In the blink of an eye!

May 28, 2022May 30, 2022 / wildsideof50 / Leave a comment

My personnel prayers for 2022 were filled with hope given the past few years that have been filled with global pandemic and climate catastrophic events, political discord and division, personnel loss of family and friends, and physical challenges unresolved. I saw the new year in my dreams as healing and positive. I thought nothing more of it as time continued to unfold.

To all women out there…. go get an annual mammogram. Breast cancer is not our friend and if we take our eyes off it (life) for a minute it (cancer) can grow. At over a half of century old and having had these boobs for my lifetime getting mammograms regularly had been what I had consistently done throughout my life. The due diligence on my part was greater given the early beginnings of my menstruation and hormone treatment to regulate them. From age 10 to 30 I had used birth control to regulate menstruation because I had Menorrhagia, heavy, prolonged bleeding that was detrimental to my overall health. In attempt to continue to treat the issue after transfusions were considered, large amounts of iron injections were given and then birth control pills that were continually increased in their property strengths to stop the symptoms. After giving birth issues began again and a complete hysterectomy was done taking all my hormone producing parts leaving me dependent again on a hormone replacement to control different symptoms. Symptoms that come from an early-in-life complete hysterectomy. Bottom line, all female hormones and physiological parts have relations with one and other. The breasts on my body had been impacted by my history. I didn’t know to what extent until I had been called back in for a biopsy of my left breast where a mass was seen in the 3D routine mammogram in early Spring.

While the breast cancer situation was revealing itself through the ordered imaging, my left leg started to burn with the pain of a blow torch on high going over my left quad area relentlessly. The position most comfortable and relieving was none. Sitting caused the most seer of fire sensation. Lying flat was the only way to slightly lesson the pain. The physical discomfort was a distraction from breast cancer due to the severity the pain was felt. I felt like a landslide of physical sensations were redirecting my focus to nothing but pain. It’s presence was taking over. I laid flat each and every day passing with pain while waiting on imaging results. Spring was outside with sunny days filled with blue skies. I was able to look out a window each new day. Spring brought more than had hoped for in a package designed for introspection and self-reflection with surprise growth within beyond the scope of my own imagination. Physical and emotional challenges can push us to new points of perspective if we let it. When the imaging results came back for my breast and my lower spine I was in for diagnosis’s that were not part of my plan but apparently part of the journey that I on. Its cancer and possible paralysis from my back.

It was still the season of renew, rejoice, rejuvenate, and rebirth. None of physical challenges I had been experienced had struck me as hard as these this year, this Spring. All that I knew to be was then questionable. The future I had held in heart was slipping away into the fog of here and now. Concentration, focus, prayer, mediation, and the correct vernacular were becoming vital in my survival to stay afloat in the newness of my new medical reality. What I had known for so long slipped through and out of my fingers leaving me holding a whole new understanding of what Spring means to me…. this year. Shedding old ways, thoughts, and patterns can take years to complete. Yet a perfect storm can make it happen overnight or its just Spring.

I needed to get in the driver’s seat of destination to health: spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally. The notable storm blew in so hard and heavy in its approach I was broken wide open to finally see all the truths that needed to be revealed. I had not seen the real truth for almost a decade. My past experience had impacted me beyond my own emotional knowledge and ability to compute keeping me in a safe harbor until the truth could be emotional and spiritually processed. Physically my body cried out with inflammation, chronic pain, and reactions to most things I chose to eat. I wasn’t feeding my mind, body, or soul. I had neglected my “being” for years. It had been easier and more comfortable to care for others than to care for myself. Once I knew in my heart, I had a fight on my hands with the cancer and issues with my back I needed the mental fortitude and clarity to rise to a place of “Being” that was WHOLE and HEALTHY.

They say if you have to have cancer breast cancer is the best to have-REALLY? Fuck Cancer! No cancer is good cancer. I am blessed to have found it early. And that it is said to be a slow growing cancer. Without regular mammograms I probably wouldn’t of been so lucky. The cancer was contained in the left breast the doctors said. The injected blue dye was radioactive and absorbed by the cancerous tissues during the surgery where they used an X-ray machine to be guided to the glowing areas requiring extraction. The dye made the cancer cells blue, easier to see and to remove. They had discussed the procedure with me prior to surgery. The doctors had said that they would be taking as many lymph nodes as needed. Once they got in there they would have free reign to remove all the illuminated blue cancer tissues that they saw. I prayed heavily that they see and would get it all. I had one lymph node removed as it also had had cancer in it.

They got what they could see and referred me to a different oncologist who would follow me through the next legs of treatment. The prescription to decrease the chances of breast cancer returning improves with a protocol of radiation and then hormone inhibitor treatment for five years. The radiation is five days a week for five weeks. The treatment itself is about 10 minutes. They no longer tattoo the breast for radiation they now map the breast by using CT imaging to define the radiation treatment area. The CT was unfun for me because the cord that has developed in my left arm due to surgery became very, very angry and irritated having my arms over my head for 45 minutes. Plus, since my broken neck hands over the head is not ever a feel-good idea. Radiation will not take that long but every day of the week may be a bother to the cord and cause continued pain and discomfort. I continued to pray for painless treatment.

Throughout this transformation, the cancer, and neurological issues in my back, spine and leg, I have been broken open in a way to see much clearer. There has been a knowingness within me that guided me throughout this process with happiness, gratitude, and a peace. I just ‘know’ in my faith that it will all work out perfectly. I have learned how to sit with uncertainty and be ok with it. I have learned how to just be present and not think of yesterday or tomorrow. After the storm and just riding it out to the point of perspective that I currently have I am filled with love, gratitude, and pure happiness. The result of all things happening is not what I ever expected. I thought I’d never get cancer. My back is another story that has a long and convoluted history. I’ve been dealing with those neurological issues since 1990 when my life first had changed in an instant due to a horrendous car accident. That time of waking up was slower and far more painful. The residual impact on my body have lasted years and have been ever present. The shadow that held my pain hung over me with gloom I grew to accept. But not anymore. Thirty years later, another physical shake up, and I believe this time I’d learned the secrets to a long healthy and whole life that will be filled with pure love and goodness.

Every morning I have had a sense of peace and calmness that allowed me to meditate and set my intentions for the day. I no longer got out of bed rushing into my day. I entered slowly with thought and appreciation for each moment that occurs being fully present and aware. The sense of serenity laid deep within my soul sitting with my faith deep in my core. They say attitude is everything and since mine was forced to make a decision (either positive or negative) my faith created this path of possibilities for me to see all the beauty that the world has to offer moment by moment. I will continue to live…in the moments that present themselves and feel all that I can in this life of mine that as turned into a journey to find health and wholeness within. I can do it. I AM doing it.

My life has changed significantly. The greatest change of all has happened within. That’s the place where the real healing needed to take place. The whole-self needed to be aligned with the healthiest path and not the one of least resistance. The tough path. The bumpy path. The dirty path and the one with tears. Tears of joy and of sorrow were felt while shifting and reorganizing thoughts and priorities within to make for a whole healthy self from the inside out where cancer or anything of the like can never find a place to roost or hide within again. My entire being had been shaken and cleaned with new attitudes towards old beliefs that have freed me from the chains I wore within my soul. Through and through faith carried me …..Faith will continue to carry me forward. I thank my cancer and my back for testing me and breaking me wide open to see and feel all that was brewing below the surface because now and only now can the healing continue since the walk through the storm was successful. Love, self love, was the key ingredient that to maintain a healthy lifestyle. My gratitude towards this journey has been wrapped in my love and tucked in a safe place where I will keep it as a reference for eternity. I realize it’s not just Spring for rebirth and rejuvenation. The joy of Spring can be felt through out the year if we choose to remember the goodness of every new day we are given an opportunity to love and live this life. Moment to moment in the presences of now. And remember… in the blink of an eye everything can change!

Fall-a season to harvest with gratitude, hello Winter!

December 23, 2021 / wildsideof50 / 2 Comments

I haven’t always lived in an area where the seasons shine bright with their own characteristics as they do here in Alpine, Arizona. I had lived in Tucson since 1989. During that time, I must have forgotten what changing seasons meant or what different seasons of the year brought. In Tucson there aren’t really seasons but weather defined by time able to spend outside without experiencing heat exhaustion. Summertime is really HOT. Spring time there has perfect weather . Hiking or biking any time of the day in the Spring. Fall in Tucson can be as hot as summer. The difference between Summer and Fall would be clouded with relentless heat. Winter in Tucson can be bone-chilling-cold in the desert but after 10 a.m. going out doors to enjoy the sunshine could be very comfortable, possibly. Most Christmas past I remember warm and sunny in Tucson. Up at 8000’ elevation the seasons do not change without notice. After living here for the last 3 years the appreciation for the four seasons has returned in remembrance to the denoting of seasons in my childhood in Northern California. Here, this year, I REALLY felt the change of seasons because one had to end for the other to begin. The fruit grew in summer and was ripe in the Fall. and I got to HARVEST gallons of the bounty.

