the trail will wait for me

Around June 2012 I decided I wanted to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.

What is the PCT?

• 2650 miles of national scenic trail from Mexico to Canada passing through California, Oregon, and Washington.  (My plan was to hike 1700 miles over three months from Mexico to Oregon.)
• The trail goes through three national monuments, five state parts, six ecozones, seven national parks, 24 national forests, and 47 wilderness areas. 
• One of three major US long distance hiking trails - sister to the Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. 

Why?

• The stunning beauty of nature.  Often overlooked or taken for granted, Earth provides us with unimaginable sights.  From the vast desert emptiness, to dense forestry, and cascading mountains, the trail allows you to see some of America's finest land. 
• The people.  There is a community that surrounds these long distance trails that is full of unique personalities and people you'll never forget.  
• The unique experience.  Much like studying abroad, it was a very appealing thought to be fully removed from my comfort zone and have nature as my new home, living out of a 20-30 pound backpack for months. 
• My untethered life.  Rather than being disappointed with a lack of stability and commitment in my life, I wanted to embrace it.  I wanted to do something I would not have ever thought to do had plan A worked out in life.

So for the past eleven moths I have been planning, buying gear, dehydrating food, training, and anxiously awaiting this epic adventure I was about to go on.  I notified work, told countless friends and family, etc.  I had poured hours and hours into preparation and had filled my heart and mind with committed excitement.  

And then I got hurt. 

I wish I could say "I broke my leg" or "I fell down the stairs" or "I did _____ and ____ happened."  But it wasn't that simple.  Roughly 3 weeks before I was supposed to leave, I woke up and my leg starting hurting. I thought I must have slept on it strangely... but over the next several days the pain got increasingly worse.  It was extremely uncomfortable to even take my dog on a walk around the neighborhood.  Obviously worried, I went to the doctor and found out I have chronic tendinitis which has resulted in a pulled tendon where my hamstring meets my knee.  Nothing caused it... it just developed - unluckily a few weeks before my adventure.  With physical therapy, there was a chance I would be healed in time for the trail, but with a pretty high risk of re-injury.  

So I then had to decide... try my best to quickly fix it and hit the trail?  Give up my job and trade in my good health insurance for my crappy health insurance with the hope of not getting injured again?  I posted on hiker forums to help me decide what to do.  Generally, people agreed it wasn't worth the risk and the objective decision would be to not go this year.

So now I have a lot of really awesome gear, three months worth of dehydrated food, a ton of excel sheets and documents and maps with details and back up plans... and nowhere to go.  I feel incredibly disappointed... I don't even know how to describe it.  I feel like something so special to me was just taken from me... before I ever got to have it.

But, as many of the hikers have told me - "The trail will be there waiting for me."  And that is true.  I have to remember that I have decades of adventure still ahead of me.  That the trail will be just as epic in 2014 or in 2020 or whenever as it would have been in 2013.  

The good news...

As much as I don't like my job, I'm grateful to have it.  I was able to get it back just before they interviewed people to replace me.  

I try to remind myself that it is better that this happened before I left and not a few weeks in.

I go back to my normal life... lucky for me, I like my normal life.  It is not an epic adventure, but I have good friends and little things to look forward to.  

Adventures are still in the works... hopefully at the end of the summer with C!  Road trip to some national parks? 

Life... with its ups and downs.  Just keep smiling and moving along.

I'll leave you with one of the many beautiful images from along the PCT. 

drink, ski, and hike

My last two weekends have been full of adventure!  First, C and I took a lovely trip to Denver and this past weekend I did an overnight backpacking trip in Arkansas.  

Kirsten!:

I was sooo excited that I got to meet up with Kirsten & Preston (forgot to take a picture...).  Went to a cool little place with great queso and drinks - of course!  Kirsten would make an excellent local guide.   I wish we could hang out all the time!!!! 

St. Patrick's Day!:

I have an intense appreciation for holidays/festivals/celebrations.

We dressed up in green and these fancy stickers!

 Good thing we had extra because we gave them out to lots of strangers we met throughout the day. Everybody we met was incredibly nice and celebratory... well done, Denver.

We went to an Irish pub called Scruffy Murphy's where they had traditional music and dancing!

 There was a little girl dancer in the group who was ADORABLE. Here we met these guys and ended up spending the rest of the day with them! 

We went to a rooftop bar and met some more people.  Meeting randos is one of my favorite things.

And ended the night with some yummy pizza.

12 hours later we were home and exhausted!

