Hike # 35 Continued... Part 2 - Lily Marsh Trail

It was awesome!!!

It was hard. It was fun. It was strenuous. It was a shared family experience. It was scary in some places. It was challenging. It was beautiful. It was also a one-mile snow hike that was steep, challenging, and so worth it! The difference between "easy" and "intermediate" is expansive and incredibly more rewarding.

We did it! We made it to the end of the Lily Marsh Trail and the beginning of Huckleberry Trail head. I had seen it in September  and now I had fun of seeing it in February. They were two very different experiences!


We had hiked just under 3 miles in the snow, up and down steep hills...

At the end of  the Lily Marsh Trail, we stopped. We pledged to make the next leg of the hike (a steep 1 mile climb that was rated strenuous) next summer. Next goal -Huckleberry Trail, to the top of the mountain! But for today - Lily Marsh was the prize.

As we turned around, I felt the air leave my lungs ... sort of like a balloon deflating. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was the adrenaline leaving my body once I accomplished my goal. Maybe it was the realization that the steep hills we hiked up, now meant downhill slides or Olympic-style nose dives. Or that the downhill slopes now would become overwhelming  uphill climbs. Whatever the reason, the hike back was harder for me than the hike to my goal.

The hike back was made even harder as my toes grew numb, my lungs were weak, and my hips screamed louder  than ever before.  I confess that I did walk slower- much slower.

However, this "slow"  time allowed me to take in the beauty of all that surrounded me. I barely noticed the snow laden  trees as we hiked toward my goal, when we started the snow hike. But as I hiked backed, and as I hiked more "slowly", I was much more aware of my physical limitations,  as well as my physical  surroundings. I seemed to notice more. More snow. More "quite". More of how the snow laid on the branches of the trees, and more of how the those branches labored under the weight of the snow. The irony was that the snow was powder. How could something as light as powder weigh down the branches of a tree? How could something as light as my imagined insecurities, weigh down the momentum toward a goal? As I walked slower, my thoughts pondered bigger questions. I think I am on the right path. Challenge + Drive =  Quiet Insight

In the end, I hiked 5.79 miles in the snow. My reward? Beer tasting at a new micro-brewery - Broken Horn. It was a great 35th hike!

Hike # 35: A Return to Ponderosa Park - In The Snow!

Snowshoeing is my new favorite winter activity. Last year, my favorite winter activity was sitting by a fire in the wood stove at our cabin. (Especially with a book and a glass of wine...ahhhh.) Don't get me wrong, that is still a favorite activity - it's just not an "active" activity. Now that I have been actively trying to get more "active" - snowshoeing  (snow hiking) is perfect for me!


Lucky for me, my personal trainer and her husband were ready to take me snowshoeing for a third time. Ponderosa Park in McCall, ID keep their trails maintained in both summer and winter. I hiked the Meadow Marsh and Lily Marsh trail back in September. I remember seeing the snowshoeing signs and markers posted high up on the trees - now I had the opportunity to see them at eye level in the snow!Heather, Chris, and I parked at the Ranger Station, strapped on our snowshoes, and headed to the Meadow Marsh Trail head.

Sadly, we had to leave my grand-doggie by the fire in our wood stove at our cabin... poor Sydney. If only she were human she would curl up with a good book and a glass of...oh well!



After a full week of training, I was not detoured by the fact that it had been snowing all day and continued to do so. Nor was I sidelined by my personal insecurities. Crazy thoughts wafted passed my consciousness like... "What if we can't see the trails? What if we get lost? What if we get caught in a blizzard? Will my GPS work? Will they find us? Could I make a snow cave if I had to?"


But once we hit the trail head - all was forgotten. All I wanted to do was start the hike and retrace the steps I had taken back in September to see what it looked like in February!


So off we went... into the forest, filled with hope, drive, and the security of knowing that the trails were well traveled and well groomed; so even though it was snowing... no snow cave would be needed!

One of the best things about snowshoeing (snow hiking) is the quiet. All you hear is the reassuring crunching of your shoes against the snow, the soft sound of your rhythmic breathing, and when you stop... you hear absolutely nothing. It is so still and quiet - it reminds you that everyone needs these times of silent - quiet. It quiets my thoughts. It quiets my worries. It quiets my soul.