Almost everyone, by now, has heard something about the magic food –Elderberries. The benefits of Elderberry fruit and flowers are filled with antioxidants and vitamins. They are said to help with inflammation, stress reduction and have heart healthy benefits. Daily benefits during cold and flu seasons are prophylactic as they help boost your immune system. I live where elderberries grow wild in hidden honey-pot-spots that are coveted. Through the kindness of a long standing, dependable friend who after 20 years finally clued me in, not directly, but in the general area of the trees. I loaded up my dogs and what gear I thought I would need to pick elderberries and off we were on a hunt. I had to google exactly what an elderberry tree looked like before I left to find them because I had never thought to identify them, amongst many others in the forest.

These are cleaned elderberries ready to go in the steamer (frozen)

Through our scouting for the Elderberry trees (hopefully baring fruit), we learned quickly that wild roses and raspberries liked the same soil and topography. That turned out to be great because the raspberries were also ripe and the wild rose hips were starting to mature for picking. I identified my fist elderberry tree farther from the road. I couldn’t tell if what I was seeing was ripe fruit. The dogs and I with buckets, gloves, and plastic bags trekked across the still flowering meadow to the clump of trees I thought were elderberry. It took longer to reach the trees than I had thought because we were walking in a field filled with knee high wild rose bushes that had red berries everywhere. I could not walk by all the rosehips staring me in the face filled with their antioxidants and vitamin C. I started picking rosehips and thanking myself for remembering to bring gloves out of my truck. Eventually we made it to the trees where the fruit was hanging in clusters identical to the flowers that came before it. The above the head picking started. I learned that pulling the branch down to get to the fruit worked well for the hard to reach higher than other berries.

After filling a 5 gallon bucket of elderberries and a gallon bag of rose hips I felt fulfilled for our first harvest. The raspberries looked like the bears might have been there before we were. The free food growing organically in the forest called to my soul so I couldn’t let the raspberries go by without picking the plumpest ones I could find. Next year I will be out earlier for raspberries before the elderberry and rosehip harvest. The natural buzz that the collection of healthy and beneficial fruit made me feel overly motivated me to return day after day to collect as much of the seasonal harvest as possible. I had plans running through my head to utilize the elderberry to its fullest medicinal benefits and researching the multiple applications of the rosehips as a ‘canned tonic-tea’ done with a European juicer with other healthful organics that could be added or dehydrate them for an infusing tea, to grinding the pit of the hips into a facial anti-aging cream filled with vitamin C for your skin (largest organ on your body). I felt extremely excited to participate in all that was necessary to make a bountiful and successful harvest.

When my sister and brother-in-law came to visit in September they too took a part in the picking the elderberries and rosehips. My sister seemed to like picking the rosehips best and she did it without a lot of “owies”! Almost as if it were a Zen-like-experience to her as remained silent and steady in her relentless picking of rosehips amongst the thorns. My brother-in-law and my boyfriend hit the elderberry trees and hit them hard. I quickly realized that many hands -and tall, strong men -can make for lighter work in picking the tall berries! I had so much fun every time I went out I started to ask my friends from Tucson if they wanted to come up and help in harvest next year…. in the Fall. After picking all the fruit I quickly learned it’s a process to get to the finish product. The berries needed to be cleaned and then frozen until I learned how to “can”. That sounds easy but to actually ‘clean’ the elderberries was one of the most labor intensive activities I had ever undertaken until I had to clean the rosehips. Every rosehip that still had a brown bit of flower left on it needed to have that removed. I didn’t know how much help I was going to need during the process as I had never “canned” anything before. Fortunately, in our little community of ‘like’ souls we all gather on the months’ full moon (party) at the lake. It’s a great time to catch up, eat good food, have a toast or two and sometimes meet new-comers brought by an old regulars. The October moon brought me a gift at the party. I asked everyone there “Who knows how to can?” and most women raised their hands. Then I asked, “Who is willing to teach me next time they can?” A soft spoken women walked up and introduced herself as Sandy. Sandy said she would teach me how to can and said “it’s easy!”.

Rose hips being cleaned and set in dehydrator

It takes a significant more amount to dehydrate for tea than to use steam juicer

I wanted to believe. I took Sandy up on her offer. The elderberries would need to be steamed in a European steam juicer pot I bought first and then the juice from the streaming process needed to be ‘canned’ via a water bath to seal the lids of the large mouth quart sized jars I found after a month long search. Shortages of canning supplies were and still are directly related to the pandemic, the supply and demand and shortages felt due to delays in deliveries. Regardless, I had the jars that I needed to finish my project and a willing instructor to get me to the finish line with the elderberry. Sandy came over a couple days later and simply walked me though the water bath process. I ended up with 13 quarts of elderberries canned in pure juice form from 11 gallon bags of de-stemmed and cleaned elderberries that had been juiced by steam. Now a quart sits in my refrigerator were I take a sip daily to stay healthy.

Pure Elderberry juice canned and sealed in water bath

I was on my own for the rosehips although I did have interest about what I was doing with the rosehips, nobody offered to help. I researched sources of information about ways to process the hips for maximum benefits. I decided to steam rose hips with Astragulus root together to add medical and healing properties of the tonic I was after. Astragalus is an immune protector and supporter. Given the state of transmittable bugs these days I wanted the most for my tea and the addition added a warm earthiness to the tonic. Not all the rose hips were used in the steamed juice. Two gallons of frozen and cleaned rosehips were saved to dehydrate with the end result being rosehips infusible into hot tea. My electric tea pot has an infusing tube so the rosehips once dehydrated could be seeped in the electric tea kettle and then refrigerated until drank. I love the rosehip tea. I usually heat water and mixed 50/50 with the rosehip tea. An addition to the tea is New Mexico Sage honey (local) brings out natural flavors in a yummy hot winter drink.

Frozen rosehips and Astragulus root to be steamed together

Cheese cloth to separate root and hips and keep debris contained

Fall of 2021 was filled with purpose and passion. It was a time to reflect, while being outside picking fruit that could keep you healthy in the coming months. I realized that with out the seasons that bring temperature changes and the water for growth we wouldn’t have such a bountiful earth full of magic food offerings that can create healthy bodies and the processes of the food help create healthy minds. The forest offers so much to all of us on different levels. This year I felt a deep love of the forest while being grateful for its food offerings. Winter is finally here and the amount of appreciation I have for the supply of immune boosting agents in store in my pantry while the Omicron variant runs wild during the holiday season makes me feel like I have a private reserve of good for you medicine to keep my family healthy through this continued time of the COVID pandemic.

Maybe its COVID that has brought me to realize the joy that seasons changing has brought me in the last few years. The pandemic has made my life have fewer defining moments or dates to recall to put the last 2 years in context, but the seasons have remained the same bringing me different points of reference than I had had pre-pandemic. The pandemic has brought lots of strife, death and sadness as well as dissolving relationships and ending careers but in all of the negative felt by millions the seasons have brought my life brightness during the pandemic. I’m not immune to the negative but I have tried to remain positive becoming more aware of the power my thoughts. In doing so I have also become aware of what has not changed in our lives since the pandemic. The sun still rises, and the seasons still pass. Each season in Alpine had brought with it a new wonder and light to shine during a time in my life I never thought I’d experience. The simple pleasures of basic living let me renew my love for life while celebrating it now in greater harmony with the earth. The seasons are worth exploring and harmonizing with while the benefits of each one continues to unfold.

An example of seasonal beauty winter 2020

Hiking in the UK

March 17, 2021 / wildsideof50 / 1 Comment

There was a lot of planning for the adventure of hiking some the trails in the UK with a friend who lives in England. Su had taken up hiking in Tucson during her extended annual trips to Arizona enjoying the desert. She had yet to trek the trails in England…until May 2018. Spring is the best time to go given the UK weather. We could only hope for good weather since the typical English default weather is grey skies with rain. As we researched the hiking, there was a lot to choose from, we couldn’t choose, so we decided to rent a motor-home and try to hit all the hiking highlights in England.

We started our adventure south of London in Essex, near the white cliffs of Dover. We hiked Seven Sisters which were high rolling grass covered hills that dropped abruptly off to high cliffs of exposed white chalk all the way down to the pebbled covered beaches with dark blue waves rolling in. My first impression of “hiking” in England was that it would be easy. I had researched many of the trails and no elevation was higher or greater than 4413′. I thought after climbing Mt. Whitney at 14,508′ hiking in England would be a walk in the park. Especially judging from our first hike. It seemed easy. I didn’t even bring my sticks on our first hike.

Durdle Door-limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorest, England

As we continued to travel west along the southern coast. We stopped to hike down to see Durdle Door on the Jurassic coast near Lulworth in Dorset. That was breathtaking. The landscape became a little sharper in the up and down. Still hills, but not rolling, they were more pronounced. The rock formations stood with strength providing a different look on the coast altogether different when compared to the chalk walls in Essex. The trails were well worn and often filled in with rocks making the path full of steps. The beauty of the coast was luring us to explore. And so far, the weather was nothing but blue skies and sunny.