Love my C.
Celebration - check.

Skiing!:

Ski day at Loveland!

I have never really been skiing before so I was very excited and also nervous.  I didn't know what to expect.   C and Mr. Gubes were excellent instructors! I borrowed all of T's clothes and skis - thanks T!! I learned how to snow plow, of course, and do parallel turns.  By the end of the day I was zipping down parts that scared me in the beginning!  And I only fell once or twice after lunch break! 

We went on a tree trail that was a fun change of scenery. 

I loved the atmosphere - everybody was nice and friendly, the staff was happy and chill, and there were dozens of adorable little kids learning too.  Also, everybody's ski gear is lovely - people just look good in ski clothes. It was snowing throughout the day, giving it a very 'winter in the mountains' kind of feel. 

I want to go on a legit ski vacation now - stay at the lodge, come in after a good day on the slopes and chill with friends, etc.  Any takers for next season? :)

We also practiced self arrest with my ice axe for our new thing of this week!  It was very effective, so rest assured that I probably won't fall down any mountains this summer!  Forgot to take a photo of this too... and we even put on silly hats for it...

A lovely, albeit quick trip! Love my C. Love the Gubes. 

Hiking:

A few weeks ago, I met an amazing group of women and decided to go on a backpacking adventure with them!  They are quite a bit older than me and I am inspired by their continued sense of adventure and youthful spirits.

This was my chance to test out all my gear, test my level of mental and physical preparation, and also have some fun with the women in the woods. 

It was rainy and cold the whole time... but it was awesome.  Pretty much the entire time we were covered in fog, but it created this beautiful enchanted forest look.

I loved my gear and I loved being outside (even in that weather).  In preparing for this weekend, I knew it would either make me incredibly nervous or incredibly excited for the PCT and after it was over I could not wait to finish planning and preparing and start my journey.  With full packs on, we hiked 12 miles the first day and 16.6 the next.  My dreams of PCT all of sudden became more real, and more importantly more realistic.  My confidence and excitement is starting to well overcome my nerves and anticipation.
Due to the weather, we decided to finish up early, head back into town, grab a shower and go out to dinner for a celebration.  Here is the group:

I feel so blessed to have met these women and have them help me prepare for this journey!  One of the best parts of any journey seems to be the people you meet along the way and they are no exception.  

women in the woods

A few weeks ago, I became friends with a woman on a hike with the Backwoods Norman Hiking Club.

On Sunday, I joined her and a group of women on a training hike for an upcoming 3-day backpacking trip in the Ouachita Mountains in late March.

As we were introducing ourselves, somebody said that I looked like I knew what I was doing/had done this before.  It was such a simple comment, but the boost it gave me was tremendous.  In reality, I am very new to the world of backpacking, so the fact that I appear to know what I'm doing gives me confidence.

There is something powerful about being in a group of women.  We are all pretty diverse in our life experiences and interests - I really enjoyed getting to know them throughout the hike.  I decided to go on the 3-day trip with them in March and it was really uplifting how welcoming they all were, inviting me to join them on that adventure. 

 My outdoor adventures have already begun to connect me to people and experiences unforeseen... I can't wait to see what more the future holds.

its really happening

For a few months, I've been preparing for my upcoming adventure... reading a ton, buying things (get the gear!), etc - but when my backpack arrived in the mail, as soon as I put it on I got this completely overwhelming feeling of .... 

Am I really doing this? ...I'm really doing this! ... woah... this is really happening!

It surprised me how that one thing really made it all come together in my mind.

It happened again today when I purchased my ticket to San Diego... and I am sure it will continue to happen as the time comes nearer.

This is really happening. 

Sally got her backpack for her summer adventures recently too - I'm certain she had the same excited and overwhelmed emotional reaction. :)

Here are a few pictures of C, Sal, and I at Lake Thunderbird:

 

Backwoods Norman Hiking Club

On Saturday I went on my first hike with the Backwoods Norman Hiking Club.  They go on a hike once a month, and this was the first time I was free to join them!

I love winter and seasonal weather, but on Saturday I welcomed the sun inspired, 60 degree, t-shirt spring teaser.  Barely even breezy, you couldn't have asked for better hiking weather.  

I really enjoyed hiking with a big group of others, all of which I had never previously met... but there was a lot of wait time involved, which I wasn't so keen on.  Too many pauses and breaks for my liking.  Lots of different personalities... from the nice older lady kicking it getting some exercise outdoors, to the annoying overenthusiastic backpacker obsessed with his gear.  