But for me, there is nothing better than sharing these times with family. Somehow my daughter and son-in-law find this same sense of "quiet"  as they snowshoe. Not that we didn't converse. We stopped to comment on the beauty of the area and snapped a quick picture. We greeted fellow snowshoes with a friendly "Hello". They even gave me reassuring/congratulatory encouragement, as I huffed and puffed my way up a hill. But basically, the snow hike was wonderfully quiet. And then, before I knew it, we were at the top of the hill... ready for the next adventure.

After 1.4 miles, we made it to the Lily Marsh Trail head. The first part of the hike was considered "easy". (For me it was do-able and not overly exerting.) The next part was considered "intermediate". (Which intimidated me, because I remembered what it was like in September - without snow.) Although my heart was pumping and my hip joints were screaming as we hiked to the top of the hill to the Lily Marsh trail head, I felt the calm assurance that I could do an "intermediate" snow hike, because I had done it before, I knew where we were going, and basically - I was determined to see in February what I had seen in September. I know it sounds crazy, but the desire to return was a wonderful driving force - it was a physical goal that I wanted. Wow - did I turn a corner?

Gaining Momentum ...

Training has begun!

Wow - I said it out loud and now it is in print! This is serious...
Progress so far... in baby steps-

Monday - hiked 3 miles with Heather
Tuesday - walked two 15 minute intervals on the treadmill on an incline of 3 at the speed of 3 (whatever that means - I think it is a 20 min./ mile speed.) AND did weights with my personal trainer (Heather - thank you so much!)
Wednesday - walked for 30 consecutive minutes (for the first time ever...) at 2.5 incline at the speed of 3. This was my light day.
Tomorrow - My personal trainer has me walking for 30 minutes at an incline of 3, and doing my weight training, plus one more (toe tip), and stretches that she showed me on Tuesday. Moving forward - gaining momentum.

Training for the Alps?  Priceless!

Hike # 34: The Rose Garden

Today my daughter (and son-in-law) signed up to run Robie Creek. It is the hardest 1/2 marathon in the Northwest. (http://robiecreek.com/)  I guess their determination and her excitement was contagious. So I asked Heather if she would go with me on a hike today.

In fact, today was a great day for a hike! After the last few weeks of snow and rain, we had an unseasonably warm, sunny, 54 degree day, without wind -  in Boise, Idaho! Fabulous!

She and her dog, Sydney, agreed...and off we went. I was so excited to be walking (hiking) again - that I forgot to take a picture. But you can Google Julia Davis Park to see where went. We started at the Boise Art Museum and entered at the Rose Garden - http://parks.cityofboise.org/parks-locations/parks/julia-davis-park/. Our destination - "The Greenbelt", east.

Although I had never "hiked" that section of the Greenbelt before, I told Heather that we were going for 6 miles. That seemed like a good number - plucked out of the air of my imagination. Since she was training for Robie Creek,  she was all for it. But after the first 1/2 mile, I started having second thoughts. My toes went numb. My hips hurt. My heels had blisters. I wasn't holding up so well. All I can say is...it was looooong winter!

I appears that after gaining 10 pounds since last year... I was packing more weight - which accounts for more problems. Darn... regression is a terrible thing!

So we cut the hike in half. Walked a beautiful 3 miles along the Boise River Greenbelt, in the sunshine. It was a great day, for sure. Canadian Geese were strolling about, walkers and families were everywhere, bikers were passing everyone by - and there we were - mother, daughter and grand-doggie hiking with the best of them. We even saw some para-athletes training with their specially designed wheel chairs - as I said, it was a great day!

But 3 miles presented a problem for me. And my daughter knew some intervention was needed.I guess I need a personal trainer -and who to better help me than my own daughter!

Heather proposed that she design a training routine for me. So whether or not I hike the Alps, I'd be in shape to do so when the time comes. I accepted and gave her my word that I was "really" committed. Every cell in my body screamed - "No... don't do it" - but I have to, if I want to be in physical shape when the opportunity comes. Because obviously today was a wake up call to my "out of shape" body and to my "rebellious/stubborn bad habits" of the mind.