Yummy food found in the many choices of eateries in the villages we went through

We spent several days in Cornwall camping in a small field filled with green grass and wild flowers situated behind a farm home built in 1700, that was functioning as a bed and breakfast. The village vibes of St. Just and St. Ives, were welcoming with the Pubs all serving fish and chips, Cornish Pasties and local hard ciders. There was a special feeling on the Jurassic Coast, one that makes me want to go back again. The next day we headed North on the path. The sun shined on the vibrant wildflowers that decorated the trail. I was back hiking in shorts and a t-shirt. We did just over 30 miles on the Coastal Path, on three different sections, before we headed up to the Lake District. It was sad to leave such a beautiful location where the trail and the towns felt warm and familiar.

typical English road just big enough for a single horse carriage-a little out dated with no room to expand

The roads leave much to be desired in England. Many are very small, none are straight and the main motorways run more towards the center of the country. So, our journey north to the Lake District of 418 miles ended up being over an 8-hour drive. But once we got to the Lake District, the long drive had been worth it. It was a completely different terrain than the coastal trail and expansive. There are 16 main lakes in the district but there are many waterways, meres and tarns (ponds or lakes in the hills) in the area. England is GREEN. Very Green. Every shade of green possible. Given that it was Spring, the blue bells colored the fields with other wildflowers splashed color everywhere.

There were plenty of hikes to choose from in the Lake District. We choose to hike the best. We did Old Man Coniston, which took us through an old mine before we got to the peak and Scafell Pike which is England’s highest peak at 3,209′ elevation. The next day we climbed up towards the Scafell Pike summit, trees were few and far between. The closer to the peak we climbed the larger rocks of granite covered the hills where we had to scramble for the last mile and half to get to the top of Scafell. Local folk made comment on Scafell Pike hike being boring but Su and I found it to be challenging, technical and beautiful too.

The Lake District had beautiful views from every direction- top of Scarfell Pike

I was quickly schooled on the fells in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria. The climbs started at sea level so that equated to straight up to the top to reach each summit. My reality became clear in Cumbria that ‘up is up’ and there was nothing but up to get to the top. My idea of ‘not tough hiking in England’ quickly went to the sideline as we were challenged on the designated paths that are laid with stone steps that resembled a stairway to heaven on every hike. I was giving internal thanks for all the times I had trained on the stadium stairs because my legs felt strong climbing up. It was the down part that seemed endless and bothered our knees the most. Water falls were common sounds and sights on the trails as were the sheep that grazed in the endless green hills divided into sections with thick rock walls.

Up is Up no matter how you get there…the man on top of the mountain did not fall there

Much of the trails looks like this and often there was a waterfall streaming next to the trails

We lucked out again for our choice of camping in the Lake District. We camped in a small caravan park that sat right out side of a village called Hawkshead that had one pub and a couple traditional English restaurants. It had a lovely bakery café that made beautiful cakes and scones, and of course a variety of teas. I did indulge some in almost every carrot cake I saw, I made myself the official taster and justified it with my daily hiking. Every village had a church that stood tall with steeples reaching to the sky and historical graves spread about the grounds. We had to stay out of the village centers with the motorhome because it was too wide to drive on the streets. The street was thin and built for horse-drawn carriages. We did a lot of walking even when we weren’t hiking as we explored the towns we choose to stay in or stopped to discover.

We carried on from Cumbria farther north to Scotland to visit the Wallace Monument, which is my name’s sake. It was remarkable with lots of reverence towards William Wallace and his part in the Scottish history. It was in Stirling, were it stood as a huge castle above the city. The monument and castle rose above the city on the hills (fells) to give the vantage point in war. They suggested that William Wallace had his strong hold and army on the fell in which the monument was built 500 years after he defeated the English army. We didn’t hike a lot in Stirling, Scotland but we sure did a lot of stair climbing. I honestly lost count of how many stairs we climbed but took it all in stride as it was continued training for our hikes.

After leaving Scotland we headed to Hadrian’s Wall. It was built by the Romans who forced 15,000 men to build it, in under six years it covered almost 80 miles. It was a vibrant frontier filled with multi-cultures and commerce for about 300 years. Emperor Hadrian’s order demanded the wall to be built after he visited Britain in AD 122. The wall was used to stop traders coming to and from the south or north to pay taxes before passing through it. It is the most famous of all the frontiers of the Roman empire making the wall a World Heritage Site in 1987. Again, we just did sections of it, but passed through Sycamore Gap which is the most photographed section of the wall. The hike along the wall was up one fell and down the other side. We hiked along the mile markers of ruins of forts where the tax collector gathered to stop the traders.

Many moss overgrown grottos of water falls tucked in and around the countryside

All in all, we hiked 160 miles and drove 1677. We saw nothing but beauty, blue skies and sun shine. We ticked off the highest peak in England and set our sights on the triple crown of the UK. We want to summit Ben Nevis in Scotland and Snowdon in Wales. We feel the pull to go back to the Coastal Path and see more of the rugged Jurassic coast. Just going on a whim with little “real” information about hiking in England we were pleased with all our choices. We learned about hiking in England while doing it and talking to other hikers. Through hiking in England is a little easier than the USA. We met many who were doing long sections of the Coastal Path and Hadrian’s Wall. They all hiked with day packs and some with their pet dogs. The through hike secret in the UK is to use Sherpas to transport luggage and dog beds from one B and B to the next for the chosen daily mileage each hiker wanted to make. Maybe next time that will be the way we go to.

The magnitude of the lengthy wall construction continued to hit us as we hiked along history

There were no regrets, only elation of the miles we had trekked on our holiday. We ate in local restaurants and talked with the local villagers. The hiking trails were incredible and the feelings of being blessed were warming us from the inside out. There were occasions where we felt like we were walking into history. The areas north of Cornwall is where the English series Outlander had been filmed and we recognized the areas later as we watch the series on Netflix. What was most amazing for the entire holiday was the sun had shone with warmth while we hiked. We had one foul day of weather while hiking to Land’s End. Otherwise, the weather was wonderful every day we were out on the trails. The day Su took me to the airport to fly back to the USA it was pouring down cats and dogs as we navigated our way to Heathrow Airport for my departing flight back to America. Of course we spoke of all the trails we hit back in Arizona. And we rightfully agreed we would of liked to have traveled with no one other than each other for this journey since we got along like two peas in a pod with the same goals: Hike today, hike tomorrow and hike on into our future.

The Royal wedding of Megan and Harry was taking place while we were touring the country

Our home away from home while traveling the roads of the UK_ thankful Su did all the driving on the wrong side of the road for me

Its been too long

February 6, 2020 / wildsideof50 / Leave a comment

As each of you are enmeshed in your own lives where time passes quickly filled with daily chores and lists of “must do’s”; I am sure you understand just how quickly time flies. At no time did I anticipate a drought of blogging to last this long. First, I would like to apologize and second, I promise it won’t be so long between blogs from here forward. Knowing that the holidays get a little rushed and hectic I do look forward to the new year, yet in the same breath I look back at the year I have had and want to reflect on time passed.

After the 30 days of hiking in the United Kingdom I came back to the USA and prepped for the trip that the girls and I had planned for an entire year. The process of getting a permit for the Sierra Nevada’s was a large part of our ability to move forward and we got it! We planned for two of us to hike from Lake Tahoe to Sonora Pass the first week and the second week we would meet up with other three girls. Our plan was to continue south to Yosemite to summit Half Dome on a full moon.

Gina and I started on July 12 by driving to California and meeting an old friend of mine, Laurie and her trail angel friend Kelley. The girls picked us up at the my truck that we parked in Yosemite and drove us up highway 395 to Tahoe where they let us out at Echo Summit where we picked up the trail south. They were so helpful to our hiking itinerary and were awesome company all the way up north. The time came that we were at the parking lot of the trail head and we needed to say our goodbyes. IMG_7916 (1)

From there we went into the wilderness with our backpacks on our bodies feeling like we were ready to sustain life in the woods for the next week while we waited for the others to join us south of our starting point with Half Dome as the last climax of the hike. I was very happy to be back out there where my soul hums with happiness while I soak all the natural beauty up. Gina had hiked in Guatemala with me and that trip was 100% different than this one. Our means of transportation there were our feet from village to village through the Guatemalan jungles as we carried our own supplies plus medicine. We participated in an humanitarian effort to help the indigenous Mayan people. Often we had use of mules to get the large amount of supplies to our destination. The difference between that trip and the one Gina and I started in the Sierra’s was our backpacks were heavier and on us for all our waking walking hours.

This wasn’t my first backpack trip in the Sierra’s and my pack fit me very comfortably. Unfortunately, Gina’s pack did not. After our first day hiking into the wilderness Gina made comment that her hips were sore. We made camp that first night after only 7 miles hiking in because of the discomfort she was feeling on her hips. The first night of camp is always a busy one trying to remember how to put my tent up or Gina trying to figure hers out for the first time. Gina opted to use the hike itself as her shake out hike. I on the other hand, was well aware of how my gear functioned since I had come to know it all intimately on the JMT for 21 days 1 year prior. There is no better way to figure it all out than when you have no choice and are dependent.