The hike was lead by a professional wilderness photographer and I enjoyed hearing about his work and his experience outdoors.  Additionally, instead of going on a standard trail, he lead us on a "game trail" - meaning, we followed the tracks of elk.  This felt so much more authentic and really added to the experience.

I connected well with a woman on the hike and we hope to do it again.  We carpooled home and it was nice to meet somebody new - making friends is always invigorating isn't it?

Outdoor fun makes me so excited for the upcoming adventures in my life... which begin in 93 days!! 

But more on that later...

Devil's Den

This weekend, Sally and I went on an adventure to Devil's Den State Park in Arkansas.   

The drive to the park was really nice in itself.  I love winding roads over rolling hills... especially in fall!

 I was really hoping to catch some of the fall colors the Ozarks are known for.  I missed the peak season by 1-2 weeks, but I still enjoyed the ground being carpeted with all the shades of brown and orange, with the occasional red and purple.  The weather was beautiful - sunny, mid-60s, with a crispness to the air.  

Devil's Den had a very friendly and helpful staff, and the trails were very well maintained.  Additionally, there were park facilities closed for the off-season, and I think it would be a wonderful place for families to enjoy.  

Hike #1: Devil's Den Trail

1.5 miles

One of the parks most popular hikes, this trail winds around a lot of very cool rock formations and caves.  Honestly, I think caves are very cool and fascinating .. and creepy.  I don't have pictures form my favorite sights on the trail, but here are some that'll give an idea of what it was like.

Hike #2: Fossil Flats

5 miles... +1.5 miles in correction

This trail is primarily a moderate mountain biking trail and I highly recommend it as such (particularly the Sawmill Loop section).  This hike was a pretty typical trail in the woods. 

Hike #3: Yellow Rock Trail

3 miles

Another one of the park's most popular trails.  The most desirable part of this hike is the lookout/photo op.  There is a rock that sort of jets out over a valley and its a very pretty scene.  Tons of couples were up there picnicking - adorable.... almost as adorable as me and Sally! haha

Sally was a wonderful hiking buddy!  It is so nice to see her happily explore the trails - I love watching her have so much fun.  And she is very well behaved, which is impressive if you know Sally. haha She nearly got bitten by a snake so that was a little traumatizing for her.  She was super tired and didn't really want to go on the last hike, but I was really happy with her for keeping up! Here is Sally, taking a break. (hehe)

Lessons learned:

1. Clip toenails before a full day of hiking... ouch!

2. Consult the map.

3. Trust your instincts, trust the trail. 

4. Arkansas is for lovers... there were couples all over the place!

Then we drove home, chasing the sunset arriving just in time for the OU game, drinks, and pizza with a friend. 

Good weekend. :)

naturally happy

On Saturday Sally and I took a trip to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton, OK.

We saw some wildlife, went on 3 hikes, and had a grand ol' time. 

 "Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam..."

 

Sally had a wonderful time!  If you know Sally, you know she is terrified of just about everything, but her happiness and pure exhaustion made her forget all her fears!   

 I was reminded and inspired by the effect dogs have on people.  Without fail, when I'm out with Sally, she brings a smile to people's face.  I think its the happy-go-lucky innocence and unyielding love... it sounds silly to say, but it would be nice if we could all be a little more like dogs. 

 She was a really nice companion to have along the trip... and I learned how out of shape she is! She slept the whole way home. 

The scenery was beautiful... not really comparable to other parts of the country but I was happy to appreciate a different part of Oklahoma.  After being in NYC, I feel like I have a new appreciation for openness. 

 The fall foliage was so wonderful.  I feel like every year there is one day where I suddenly realize all the color that is around me... it's one of my favorite days of the year.  Everything seems to pop and stand out in a unique way, calling extra attention nature's beauty.

As I was walking, I got to thinking... like ya do.  Every person I passed was enjoying themselves, their company, and their day.  Every person offered some type of pleasant communication.  Every person.  Our natural surroundings had created a simple happiness for us.  It made me think about two different dining situations.  Situation 1: fancy, expensive restaurant with delicious food.  Situation 2: a simple picnic on a beautiful day.  Both experiences provide joy.  But I would argue that situation 1 brings us a satisfaction that we have learned to find joy in whereas situation 2 brings a more pure kind of joy.  As a society, I feel we undervalue the simple, pure forms of joy that are just given to us... that we in no way need to earn or buy.  

Get out there and live in the pure joy.