Summit Melon on Pfiefferhorn

by Sam

It's not every day on the trail that people compliment you melon. I mean really, who just says: "Dude, nice melon"? It is a nice melon, after all. But do people really have to stare at it like it's some sort of toe fungus? I mean, how can you say that its a beautiful melon and then stare at it like that? Yet, as I climbed the Red Pine trail up toward Pfiefferhorn all the hikers could say was: "whoa, look at that melon" or "wait, did you see that guy's melon?" or "can I take a picture of your melon?" I've never had anyone take a picture of my melon before. It was kind of awkward.

Looking down into Red Pine from the ridge. Also the Cottonwood Ridgeline can be seen across the way.

Cy runs along Red Pine Lake.

The climb seemed harder than normal. Some people didn't compliment my melon at all, they just stared with amazement or dumbfoundment (pretty sure that's not a word). The sideways glances made me feel out of place. Maybe, that's why I was slower than normal. I couldn't take the pressure of the random compliments and the drop jaw stares. This has never happened to me before. I've never had so many people obsess about my melon that way. That's why I usually run in the cover of dark. Much easier to hide one's melon when it's midnight.

"What's that sound?" I heard people say as I breathlessly crested the ridge above Red Pine Lake. My breathing was much more labored than normal. It seemed I had to use my arms to pull myself up. Normally, I can rely on my strong legs to push me up. Not today. My melon was weighing me down apparently. It was soaking in all the attention. Can you blame it? Never before has it gotten that much attention.

Usually people are asking about my monkey. Now that I'm used to. Anyway, onward and upward. Due to my over-sized melon it was difficult crossing the knife edge ridge. My balance was way outta wack and my legs were shaky. It was nice to have a cool breeze even though it sometimes threatened to blow me off the mountain. Finally, I arrived at the last scramble to the summit. I was anxious to get up there. I pushed as hard as I could but it felt like I was moving like a sloth. I guess all that talk about my melon and the strange looks got to me. Wouldn't you know it, just as I was about to summit some hikers sitting up there had to say, "dude, you made it all the way to the top with that melon." Well, of course I did. It is my melon after all. How could I summit without it?

Pfiefferhorn summit.

In case you didn't notice, I'm holding a watermelon in the picture above. Yep, it's not every day people see a 25 lb. watermelon strapped to someone's back on a high and strenuous mountain trail. It was a hard feat and a tasty treat. Six lucky hikers will never forget the day some random trail runner supplied them with watermelon on Pfiefferhorn's summit. Countless others will not forget the day they saw a trail runner carrying up a watermelon, then pass them on the way back and say: "dude, weren't you the guys with the watermelon?"