Our first night out on the trail wasn’t too bad. We camped by a beautiful lake. Anything that tried to shake my mood of euphoria from nature was hard pressed. I get into my happy place when I am overstimulated with unmatched natural beauty and all the scents and sounds that come with it. We woke to a incredible sunrise peeking over the horizon casting hues of amber over the mountains just beyond us and the reflections of the color in the lake exemplified the glory. We were not to quick to pack up camp that morning since we were just starting our hike. I knew that everyday should get easier and all tasks required would become second nature soon. We finally hit the trail to see what was before us. IMG_7961 (1)

As we were hiking I shared that Clif Bloks were my go-to for energy up and over summits. I had come to see their benefit on the JMT. We came out of a wooded area to a clearing where we could see the trail wrap itself tightly to the side of a mountain we had to climb up. I popped a few bloks and shared them with Gina to get the fuel to ascend. My pace was slightly faster than Gina’s so I would hike at my comfortable clip and either look back to keep her in my sights or all together stop to take a break while she caught up. I had tried to explain what happens to me out there before we started our hike. In fact, stories from Gwen had been told to Gina while we all trained together running the stadiums at the McKale Center in Tucson at the U of A. I like to go with people on hikes but each person has to find their own pace and keep it. Because I walk faster than most, I keep my hiking companions in my sight or I’ll wait several times a day while hiking the distances to catch up together. I’ve been hiking that way since the word “go”. My pace and breathing get into a rhythm that I like and it works for me. Everyone out there has to find their own rhythm and go for it. IMG_7987 (1)

The climb that sat before us was not even a summit, just a couple thousand foot ascent. I got to the first flat place on the trail after a steep climb. The trail was very thin and the area cut out of the mountain side was noticeable from the overall steepness on either side of the 12′ wide path that ribboned the mountain side for over 15 miles. It was too steep to bushwhack up and far too steep to loose your footing and fall thousands of feet down to the valley below. The Clif blok helped me up to the resting point as I waited for Gina. When she arrived she was ghost-like in color saying that the blok was making her ill. She became very nauseated and started to violently vomit. YIKES!!!! What a horrible place to feel so ill with no where to go. Gina’s theory was that the blok made her ill, but I differed in my ideas. I remembered every time we had to summit the passes in the jungle of Guatemala she became nauseated without getting sick. Here it all came to fruition. In talking about prior hiking experiences and elevation I recalled Gina telling me she had altitude sickness in Teluride. Hello?????

This was not a good thing to find out in the middle of now where. I was reassured because I had my satellite phone. If things got hairy I could send out an S>O>S> and get a helicopter to help, if needed. We had to press on, but she was in no condition to hike let a lone carry a pack. We sat in the sun on the mountain side long enough for Gina to finally feel like she could move on. I was feeling good about our morning water filter session given that the trail didn’t pass water for the next 17 miles which I did not know at the time. We could see far as the trail scared the side of the barren mountainside. But we agreed to continue forward and hope Gina would start to feel better,

Hope was all we had because she did not feel better. She needed to sit, rest and repair herself. Her hips were swollen from her pack resting on them as she continued to move south on the trail towards our goal of Sonora Pass. Her comfort level was at a minus 10 but her perseverance served her in our attempt to make miles and keep going. We kept hiking after she felt well enough to move forward. I didn’t have the right maps for the trail we were on. I knew we were heading in the right direction but a map would of given greater security. I like to see where the water crossings are located so I could always plan on my water supply. We hiked another 12 miles with a slight ascent as we continued to gain elevation. Gina kept hiking, but it was tough, both, because of her belly and her hips bruised from her pack that kept hurting her as she walked on.

We stopped for some shade from the trees we were walking through for the first time all day. We were still restricted to a very small trail cut into the side of very steep mountains. The trail was the only area of reprieve to find a level seat and rest. It wasn’t long at our new higher elevation that Gina became very sick again. Our rest took over 3 hours for her to have the strength to keep going in hopes we would go down in elevation. We didn’t know. I ran about a mile down the trail to find a spring bubbling out of the side of the mountain with clear cool water to filter and bring back to Gina to try to keep her hydrated. After a rest and more vomit we stood up to get our packs back on our bodies. I stood off the trail and the weight threw me down….hard….uphill…thank the lord. But I landed on my left shoulder and leg. There was a bit of blood dripping down my bare leg. My shoulder hurt like it probably had a significant injury but with Gina already sicker than sick I had to pull up my big girl pants and press on without acknowledging my injuries. The best I could do at that moment was to laugh and laugh out load I did. I let the blood just dry on my leg because I wasn’t wasting water to clean it up.

We were up and moving again with silent prayers to make it to a lower spot allowing Gina feel better. I had to tell her I thought she was a real-bad-ass-chic to be ‘that’ sick out in the wilderness where all you really want is a warm comfy bed with a bucket next to it with a warm cloth on your head and the ability to go to sleep. She didn’t have that luxury now or in the near future. We had to press on. 17 miles on our second day was impressive. It was mostly up and that made Gina super ill. We hiked until we didn’t have to anymore that day. All we wanted was a place to set our tents and for Gina to be able to lie down. Finally, we found a flat spot in a clearing of trees just off the trail that wiggled its way off the side of the mountains we had traversed all day. There was a water supply near by too. We set camp quickly trying to get Gina settled and in bed to recover from an awful day. I had major reservations about the rest of the trip given that we would be required to summit far greater elevations than the 8500′ elevation she battled with that day. Sadly, communication between us began to suffer from the events of the day. I wanted Gina to know I was there for her. I didn’t know what I could do exactly to make it less painful for her.

We both knew that solid rest would serve us well for the next day. We didn’t know what was in store for us since my map was not correct for the area we were hiking. We were also seeing a lot of smoke. We could smell it before we started to see it. It was every where we looked except behind us. We decided that there was a forest fire somewhere we just didn’t know where. With night falling we needed to hope it wouldn’t burn to us as we slept. We needed rest. Gina had Ambien for sleep aid and I had brought my standard benadryl to help me sleep, but it wasn’t working. Gina spared an Ambien and we both crawled into our own tents and went to sleep. We woke the next morning to a sky full of smoke in every direction. The fire was spreading yet in what direction we were clueless. My son texted me on the satellite phone that morning and said we were headed straight into a fire burning outside Yosemite.

I asked him to please be our ears and eyes. He would keep me in the loop as to how far we were from the burning forest fire. If we needed to bail off the trail we had a couple chances coming up as we were going to be crossing major blacktop passes that cross the Sierras. At least we knew the fire was a safe distance from us today as we continued to hike south towards Half Dome. The smoke started to burn our eyes at times. I was walking with a bandana across my mouth because it was thickening as we walked in the direction the smoke was coming from. Gina felt better, but was not 100%. We didn’t have any elevation we needed to climb that day from the looks of the terrain that lay ahead. We did need to discuss the likelihood of actually being able to finish the hike together since the higher elevation summits still laid in front of us. Plus, the fire was a reason of concern as well. As we packed up and moved on I just wanted the day to be easy and stress-less since the day before sucked!!! IMG_7996 (1)

Compared to the prior day we were doing great. Gina’s hips either went numb or she got used to the pain and her tummy settled because we were below 8000′. We made progress while seeing untouched lakes and green meadows filled with brilliant wildflowers that filled the air with sweetness. What a beautiful day out in the wilderness without any concern of the rat races we left behind. When nature shines so bright in my life I can only smile and soak it all in as if it is a special delivery straight from the source filling me with love. I am a sponge to all the grandeur mother natures offers us out there- it is INCREDIBLE. I was in my happy place. I think Gina wanted to find hers but was slightly distracted as she tried to gain her strength just to carry on. She did great. We hiked about 12 miles that day and found a spot to camp with greater ease than the day before. We set our tents and ate our de-hydrated dinners that soaked up the boiled water in the freezer bag that contained it all. Still settling in to our routine sleep was slightly evasive. Gina offered another Ambien and I said yes. Again we crawled into our respective tents to find comfort in rest with our eyes closed.

I woke to hearing a noise of a hoof-footed creature that I could see in my minds eye as a goatman. I could hear him walk as the pine needles and dry leaves crunched under his hooves. I was convinced laying in my tent that he was stealing my entire backpack. I got my headlamp in my hand and crashed out of my tent trying to scare him as much as he was scaring me. I needed my backpack and he needed to leave it alone. Once out of my tent I was standing barefoot on the forest floor scanning the whole area around our camp. I was yelling “get away” loud enough to wake Gina from her Ambien induced sleep. I was circling our camp on foot shining my headlamp in every and all directions revealing nothing but the bark of all the trees that surrounded our tents. No goatman anywhere…..what the heck was THAT? I told Gina what I was up to and she said as long as my back pack was in the same place and safe I needed to go back to bed. I did.