Can't say I'm looking forward to it... but if I keep my eye on the prize, I know it is necessary. Here is my "personal trainer's" suggestion for me this week. We are expecting rain and snow again, so training is for inside and using what I have available until I can find a gym to join.

Monday: Greenbelt - 3 miles. Yeah! We did this!
Tuesday: Treadmill 30 minutes @ incline of 3, plus weight training
Wednesday: Treadmill 30 minutes @ incline of 2.5
Thursday: Treadmill 30 minutes @ incline of 3, plus weight training
Friday: rest day
Saturday: Snowshoe hike in McCall - can hardly wait!
Sunday: rest day

Weight Training - uhgggg - really not looking forward to this...
10 x 3 squats
10 x 3 lunges
10 x 3 bicep curls with 2 pound weights
10 x 3 tricep lift with 2 pound weights
10 x 3 crunches on a ball

Wow, after typing all of that - I realize this is serious. If I seriously want to go... I seriously have to train. Guess it is time to get serious.

Baby Steps

Went for a walk in my neighborhood for 25 minutes, today. Not much.... but it was a start in light of the weather. My daughter offered to be my trainer and to get me ready to hike the Alps. As a marathon runner, she knows how to knock out a training regiment. Scary...

Worse yet, I'm not sure if I am really going on this trip- haven't heard if it is even a possibility. I haven't heard if this can happen from the people who invited me last year. But it is still a goal. I do want to go...

Erik, our fly fishing friend (http://flyfishingboise.blogspot.com/ - you have to visit his site), offered to take me on a cave hike, as long as I wasn't claustrophobic. Sounds like fun -as long as he has been there before. ( I realize I need the comfort and security of someone who has taken the path I am walking...) Just saying - I'm a little insecure.

I realize now that I need my family and friends to help me. In order to actually move toward my goal - with all of the fear, doubt, lack of mental and physical readiness - I need them. Can't do this alone - wow. That is heavy (especially for a self declared, self sufficient woman from the 60's... who is 60 - damn). I really thought in the beginning, I could do it alone.

Feeling really wimpy. But  my soul wants to do it - all of it! My will...that's another story. Not sure how this will end.

It wasn't a hike, but...

The weather here in Boise has been bad for novice hikers, like me.  Since January,  I haven't done much. Even though my New Year's Resolution was to train for the hike I never made - to the Italian Alps - I haven't done a thing toward that goal.

Now it is February and training has been - well, not so much. So today, for the first time in decades, I climbed on my husband's treadmill.  Two 15 minute blasts of walking. Incline was 3. Speed was 3. I was encouraged.Going public here - must do more of that until the weather turns.

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.

Hike # 31: What does Rose Drive, Richard Nixon, and a Government Shutdown have in common?

My 31st hike!

This is the sign that caught my attention as I traveled to and from the hospital when visiting my mom. A hiking trail in the middle of the city? Between subdivisions? Without any parking? Yep! There it was...all for me to explore.

What really intrigued me was the Richard Nixon Library. I had never been there, even though I had grown up in the area, went to high school and college there, and even worked on his first presidential campaign back in the 1970's . (I know.. I was young... and Republican... don't hold it against me!)

Before I left for home, I thought that I might have time for the short 2 mile walk (hike... I mean hike). It started out great, after I found a place to park my car about a mile away from the sign. The sun was out. People were few. And I was hiking!

Evidently in the 1980's, after I was long gone from the area, the cities of Placentia, and Yorba Linda decided to create equestrian, bike, and hiking paths paths that followed the old rail road tracks. Tracks are long gone, and what is left are wide sections of land that have been converted into paths for horses, bikers, and hikers.

One of the things that make the first part of this hike so much fun for me, was seeing all of the vegetation that I left behind after moving to Idaho. Bougainvillea, lantana, yucca, eucalyptus, and pepper trees abound. But the orange trees with ripening fruit on them were the best! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of them.

As I traveled along the El Cajon Trail, I passed several signs indicating that the Richard Nixon Library was 2.0 miles, which made me nervous. No matter how long I hiked, I seemed to be 2 miles away from the library - not a good sign when you have to catch a flight... So I walked faster!

The further I went, the less "pretty" and less "directional" the signs became. I was on a path, for sure... but was I on the "right" path? Was I headed in the "right" direction? And was the Richard Nixon Library still 2 miles away? I wasn't certain.

