tried to plan appropriately for this hike, but my beer drinking and popcorn eating at the concert the night before proved to be costly. I drank a 32 oz. of vitamin water before the hike and had a few protein bars. We also snacked on some Bing cherries I picked up at a farmers market in Goldendale. I don't usually eat Bing Cherries all because I saw The Witches of Eastwick when I was about 10 years old. Not sure how many of you have seen this movie, but there is an unfortunate scene involving cherries and projectile vomiting. That was enough for me. I haven't eaten many bing cherries since! Despite my PTSD, I decided to face my fears and enjoy cherries before they are no longer in season. The vitamin water, protein bars and cherries were not enough! My headache turned into a pounding brainache that resulted in nausea. Was I really getting that sick? I couldn't believe it as I scurried down the trail. After picking up some cold water and driving with my AC on icy cold high, I felt well enough to make the 60 min drive back to Portland to pick up my pumpkin from Heather's house (Thanks for Babysitting H!). The drive from Heather's to my apartment was brutal and I worried as I drove on roads with no shoulders. What would I do if I HAD to pull over? Well, luckily my Madre taught me breathing exercises to slow the process. I ended up making it home just in time to loose my cherries!!! I Could not believe that I lost my cherries just like in the Witches of Eastwick!!! Could have been worse though. I made it home in time, where my bed was waiting for me and I had great pics from high atop Dog Mt. You can bet that I will not do future hikes unprepared!