I crawled back into my tent on my pad and under my quilt with pine needles sticking to the bottom of my feet due to the sap. I started to pull off the pine needles and toss them outside when I looked down at my satellite phone that was blinking. I looked at the message from my son who said his biological father had been found dead in Tucson. I quickly responded to him asking when he’d fly in from the San Francisco to Tucson to deal with the situation since he is the only next of kin of his biological father. He said he’d fly out in two days. I told him I’d be off the trail and back in Tucson by then so I could assist him with all that needed to be done. He was reluctant to accept my help then but I was determined to not have him go through what needed to be done by himself. Sadly, my kiddo lost two fathers before he was 24 years old. I needed to help him with his father’s situation however I could. I would be there for him. I barely slept after the goatman and the text messages.

We woke to more smoke than before knowing the fire was closing in on us as we continued to walk in the direction of the burn. My son had been great in keeping us updated on the fires movement. That morning was a morning of decisions. Due to Gina’s altitude sickness, the fire and now my son’s needs we had to bail off the trail. I never thought I’d say that and mean it, but I did. The next blacktop road that we would cross would be our exit point. We made it to Highway 4: that is just south of Markleeville, California. 4 meets up with 89 that winds it’s way out to 395 which is where we really needed to be to be able to go south to Tioga pass back into Yosemite to get to my truck to drive back to Tucson. Once we were on 89 the auto traffic was scarce. We walked east and put our thumbs out for every passing vehicle. As we walked we came up on a PCT’er who needed to resupply in Markleeville. He had started on the USA/Mexico border 4 months prior to meeting us on the road. He stated that a lot of PCT’ers (Pacific Coast Trail through hikers) were bailing off the trail north of Yosemite due to the fire and poor air quality. He said some hikers were air-o-vacced out because of respiratory issues. That information sat well with Gina and I knowing that the fire a one prevented us from continuing on our hike. IMG_8077 (1)

We went from hiking to hitchhiking. first ,I went through my phone attempting to call all my northern California friends to see if they could come get us – no avail. Hitchhiking was our mode of transport. Finally, a kind, but slightly strange character, stopped in his tie-dyed dirty duds and his pocket puppy that was a white ball of fur in his truck. The PCT’er sat in the front of the truck and Gina and I with our backpacks hopped in the back of the truck in the bed. I said to Gina when we settled in to be ready to “tuck,duck and roll” if we have to since our driver was drinking beer on a curvy, country highway up in the mountains. He was kinder than we thought. He drove us all the way down to 395 which was the opposite direction he desired. We successfully had completed one leg of our trip while needing to get another ride(s) to Yosemite off 395. 395 has lots of traffic. Mostly semi tractor trailers and recreational vehicles with some passenger cars and buses. We said our thank-yous and ran to the side of 395. It was a hot day and even hotter with our packs standing on blacktop with our thumbs out.

We weren’t out there long before a huge motor home pulled over a ways up the road. The door opened and a women yelled out “hurry up if you need a ride”. We ran. Backpacks and all we were running along side of 395 to get into a motor home of kind folks who stopped for us. What a blessing. We met Darlene and Jim who were traveling in their coach visiting their two daughters who migrated from back east to out west. Darlene said she had told Jim “Stop, those women are my age and need a ride”. Jim said, once we were in their coach, that he too, had backpacked and hitch hiked in his younger years all around 395 and the Sierra’s. He would be sad when people didn’t stop to give him a ride. He went on to say that after that he knew if he ever saw a backpacker needing a ride he would make it a point to give them one. Both Gina and I were so thankful. We chatted for the remainder of the ride. They suggested we get lunch in Bridgeport. Jim was looking for a bar he remembered to of been in years earlier with a a specific stuffed deer head hanging in it so we joined he and Darlene in the search. We found it. They were both pleased. We then went over to a little cafe and shared a meal. We bought it for them as it was the least we could do for their kindness and generosity.

We finished lunch and loaded back up in their home away from home on wheels. They suggested we travel with them into Mammoth to rent a car. They would then drive us all the way into Yosemite. Their motor home exceeded the size allowed over Tioga Pass. They were the nicest folks that I am still friends with on Facebook. I am very thankful for the selfless kind souls who roam this earth. After debate and discussion we all agreed it would be best if Gina and I tried to hitch another ride into Yosemite from the Tioga Pass turn off from 395. They pulled into the Mobile gas station there to let us out and to take a few pictures before we said our final good byes. Gina and I ran across the highway to get in the right position to plop our thumbs back out. Immediately a white van pulled over and opened their sliding side door to ask where we were headed and if we wanted a ride.

We hopped into a hot-boxed van with 3 happy-pot-smoking-hippies who had left Yosemite Valley earlier that day to go out and get their groceries. The van had a double bed plywood platform in the back with a blow up mattress on it covered with blankets, afghans and pillows next to a 1950 octangular, living room, dark wood, end table bolted to the van wall. Their recently collected groceries littered the entire floor. Gina and I sat on the platform for the bed. Another young lady sat cross legged on top of the end table and then there was the male driver with his girlfriend in the passenger seat. They were all employed in Yosemite for the summer. They were saying the valley was being evacuated due to the fire and they were enjoying the quiet in the heat of the season and the amount of people in the valley was getting smaller and smaller. The situation made for very little traffic going over Tioga and all the way into the valley where my truck was waiting for us.

When we had been let out at the trail head in Tahoe my girlfriend Laurie tried to give me money and I refused saying I wouldn’t need any money on the trail. She had shoved $20 in my pack and said ” keep it you never know when you might need it.” She was right…again. We offered our only $20 bill to every driver that picked us up. The tie dye guy refused it. Jim and Darlene refused it and barely let us buy them lunch (I always carry my ID and credit card on the trail), but the kids driving us over Tioga Pass wanted the money with out a shadow of a doubt. Thank you Laurie…you were right. Next time I’ll bring cash just in case. The last ride to the truck was smokey, smelly and sad. We had made it back to the truck in one piece but not the way we had planned for months prior to our hike. But when it is all said and done we still got to see all natures’ beauty. We attempted our goal and in the end it was not in the cards of us to meet the girls at Sonora Pass and go on to climb Half Dome and exit with a sense of satisfaction.

I was glad to be heading home, out of the smoke, where breathing was becoming difficult for everyone. I would beat my kiddo back to Tucson and be ready to assist him however I could. Not climbing Half Dome only left a carrot dangling out in front of me to try again another day. Plans for another adventure would be made to complete what wasn’t on this trip. Since we were all safe and alive it would only be a matter of time before a new date was set. The three other girls made a plan “B” to go to Colorado to hike, camp and soak up mineral bathes. Adapting and overcoming obstacles sometimes happens in ways we hadn’t considered. It all worked out just perfectly!

Strength In Numbers

January 7, 2019January 7, 2019 / wildsideof50 / Leave a comment

The older I get, the younger I feel. I have some super good news for you on the fitness front and it might come as a surprise…it was a giant, unexpected surprise to me: I begrudgingly, with some kicking and screaming thrown in for good measure added weightlifting to my workout and holy smokes I am now faster, stronger and more cardio fit in my 50’s than I was in my 40’s or even my 30’s! SAY WHAT?!?!??? This of course is due to the fact that my leg muscles (my quads especially) are able to propel me up mountains much easier, which in turns takes the work off of my heart, which makes my breathing easier not to mention I can carry my heavy backpack and it doesn’t crush my back and shoulders. Lifting has been a surprising benefit to my cardio and hiking! I originally started lifting at my husbands suggestion to keep my bones from snapping in half as I age, so you can imagine the shock that I received when I started seeing how much it helped with my beloved hiking and backpacking! As you’re reading this you may be thinking, “well duh Gwen…” but I’m one of those people who have to experience something in order to believe, so take it from me, lifting works!

I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon 3 times. The first time was when I was a mere child of 46. I just completed it 3 weeks ago at the age of 54 and this is when I discovered how much weightlifting has benefited my hiking. Eight years older than the first time I hiked it and quite a lot easier…honestly it feels like I’m going backwards on the age calendar. Ten miles straight up out of the canyon with an elevation gain of 4380′ on the Bright Angel Trail and I finished 1 hour faster with 20 additional pounds on my back in comparison to when I was 46…It was a giddy feeling finishing so much faster and much less tired than the first two hikes because it came as such a surprise…everything I figured that would happen (slower hiking, less stamina, less strength) was accidentally proven to be false assumptions! It was a happy realization that slowing down because we are aging is not an absolute!

I’m not going to lie; getting to the gym to lift is still a battle royal with myself because I would much rather be outside or just plain lack the time, but now that I have the sensation that I am “anti-aging”, I will keep it up knowing that age is just a number, and a number that can be completely ignored! 20190106_125148

It has been too long

December 11, 2018April 30, 2021 / wildsideof50 / Leave a comment

With a new year looming on the horizon, after the impending holidays, I can’t help but to look back at what a year I have had with friends and family. I am feeling blessed. I also feel that time goes by way to fast as you and I are enmeshed in our lives tending to what needs attention, just living and looking forward to the next big adventure (if you have one on the books). After England I set out to do last-minute preps for the through-hike planned for 5 of us from Echo Summit to Yosemite. The highlight would have been the full moon summit on Half Dome but it never came to fruition.