So I turned on the GPS on my phone, and plugged in the Richard Nixon Library. Low and behold... it gave me driving directions, which didn't help much, as I was on a hiking path not on Google Maps.

So like any good hiker, determined to find the destination which first precipitated the hike... I marched on.

With my GPS beeping wildly, I rounded the bend and there it was...Tricky Dick's very own helicopter! Wow. I reached in between the rod iron fence and snapped this shot of his presidential helicopter!

With excitement mounting, and little time left before I had to head off to the airport, I walked up to the front door of the Richard Nixon Library and Archives to snap this picture...

Oh well, guess it wasn't meant to be. Not this time anyway. I wondered why I only saw one homeless woman in the parking lot, and one security guard ... that I chatted up as I walked the perimeter of the building trying to get some info, a personal tour, anything? Too bad. The security guard said "Enjoy the outside", as he headed inside.

With my final destination reached - I headed back to the car. According to Endomondo, I hiked for a total hike of 5.5 miles! So much for "pretty" signs. I did, however, make my flight - so it was a good day!

And thanks to the  Republicans...it wasn't even crowded! They sure know how to clear a national park!

Hike # 30: Hospital Hike...A Turning Point

Nothing makes you travel faster (by land, by air, by rail, or by car) than when your parents are in crisis. That is what precipitated Hike # 30: The Hospital Hike. This hike was not only a half way point to my 60 hike goal - it was transformative, reflective, hard, and life changing - for more than myself.

Mom fell on October 7th, after a simple dental cleaning. She tripped on a rise in a cement walkway - directly across the street from the hospital. Sadly, at 84 years old, that fall meant a broken humorous, a fractured nose, renal compromise due to shock, and anemia due to blood loss through extensive bruising. All of that ended my mother in the hospital for 7 days, only to graduate to skilled nursing care. All said... "It sucks to be old!" She would agree.

So, when I needed a break from the hospital care,  I decided to take a hike. A Hospital Hike! Around the perimeter of the hospital I went. I set Edomondo at the emergency room entrance. I charted my course around the hospital block and started on a hike that took me back to my teen age years.

I grew up in this area. It had changed since 1971, when I graduated from high school. I remember driving down Yorba Linda Boulevard in my 1968 black VW bug. While walking (hiking) past this particular strip mall (just around the corner from the hospital), I remembered hurriedly speeding down the road while in college, only to hit a cat, as it ran across the road. Skipping class, I spent hours searching bushes, and knocking on neighborhood doors, trying to find the cat.

That was a traumatic memory from my early college days. But it did not compare to the trauma I felt after seeing my black, and blue bruised, and broken mother in pain in the hospital bed. Nor did it compare to the overwhelming grief I felt as I  wheeled my father to visit her. It was at this moment that I realized that not only would their lives would never be the same, neither would mine.

This tragic fall, led me to take my 30th hike - a hike  that took something more than physical strength, and endurance - it took emotional fortitude, soul seeking, and a whole lot of other things I can't even describe.

Past the strip mall, to the corner. Down the west side of the hospital, I traveled, navigating various rock formations, raised cement, uneven walkways, and assorted other urban hazards. And then I found it. The exact place that my mother fell. It wasn't any higher than 3/4".

But this 3/4" took down a woman that was more stubborn than a mule, feistier than Scarlet O'Hara, and who had a child-like side that rivaled Willie Wonka. It was tragic for her, and  for all of us who knew it was only a matter of time. This was to be the end of  one phase of life and the beginning of another.

After the hike I knew, that I had to move my parents out of their home of 50+ years into a safer place. A place my mother would hate; but one that my father would accept. A place where one sibling would hold me in contempt; but the other would breathe a sigh of relief. A place that would only accept one of their three pets; but would mean finding a way for the others to visit. A place that would assure three meals a day, medicine management, social interaction, and everything a daughter would want for her aging parents; but would ultimately never be a home for them.

Lesson from the Hike # 30, the smallest event can change your  life forever - and sometimes that change isn't pleasant.

Endomondo Stats:
.85 miles
22 minutes
Life changing...and it sucked!

