Hike # 32 and 33: Two Hikes in One Weekend!

I'm back in the saddle again...

Gene Autry had his lyrics and Aerosmith had their's... mine are written in the snow. 

After almost 3 full months of migrating back to a sedentary life of no hikes, no walks, no activity, I got back in the saddle - the hiking saddle.

For a Christmas present, my daughter and son-in-law gave me the present of a snowshoeing trip. Hiking in the snow! How awesome is that? So, last weekend, my husband and I joined Heather and Chris up in McCall to do Hike # 31 and # 32. I have shared the pain, so now let me share the joy...

Hike # 32: Jug Mountain

According to locals, the snow was down this year. We had to drive up the mountain to find snow deep enough for shoeing. Sun was out. Sky was blue. Snow was beautiful and white. It looked like a great day for a hike in the snow.

Mert, Heather, Chris, and I (and of course Sydney) headed to snowshoe on trails unknown, in unknown directions, and for unknown distances. But we were safe and secure in the fact that at 2 PM with favorable conditions, we would find our way back to the parking lot! We only saw one lonesome skier and 2 dogs in the parking lot and no one on the snowshoeing trail. We had Jug Mountain all to ourselves.

And so we did... 3 miles later, hiking over snow, ice, mud, parking lots, Nordic track trails, marked and unmarked trails we made a double loop - an infinity trail on Google maps... all in the snow... priceless!

Hike # 33: Bear Basin

Now this was a fabulous area - and I am definitely going back! On the start of this hike, Chris, Heather, Sydney, and I started out on the Baby Bear trail. Lots of snow. Lots of sunshine. Lots of blue sky. Lots of people in the parking lot. And unfortunately for Heather... lots of blisters, which resulted in significant loss of skin on both feet, both ankles. So although she is smiling...she is really in pain from the torn skin; and she keeps smiling due to the desire to encourage her mom continue hiking . This sacrifice was too much for me. I told her to hike back to the car and wait for me... because I was so on fire and "back in the saddle" that I would hike on...

Chris debated... Sydney whined... and I started hoofing it into unknown territories. Chris told me later, that he was along for the ride and that I could go as far as I wanted... or turn back when I wanted... but I secretly think Heather said "Don't you dare leave my mom to hike on her own!" So Heather hiked back to the car, as Chris, Sydney, and I hiked on.

I have to confess that I loved this hike! It was challenging for me, after 3 months. It was social, as we encountered lots of fellow hikers, and I got to talk with Chris... mother-in-law to son-in-law like. It was beautiful, as we could see Oregon from the ridge of the Grand Traverse in Idaho! It was fun and I could feel the confidence I once lost. And it was 3 miles round trip... not huge, but  a great "back in the saddle" type hike.

Sydney lead the way ...

I followed... (with Chris taking pictures and watching out for both us).

And all was well with the world!

This is painful...

It has been a long time since October - the last month that I officially "hiked". I feel like a total failure. Caring for my elderly parents has taken a toll on my emotional, physical, and mental resolve to make my 60 hikes. I have only accomplished 31. I thought that was the tipping point and that somehow I would be motivated beyond circumstance to push through and hike every week. But here it is, January 2014 - 6 months to go before I turn 61 and I have done nothing - not one hike beyond # 31.

I really thought that if I made it past 30 hikes that the momentum would keep me going. But I was wrong. The emotional stress, weather, and general malaise I felt  for the last 3 months have kept me in a stalemate. I can't  move. I can't breathe. I can't hike and that pisses me off. I felt very hopeless until New Year's Eve.

Thank God for New Year's Eve! On New Year's Eve a veil of darkness seemed to lift. I felt more hopeful - not sure why, because the circumstances of things hadn't changed.

Perhaps it started before that, because when I received a Christmas present from my daughter and son in law  offering to take me to Ponderosa Park in McCall for a snow shoeing hike - I felt the "lifting"... an intangible signal that things would change. They pulled beside me, like a runner out of strength and needing some encouragement, to give me a Christmas present of  a hike.

When we set the date, I was committed. January 18 is the date. I am posting this for accountability. I can't back out due to weather, parental emergencies, or other things I can't control. I realized that I need to embrace the Serenity Prayer:

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.


Guess I am going to try and put this into practice. But I am scared... what if I fail? What if the weather prohibits us from hiking? What if one of my parents die? What if... what if? God this is so hard.