With help from an old friend who picked us up in Yosemite where we parked. She and her “trail angel” friend Kelley, drove Gina and I to Echo Summit to start on the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) trail heading south to Sonora Pass where we meet up with 3 more friends who were all going to finish the last week with us heading to Yosemite. Gina and I started with our 50 pound backpacks with high hopes we had everything we would need for the next week until we met up with the others who had food resupply and a clean change of clothes for us. Little did we know what we were getting into together, but off we went with lofty ideas.

The beauty of the trail and the surrounding wilderness can’t be beat. It didn’t take me long to realize all over again why I LOVE TO HIKE! All the hard work and thought that went to into preparing my body would pay off on the challenging inclines. We would have many summits with Half Dome being the ultimate goal. The preparation in food for 14 days on the trail including snacks that keep the body moving even when it would rather stop including the almighty Clif Bloks and electrolytes for our water for the elevation gains that could kick your butts.

With the first night on the trail with only a few miles hiked in we set camp with high hopes for the rest of our adventure. The feelings I felt to be in the wilderness soothed my soul and fed my spirit. I wasn’t sure how Gina was feeling but I was on a hiking high and excited to keep moving in the morning. No tough elevations presented themselves until the fourth day which proved to be a challenge to both of us. The incline stared us in the face and we “Bloked” up and hit it. Unfortunately, the elevation effected Gina negatively and made her sick. The worst part was our location on the side of a mountain that was 4000 feet down and past the twenety-inch-trail cut into the side of the mountain it continued to rise over our heads another 3 to 4 thousand feet. We had little room to navigate and could see the trail for miles ahead still cutting a small path along the mountainside.

The night before we had camped at a beautiful lake surrounded by granite boulders and a thick forest. We thought we smelt smoke but were unsure. By the time the sun was setting the sky looked smoke-filled and the smell was far more evident. I have a 2-way Inreach satellite phone and my son had sent a text stating that we were headed straight into a fire burning miles south of us. My response was please keep us informed as to the status because the only ears and eyes I had to the outside world would be his updates on the fire. The day hike on the fourth day did smell of smoke as we went south but not too bad. What was bad was how Gina was feeling and the trail that was not giving us a break. We didn’t intend to hike 21 miles on a that day but that was a stretch of trail we didn’t plan on especially with Gina not feeling well. We took several long breaks to re-charge and re-group during the day and one break ended badly for me. How I managed to trip and fall is of no surprise to me. With trail fatigue setting in from such a long day hiking my foot failed to lift over a tree root and BOOM! I was down with my pack on my back. It is amazing how quickly the momentum of a fall takes over . The pack is not your friend during a fall. I did feel that of all the places I could fall, I fell in the safest place possible. If it had been elsewhere I could have gone down thousands of feet into the depth of the valleys I couldn’t see from the trail. A little blood, the need for re-adjusting my pack and a lot of laughter propelled me forward to the spot we finally decided was flat enough to pitch camp and call it a day. Gina was still recovering from a really rough day and her appetite poor at best making it difficult to muster any energy to continue on let alone set camp.

The smoke was filling the air a bit thicker and the smell was defiantly present. The fire certainly was a worry as we were walking right into it. During the fifth night I received a text from my son that his biological father had passed away. I laid in my tent, taking everything into consideration and made a decision. I needed to go home to be with my son. So the morning of day 6 Gina and I agreed we would bail off the trail at the next highway crossing and hitchhike back to Yosemite. We had hiked in about 65-70 miles. We needed to let our friends know that the conditions were worsening on the trail with the smoke and that the fire would be changing our plans. We got out to highway 4 that meets up to 89 which would take us back out to 395. We got to the highway and met up with some PCTer’s moving north. They were complaining of the air conditions south of where we were and said that others were bailing off the trail as well due to breathing difficulties. This confirmed our decision to be the right one. We stuck our thumbs out in hopes of a ride. Many, many, many drive-bys went passed. We kept walking in the direction of highway 89. Finally a guy drinking beer in a tyed-dye, brightly colored shirt and dirty gray sweats with a white poodle on his lap stopped. He began asking us where we were going, were we came from and why. Fortunately, we had befriended a young man off the PCT who was headed to Markleeville for resupply and he did most of the talking. ‘Beggars can’t be choosy’ so we ended up in the bed of the guys truck with our backpacks. The PCTer sat in the cab with the driver who agreed to take us to highway 89. He gave us a beer and a bag of Doritos’ ….which were yummy!

He went above and beyond as he drove us all the way to highway 395. After our hour plus ride we hopped out and flipped our thumbs as we walked the busy highway. Semi’s sped by with cars and RV’s in the traffic too. It was hot. The black top didn’t make it any better. A beautiful motor home drove past and we both looked at each other. Gina said, “There’s no way they would stop for us”. And as we kept walking we realized it did stop for us. The door opened as a women yelled out, “Hurry up ladies….run!!!” We did. As soon as we got to the motor home door the women said, “I told my husband stop this thing…those women are my age…we need to give them a ride”. And her husband piped in saying, “I had backpacked a lot in my younger years and always wondered why no would stop for a backpacking hitch hiker. I said to myself…. I will always stop for them, as I wish they had for me”. Wow…..I’m pretty sure Gina and I were both thinking how lucky could we were. The motor home was cooled with AC and comfortable with leather interior. Both Darlene and Jim, a retired couple traveling from the east looking for a place to call home that would be closer to their two daughters, who both relocated on the west coast, couldn’t be more lovely or generous. We stopped in Bishop to wonder around, fill up with diesel and get lunch. They offered to drive us into Yosemite if we went with them farther south to get a rental car since their RV was too large to go over Tioga Pass.

After lunch we loaded up and headed farther south. They pulled into the mobile station at Lee Vining to let us out and for our good byes. They were so kind we were sad to say adios, but we did. We went back into our hitch hiking mode as we walked back out to the highway with our thumbs out hoping for a ride. A white van with no windows in the back stopped. My head was thinking trouble but they pulled over and opened the slider side door asking where we were headed. We stated Yosemite visitor center was where our truck was parked. The van held 3 young adults with dreadlocks and the smell of marijuana as perfume. We accepted the ride and sat in the back on a plywood raised bed with only a sleeping bag for padding while another young lady sat Indian style on a octagon dark wood heavy side table. The male driver and female passenger in front seemed to be a couple. Their music was playing while incense burnt. They were friendly folk who all worked seasonally in the Yosemite. They had a day off work and drove out of the valley to go grocery shopping. Lots of small talk about the fire took place and then they asked if we minded if they smoked. We said “sure”. Up went the windows and out came the joint. We were “hot boxed’ all the way to the truck.

We offered them gas money and they took it. Laurie had given me $20 when she had dropped us off at Echo Summit. I had thought, “Why do I need money on a trail?” ….but hey….I did. Thank you Laurie, that worked out perfect. Great thanks to all who helped get us back to the truck after 158 miles of highway hitch hiking. What an adventure that we didn’t plan on. We contacted the other girls who were to meet up with us and told them we are off the trail and the fire was too big making the conditions unsafe to breath. Thankfully, they had a plan “B”. Gina and I made it to Tucson in record time, ultimately disappointed that what we had thought we would complete came to an abrupt end. We were safe, so it was all good. Of course, Gwen and I are planning another hundred plus mile hike for 2019 with a prayer we will make it! I was back home for a brief time before the Alaska adventure started which I will blog about next.

Hiking the UK in May 2018

June 7, 2018April 30, 2021 / wildsideof50 / Leave a comment

There was a lot of planning for the adventure of hitting the trails with my friend who lives in England. Su had taken up hiking in the last couple of years enjoying the desert and all its beauty while on her annual extended stays to Tucson. But she had yet to trek the trails in England…until this May. Spring seemed like the best time to go given the UK weather. We could only hope for good weather since the typical English default weather is grey skies with rain. As we researched the hiking, there was a lot to choose from, we couldn’t choose, so we decided to rent a motor-home and try to hit all the hiking highlights in England. Not ever hiking in England before, I figured we could learn as we go.

Lighthouse on Seven Sisters hike in Sussex, England

White cliffs of chalk along the Seven Sisters hike-Sussex, England

We decided to start our adventure south of London in Sussex, near the white cliffs of Dover. We hiked Seven Sisters, which were high rolling grass covered hills that dropped abruptly off to high cliffs of exposed white chalk all the way down to pebbled covered beaches with dark blue waves rolling in. My first impression of “hiking” in England was that it would be easy. I had researched a lot and no elevation was higher or greater than 4413′. I thought after climbing Mt. Whitney at 14,508′ hiking in England would be a walk in the park. Especially judging from our first hike. It seemed easy. I didn’t even use my sticks.

