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It has been too long

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IMG_0135With 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.

IMG_1034The 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

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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.

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Lighthouse on Seven Sisters hike in Sussex, England

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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Blue Bells painting the green blue.

55 and alive….

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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

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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.
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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.

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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!
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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

Ignorance is bliss…

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Katie sitting on the top of Half Dome

They say ignorance is bliss, and for our friend Katie, her first backpacking adventure really was a blissfully ignorant experience. But for Kat and I, her “hiking chaperones”, not so much. Last summer Kat and I hiked the John Muir Trail (JMT). For the 2 years building up to our hike, Katie watched us plan and prepare every detail  for  this super intense thru hike and as she took it all in, decided she wanted to have a taste of our adventure. She had never backpacked and wasn’t much of a hiker but what she had was great athletic ability as a swimmer and cyclist and a shared sense of wanting something fun and challenging outdoors; our hiking plans had definitely  piqued her interest. The plan was for Katie to tag along for the ride and join us for our first 2 acclimation nights at Curry Camp in Yosemite where we would officially start our thru hike. We then went one step further and told Katie she should start out with us on our JMT hike and camp with us our first night at Little Yosemite Valley. It was the perfect plan and Katie was stoked and so were we…this was an epic adventure and we were happy to share in the excitement.

Upon arriving at Yosemite, Kat and I watched as the euphoria of being in nature and especially of being in breathtakingly beautiful  Yosemite take  hold of Katie. Before our very eyes, we were watching a hiking newbie as she was  overcome and overwhelmed by something she had never witnessed or experienced…she was seeing things and feeling things that she never knew she was missing but quickly realizing she needed in her life. Her excitement reminded me of a 4-year-old seeing Disneyland for the first time…but even better because there’s not much left that excites a 50 year to this level!

We spent 2 days  acclimatizing and mentally preparing for a hike of a lifetime.  They say that the hardest part of the John Muir Trail is the first 4.3 miles hiking out of the Yosemite Valley. It’s an elevation gain of 2100′ feet and its carrying a 35 lb pack on your not yet developed “trail legs” that gets you and I would whole heartedly agree with that assessment. Its straight up steep, climbing overly tall granite steps . Having left at dawn, we arrived at Little Yosemite Valley early, made first nights camp and relaxed for a bit, swimming in the Merced River, kicking back on the banks of the river, especially enjoyable coming from the dry dusty desert. We were feeling proud of our first day on the trail. But  we couldn’t leave well enough alone and decided although we were beat from our hike up, we just needed to get in the presence of  Half Dome, Yosemite’s tallest granite peak. Bravely admitting it just wasn’t in the cards to climb up this scary beast on this trip (for me, I just knew I wouldn’t have the strength to make it up 600′ of straight up chains) but still, we wanted to get close to H.D. and see for ourselves this wondrous peak known both for its beauty and it’s adrenaline  inducing thrill of making it to the top without plummeting to one’s death. It’s intense and you have to be on your game, and I had no game left that first day. We set off from L.Y.V. at 3:00 in the afternoon and made our way up the trail with the general idea of going as far as the sub-dome and then we would turn around. But very soon after we started out, Katie, who hadn’t hiked with a 35lb pack on her back that day got another shot of her new-found euphoric energy at the thought of seeing Half Dome, started hiking faster than us, pulling ahead and as quickly as you can say , “never separate from your hiking group”, she was gone and out of sight from us. Oh-kee-dokie. Kat and I didn’t love that she’d done that, but like I said, Katie is athletic, she’s smart…but…she’s not a hiker…and it was getting a little late to summit Half Dome and the icing on the cake; ominous thunder heads were forming quickly in the not too far off horizon. Sudden and fast moving  storms are the #1 way people die on Half Dome; when lightning strikes on that wide open granite, the valleys biggest and highest lightning rod, people have no place to take shelter.  Kat and I picked up our pace thinking we would catch up to Katie but we didn’t. We continued on and as we were passing people coming down from H.D. we started asking if they had seen a petite blond in a bright blue jacket. They would all pause to think, but ultimately respond with a “no”. We kept hiking up the trail and thats when I started noticing little trails that went off the main trail. I was getting a stomach ache. We kept hiking and asking, always with the same answer, “no, we haven’t seen her.” Luckily dusk was a few hours away since it was summer but the clouds were creeping in closer and closer and we were getting panicky. Which wrong trail did Katie take? Will she know how to find her way back? Is she scared being all alone and lost? Does she have enough water? Will a bear eat her? Will her husband kill us when we have to break the news to him that we lost his wife? By this time I was on the verge of throwing up. My already wobbly legs were getting weaker and weaker as the minutes passed. Kat was handling this much different…she was swearing with clenched fists, ready to take Katie out (if we ever saw her again). We came upon our 10th group of hikers who we  just happened to have hiked with earlier in the day. We stopped and traded a few pleasantries about meeting on the trail again and then quickly changed the  subject and once again asked if they’d seen Katie who they knew from earlier in the day. This time we got a different answer…”yes, we saw her going up as we were coming down.” I’m sure all the other groups had been too deep into their own Half Dome hiking experience to notice Katie but our new trail friends probably stopped to say hello again and thats why they noticed her. At the news that Katie had been spotted, I nearly started crying with joy. Kat now was able to really let loose knowing she wouldn’t regret her words since Katie was actually  still alive.