Hike # 29: Rabbit Run

Now that I have almost arrived at the half way point of my 60 hikes, good friends, and family members have been so encouraging. Inviting me on hikes, finding new places to go, and generally giving me the motivation to make it to the finish line. Today, my good friend, Linda, did just that!

This woman is amazing! Although only slightly older than me, she has run marathons, faithfully attended a woman's Boot Camp, tirelessly helps her husband work their 15+ acres of land, and has more energy that I could possibly imagine.  Taking a brief time out for her feet to heal from her exercise routines, she thought that joining me for a hike once a week was exactly what she needed to restore her exercise regiment and strengthen her feet. She was exactly what I needed!

So off we went... to another part of the Boise Foothills I knew nothing about... the Idaho Velodrome, in Eagle.We started at Rabbit Run and only had a short amount of time for the hike - about an hour. In fact, I will have to resolve to turn off my cell phone - coverage is so good that I got calls from my office. 


Intersecting with D's Chaos, we took a trail that had some great views of the Treasure Valley, just bursting with fall. The trees were starting to turn. Lovely autumn colors mixed with lush green - it was a sight to behold! This is the best time of the year to hike in Boise!

When you look over the numerous trails that this area has to offer, you realize that this one section of the foothills could accommodate several hikes. So, Linda and I made a plan to hike each of the trails.

Today, we hiked for 3 miles in 43 minutes! Linda had run these hills for training, so we made quick work of the ups and downs that Rabbit Run and D's Chaos had to offer. Next Wednesday, we will attempt the longer hikes.... and I might even leave my cell phone in the car!

Hike # 28: Five Mile/Orchard Gulch

What a beautiful October day! 71 degrees, blue skies, no wind - just perfect!

Erik ( of Erik's Fly Fishing Blog
http://flyfishingboise.blogspot.com/), and his wife Jessica (a.k.a. Gracey) invited me on a Sunday hike in the Boise Foothills. What made this hike so special was that I married this couple. That's right,  Reverend Roxie married Erik, and Jessica on May 26,2012. Now, they are my hiking buddies!

Here is another thing that is amazing about this hike. After living in Boise since 1994, I never knew this part of the town existed. We drove down State Street to Fort, then turned left onto Reserve. Who knew Reserve even existed?

After all of those trips to downtown St. Luke's Hospital for babies born, emergency room visits, surgical  prayers, and Mert's heart surgery... I never ever noticed that street. But today, we took it - because we were going on a hike!

Reserve Street took us to Shadow Mountain Road, which took us to a dirt road, and then to the trail head called 5-Mile Gulch. The problem was that we didn't actually see that trail head, and  started up an unmarked path, assuming it was the right one... which we did get right - yeah "Fate and Good Fortune" - or Divine Guidance (which I prefer).

So here is the best part... it was beautiful! Fall in the Boise Foothills is beautiful, and wonderful ,and invigorating, and a fantastic place to "step it up a notch". Most of my hikes have been easy; in fact, I sought them out. This was a "moderate" hike. So... I stepped it up in challenge, and in length. Endomondo recorded it at 5.94 - I'm rounding it up to 6. It was for all intensive purposes it was a 6 mile moderate hike - and I was (to put it in 60's vernacular) stoked!

During the hike, we saw so many fun things, and I have lots of commentary on all of them; however, Erik's photos really take me back to the beauty, the challenge, and the fun of the day. So, thanks to Erik (better check out his blog), I have a photo montage of the day. Thanks Erik! Thanks Jessica! It was a great day!

Enjoy the pictures, and imagine the hike.

Still trusting....

Trusting this is the right trail!

The cairn, defined as a mound of stones
built as a landmark  implies that it is...

         

Forgetting about trust ... I was just enjoying the journey.

Erik and Jessica

Assurance at last... we were on the right trail! 5-Mile Gulch!

We encountered mountain bikers.

Hitch hikers in the form of burrs.

Bear scat... filled with rose hips.

Willow tunnels.

Assorted wildlife including birds of prey, song birds, unidentifiable insects
( Mormon Cricket? Cicada? Mutant Grass Hopper?), and a baby rattle snake!

In the end... we found the trail head and I drove home with a great sense of satisfaction and delight. What a great hike!