Durdle Door-limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorest, England

Additional arches along the coast at Durdle Door in Dorest, England,

We continued to travel west along the southern coast. We stopped to hike down to see Durdle Door on the Jurassic coast near Lulworth in Dorest. That was a breathtaking view. The landscape became a little sharper in the up and down. Still hills, but not rolling, they were more pronounced. The rock formations stood with strength providing a different look on the coast altogether different when compared to the chalk walls in Essex. The trails were well worn and often filled in with rocks making the path and steps. The beauty of the coast was luring us to explore. And so far, the weather was nothing but blue skies and sunny.
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We drove farther southwest to a small village called St. Just which was just north of Land’s End. Our goal was to hit sections of the Coastal Path. The Coastal Path in England will be the longest managed and way marked coastal path in the world. When complete, it will be 2,795 miles in length. The weather was a bit rough the day we hiked to Land’s End. The coast was dramatic with rock cliffs and pebbled beaches. The winds picked up and dark clouds came in while the seas were getting rough. It was a great day for wet-suited-surfers out in the surf catching the big waves. We made it to Lands End drenched to the bone. I had hiked in jeans that day because it was a cool when we started. Jeans soak up the rain nicely, as I found out, as I walked with wet and heavy pants for about 6 miles. That day I failed to take my sticks thinking it would be like Sussex and I was wrong. It was a steep and tough trail in some areas.

Jurassic Coast by Cornwall with wild flowers and incredible blue water

We spent several days in Cornwall camping in a small field filled with green grass and wild flowers situated behind a farm home built in the 1700’s, that was functioning as a bed and breakfast. The village vibes of St. Just and St, Ives, were welcoming with the Pubs all serving fish and chips, Cornish Pasties and local hard cider. There was a special feeling on the Jurassic Coast, one that makes me want to go back again. The next day we headed North and the sun shined on the vibrant wildflowers that decorated the trail. I was hiking in shorts and a t-shirt because the weather was perfect. We did just over 30 miles on the Coastal Path, on three different sections, before we headed up to the Lake District.

A shipwreck below as we looked out at Land’s End-our destination that day!

The roads leave much to be desired in England. Many are very small, none are straight and the main motorways run more towards the center of the country. So, our journey of 418 miles was over an 8-hour drive. But once we got to the Lake District the long drive had been worth it. It was a completely different terrain than the coast and beautiful in its own right. There are 16 main lakes in the district but there are many water, meres and tarns ( ponds or lakes in the hills) in the area. England is GREEN. Very Green. Every shade of green possible. Given that is was Spring, the blue bells colored the fields in blue and wild flowers splashed color everywhere.

typical English road just big enough for a single horse carriage-a little out dated with no room to expand

There were plenty of hikes to choose from in the Lake District and we wanted to hit the best. We did Old Man Coniston, which took us through an old mine before we got to the peak. We trekked Scafell Pike which is England’s highest peak at 3,209′ elevation. As we climbed up towards the summit, trees were few and far between. The closer to the peak we climbed there were large rocks of granite covered the hills where we had to scramble for the last mile and half to get to the top of Scafell. Local folk made comment on Scafell Pike hike being boring but Su and I found it to be challenging, technical and beautiful too.

Top of Scafell Pike-Highest peak in England

(picture above: Helvellyn with snow and the ridge, Stone steps on path)

I was quickly schooled on the fells in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria. The climbs started at sea level so that equated to straight up to the top to reach each summit. My reality became clear in Cumbria that ‘up is up’ and there was nothing but up to get to the top. My idea of ‘not tough hiking in England’ quickly went to the way side as we were challenged on the designated paths that are laid with stone steps that resembled a stairway to heaven on every hike. I was giving internal thanks for all the times I had trained on the stadium stairs because my legs felt strong climbing up. It was the down part that seemed endless and bothered our knees the most. Water falls were common sounds and sights on the trails as were the sheep that grazed in the endless green hills divided into sections with thick rock walls.

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We lucked out again for our choice of camping in the Lake District. We were in a small caravan park that sat right out side of a village called Hawkshead that had one pub and a couple traditional English restaurants. It had a lovely bakery café that made beautiful cakes and scones, and of course served a variety of teas. I did indulge some in almost every carrot cake I saw, made myself the official taster and justified it with my daily hiking. Every village had a church that stood tall with steeples reaching towards the sky and historical graves surrounding the grounds. We had to stay out of the village centers with the motor-home because it was too wide to drive on the streets. So, we did a lot of walking even when we weren’t hiking.

(picture above: Hawkshead, Cumbria, England-Lake District)

We carried on from Cumbria farther north to Scotland to visit the Wallace Monument, which is my name sake. It was remarkable with lots of reverence towards William Wallace and his part in the Scottish history. It was in Stirling were a huge castle stood above the city. The monument and castle rose above the city on the hills (fells) to give the vantage point in war. They suggested that William Wallace had his strong hold and army on the fell in which the monument was built 500 years after he defeated the English army. We didn’t hike a lot in Stirling, Scotland but we sure did a lot of stair climbing. I honestly lost count of how many stairs we climbed but took it all in stride as continued training for our hikes.

(picture above: Wallace Monument and Wallace Shield)

After leaving Scotland we headed to Hadrian’s Wall. It was built by the Romans who forced 15,000 men to build it, in under six years to cover almost 80 miles. It was a vibrant frontier with multi-culture and commerce for about 300 years. Emperor Hadrian’s order demanded the wall built after he visited Britain in AD 122. The wall was used to stop traders coming to and from the south or north to pay taxes before passing through it. It is the most famous of all the frontiers of the Roman empire making the wall a World Heritage Site in 1987. Again, we just did sections of it, but passed through Sycamore Gap which is the most photographed section of the wall. The hike along the wall was up one fell and down the other side for the length that we hiked along the mile markers of ruins of forts where the tax collector gathered to stop the traders.

(picture above: Hadrian’s Wall and looking down at Sycamore Gap)

All in all, we hiked 160 miles and drove 1677. We saw nothing but beauty, blue skies and sun shine. We ticked off the highest peak in England and set our sights on the triple crown of the UK. We want to summit Ben Nevis in Scotland and Snowdon in Wales. We feel the pull to go back to the Coastal Path and see more of the rugged Jurassic coast. Just going on a whim with little “real” information about hiking in England we were pleased with all our choices. We learned so much about hiking in England while doing it and talking to other hikers. Through hiking in England is a little easier than the USA. We met many who were doing long sections of the Coastal Path and Hadrian’s Wall. They all hiked with day packs and dogs. The through hike secret in the UK is to use Sherpas to transport luggage and dog beds from one B and B to the next for the chosen daily mileage each hiker wanted to make. Maybe next time that will be the way we go too!

Blue Bells painting the green blue.

55 and alive….

April 27, 2018April 27, 2018 / wildsideof50 / 2 Comments

Whoosh! I made it through the actual day of my birth with the help of my tribe who brilliantly gave me a surprise party. A big thank you to each of them-especially Kimber and Gwen for organizing it. It was awesome to get together with great company and catch up over tasty food washed down with yummy spirits. I finally realized I made the discovery somewhere between the age of 50 and 55, apparently closer to 55, that there is a dramatic difference (at least for me) to be able to lose weight and strength train. OK, I didn’t discover it, but it came to fruition for me during the last 5 years. Getting back into the shape that will allow me to hike 175 miles in July with a backpack and run, at least, a half marathon in August has been a challenge …. But I am getting there. And my perseverance is paying off.

A Beautiful reward of early morning trail running and hiking

Embracing the gray with grace can sometimes be easier said than done. And I haven’t really embraced the gray as I have effectively covered it up. But the other signs of the aging process continue to rear their ugly heads. At 55, I have accepted new truths that I have come to understand. With age, it seems to me, that going forward takes more effort than it had in the past. It seems harder for me to run the trails or lift the weights but sliding backwards is far easier. It takes almost no effort at all and reaps 3x the backward benefits of having to work exponentially harder to move forward the next time. I do not like this part of aging and have re-made a stronger commitment to myself to not let my “hand-to-mouth” condition get the best of me ever again. (I know…. easier said than done, but after this recent attempt to get back on top of my game, I am more motivated than ever!)

I happily said good bye to the extra pounds because running with extra weight is extra work and backpacking with it is just crazy talk. If grams equal ounces, and ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain…. why would I want to run or hike with extra pounds on me? I don’t. My goal has been to get in shape enough to make my adventures as easy as possible; therefore, much more enjoyable. So, I have attacked strength training and have started to increase my running time and distances. TA DA!!!! Today was the day for the pay off. I felt it. All my daily workouts came to my benefit today. It was easier to run up the trail and to pull/push on the weights. I have made progress and that makes me want to keep doing it to ward of the effects of not doing it at all.

One of my many favorite trails to run on

One of the many trails I love to hike and run

The weight lifting, and strength training has made what I love to do easier. Running up hills on trails became easier today because my legs are stronger. My cardio has improved from running up and down the basketball stadium stairs which makes the distance not so challenging on the trails. Thankfully, my neck and arms no longer become sore after I run because they too are stronger now. I have been wondering when it was all going to click. And four-long-months-later the reward has arrived. The bottom line is don’t ever give up. Any day is a good day to start in the right direction and just keep going until BOOM… all your efforts pay off.