Hearing that Katie was safe and now headed all the way up Half Dome, Kat and I knew there was nothing we could do, that she’d be a few hours. Knowing we still needed  to filter water, collect our camp water, make dinner and  re-pack our bear canisters and prep for the next full day of hiking, we headed back down to our camp site so that we weren’t doing these tasks in the dark. The clouds were still a worry but I trusted that if the threat grew eminent, a “real” hiker would kindly grab Katie by the hand and yank her down as fast as they could go…she wouldnt be left behind.

Dusk fell and no sign of Katie but very soon after full on nightfall,  2 headlamps walked towards our campsite, one being Katie and the other being her new hiking buddy who just happened to be a world traveling hiker, quite famous on Instagram. She met him on the way up, also picking up another solo hiker on the way. And according to Katie, she spent several hours in the company of two of the most interesting and intellectual people she had ever met.  Part of what made her new friends so interesting was their wanderlust for nature and hiking and their lack of materialism that backpacking reminds us so beautifully of.  It was another piece of the puzzle that Katie didn’t realize she was missing, but was happily discovering thru yet another chance meeting of  enlightened backpackers who were happy to share what those of us who love the backcountry know.

To say that Katie enjoyed her Half Dome climb would truly be the understatement of the century. You couldn’t wipe the grin off her face, her feet were barely touching the ground…the woman was high as a kite!!! I explained as kindly as I could that she literally broke every backpacking/hiking rule in the book while Kat unleashed  on her ( in a scary but  loving momma bear way)…how it effected us as her hiking partners and what she did was the ultimate in selfishness. But it didn’t matter. Katie was too drunk on nature and she could barely concentrate  on what we were saying. She was giddy with the joy that nature always delivers. She interupted our lectures several times to relive her Half Dome assent…she couldn’t believe that this type of experience was out there waiting for the taking! It was infectious and we loved experiencing Katies first taste of nature with her…it had been a long time since our own first step into nature that would forever change us and it was fun to experience it again through someone else’s eyes. Lecture over. It was pointless.

Day 2 we woke up, had coffee and breakfast, packed up and walked Katie to the fork in the trail. Kat and I would turn right and continue another 207 miles to the summit of Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48 and Katie would turn left, taking the 4.3 mile trail back to Yosemite Valley. The three  of us hugged and said our farewells, turned in opposite directions and set off…2 of us about to embarked on the most epic 211 mile of our life, one just completing the most epic hike of her life thus far, crushing Half Dome. And discovering her new found love of nature.

~Gwen