Now I get it. The message is loud and clear. I am 55 and very much alive!!! Commitment and perseverance has a whole new meaning at this age. That I will embrace, to help keep me on the right track. I continue to be motivated, even more now since the benefits are propelling me forward with greater ease. Hopefully this idea will help to motivate and encourage anyone who gets frustrated in their attempt to regain the health they seek.
It is all possible, if you want it.

Hit the trails stronger and lighter!

-Kat

The dawn of double-nickels

April 12, 2018April 12, 2018 / wildsideof50 / Leave a comment

Age 50 didn’t daunt me as much as 55 is looming. Maybe because I was still grieving my late husband at 50, while trying to just get through day to day. Now, the perspective is wider as life has continued to move forward. At this junction, I feel far more alive! But living doesn’t mean living well. I’m within a week of 55. I clearly realize now, 55 isn’t nearly as old as I thought it was in my 20’s. 55 isn’t old at all. I had proudly said at the big 5-0 birthday that “50 was the new 30”. I believed it too, because I was the fittest I had been in years. What I didn’t know then, but I do now, is that at age 30 you start to lose muscle mass. Dang! We all know that “Aging is inevitable but aging well is not”(gethealthy.com). We have already touched on all the benefits exercise has in store for us in other blogs, but the bottom line is that exercise actually wards of the affects of aging. Exercise is the fountain of youth. The loss of muscle mass is the greatest contributor to the symptoms of aging. According to Muscle, Ligament and Tendon Journal the aging process is defined as “changes in the muscle mass and strength with decline of muscle strength after the 30th year of life.” Fortunately, muscle loss is reversible.

I feel like the pieces are falling together better now, at almost 55, but they seem to be physically falling apart too. What’s up with that? Additional inflammatory issues, more degenerative disease, throw in more arthritis and have a happy birthday! Really? Yea…that’s not the gift I was wanting. But THAT won’t stop me. I have been working out like some crazy women. I watch calories, record everything, weight and strength train, stretch, run stadiums, hike, bike, don’t drink alcohol, but intake a lot of water, eat mostly a raw and vegan diet with a significant caloric deficit with TINY results. But results non-the less. I think it has to do with my age…. darn it. It’s been documented that “muscle loss nearly doubles after age 50.” (Humankinetics.com) Geezzzzz. That is motivation for me to keep it up with the strength training and keeping the cardio workouts too. If we can add even a small amount of heavy weight training, we’re combating against a lot of degenerative diseases caused by the aging process” according to Nikki Warren, founder and CEO of Kaia FIT, a women’s workout franchise with strength training and HIIT training as its core.

strength training for all parts of your body is important-including your core

Happy Birthday to me. The best, most long-lasting gift I can give myself is strength and better health, bringing with it stamina and fortitude (and hopefully my slim clothes body back). We are our own best asset. With that idea, I take everything a bit more serious these days looking at the consequences while seeking results. But I still have a loud laugh that accompanies my sense of humor. I am happy and healthy. I live. I love and love to laugh. Every single moment counts. It’s a lifestyle choice to live longer. So, hit the gym and the trails. Just do it. Keep moving. Use it or loose it. I have adventures planned for my body, so I better take the very best care of it. Accept challenges. Break past your comfort zone. Expand. Live out loud and defy the aging process. Appreciate that you are ALIVE. The longer you live the more important strength and health become because the deck begins to stack against you. You can do it! Happy Birthday to everyone. Give yourself the best gift possible filled with love… be fit, be trim and be strong … for YOU. You are worth it!

rise with the sun and stretch……its good for the body and soul

55 and alive. I’m looking forward to an outstanding year to come. I’ll celebrate and make it great. And I’ll keep hiking and working out too.

Cheers!

-Kat

Do you have “that” friend?

March 31, 2018March 31, 2018 / wildsideof50 / 4 Comments

Everyone needs at least one friend who says, “Yes”, to their crazy ideas. Maybe, we all take turns being “that” friend. We either come up with the adventure or are willing to go along on it. I thrive on adventure and will do almost anything under the guise of “training” for the next big one! (Thru-hike that is!) I had two friends, both wanting to do Window Rock Trail, but couldn’t do it together, so I went with them both, on back to back days…. great training! I was excited. We were going to Window Rock in the Catalina’s near Tucson. On Saturday, we left out of Ventana Trailhead and on Sunday, we left on Esperero Trailhead in Sabino Canyon.

I met Brenda on Saturday at the trailhead parking lot at 6 a.m. I had my sticks, camel, and snacks.

Early morning light on Ventana Trail

I was ready to go on round trip trail past Maiden Pools up to 7468’ elevation from the parking lot at 2950’. So, just shy of 5000 foot elevation gain and descent for the 17-mile hike. Off we went…. On one of my favorite trails. The canyon thins after you pass the pools and has beautiful canopies of oak trees that line the winding creek bed. There are Indian grinding stones carved into several of the large boulders that hug the trail close to the creek. The first peek of Window Rock from the trail is slightly daunting as it looks very far away and much higher on the mountain ridge. The desire to get to it wills us up the trail.The climb really starts once you leave the canyon. Up and around the rocky hillside winding its way up switch backs to the ridge.

Indain Grinding Stone

The first ridge is a false summit. The actual destination is still some ways farther. On the west side of the ridge you can see as far as Pinnacle Peak towards Phoenix and the Biosphere near Oracle. Looking east, the sprawl of Tucson abounds with Kit Peak visible as well a peek into Mexico. AWE! Once you reach the vista the views are framed by the weather-worn huge rock. The views are worth the trek. There is the perfect place for a snack and rest before heading back down the same trail. We ended up back in the parking lot by 4 p.m.

Looking towards Oracle and Phoenix from the top

Looking through the Window Rock

I headed home for a light dinner, cuzzi time and early to bed. I was meeting Gina and her 12-year old son, in Sabino Canyon at 7 a.m., to head up the main tram road to get on Esperero Trail. I woke at 5:30 a.m. with enough time for a cup of tea and a bowl of oatmeal. I had prepared my camel and snacks the night before. I also packed 2 additional bottles of water for the hike. My level of excitement was high when we met in the parking lot.

I had never done the entire Esperero Trail and it had been years since I had last been on it. Our goal Window Rock to and from the Sabino Canyon entrance. The Esperero trail started with wide canyons traversing back and forth. After a considerable number of switchbacks, we made it up to the first vista. There were magnificent views, but we kept on into a grassy valley that led us into a wooded area. The trail became more interesting after that as there were huge pine trees, oaks and giant junipers. The trail meandered along a creek bed with huge boulders. The creek was wide with several areas of falls, had there been water. Past the last large fall area, there was a large campfire ring and a campsite, and the trail looked less traveled. It grew much thinner and overgrown as we continued up the mountain side. The trail often looked no better than a game trail which sent us off the wrong direction at times. My feelings and excitement about the trail was changing as we continued. I was beginning to have doubts about returning on the same trail.

We passed over several false rocky summits and had to scramble to continue in some places. The trail was a challenge. Finally, we made it to top ridge that we had to stay on for a distance to get to the window. At one point, the brush surrounded us and was taller than me. We heard branches breaking a head of us. We called out for a human response and heard only more branches break. Whatever animal was near-it was BIG! We stopped in our tracks and started to make lots of loud noises. We stopped. We listened. We didn’t hear it again, so we pressed on. My admiration for Gina’s son grew as we continued. He had perseverance. He was fearless and didn’t complain once. When we reached the window, we were all a bit weary.

At the top-Window Rock

We ate our second snack and soaked in the views. Our feet rested as we sat in silence. We then started to take photos and got a case of the giggles. We were tired. We had already covered 13 miles. If we took the same trail back it would have been 26 miles total. Or we could opt for the Ventana trail at a mere 9-mile exit. We voted for Ventana and knew we had to beat the dark to the parking lot. We started down with a good pace, but we were all three tired. When Gina got phone service she called her husband to ask him to retrieve us from the trailhead at Ventana and transport us to our waiting trucks in Sabino Canyons parking lot.

Trying to beat the dark to the parking lot

Timing was perfect. We made it off the trail into the parking lot right at dusk. It was 6:30 p.m. And as we walked onto the black top Gina’s husband pulled up, ready to take us to Sabino. Wow! We made it. A long day hike – all 21 miles of it! That was a GREAT training weekend for our upcoming thru-hike. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Weekend adventures with friends are the Best! Do you have “that” friend who says ‘yes’ to your ideas? I’m so glad my friends are “that” for me!

-Kat

PS. Next 21 mile day hike is Romero Pools in Catalina State Park to Sabino Canyon via Hutches Pools. That is Gina’s idea and I said “Yes”. Wanna come?

Wild side of 50

adventure loving friends hoping to inspire you to be your own force of nature!

In the blink of an eye!

Fall-a season to harvest with gratitude, hello Winter!

Hiking in the UK

Its been too long

Strength In Numbers

It has been too long

Hiking the UK in May 2018

55 and alive….

The dawn of double-nickels

Do you have “that” friend?

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