Landon, a great blogger is visiting 50 states in 50 weeks, and picked me to write about Idaho. I felt privileged to write about a beautiful state with endless adventures! Not perfectly written (I blame the phone :/), but it gives people a little hint on how they can make adventure. Hope you enjoy the read! Click the link!
Showing posts with label adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adventure. Show all posts
May 29, 2014
April 28, 2014
M.S. is Worse Than a 44 Mile Hike in 26 Hours
It's been a little over a week since I started my adventure.
I decided to sit down and write my impressions of my experience of a 44 mile 26 hour hike with 30 pounds strapped to my back, and connect it to M.S. (last paragraph).
I decided to sit down and write my impressions of my experience of a 44 mile 26 hour hike with 30 pounds strapped to my back, and connect it to M.S. (last paragraph).
Yesterday, after hiking 44 miles in 26 hours, I felt nearly non existent. People would ask me questions; I could barely answer them, because I was extremely mentally and physically drained. Never in my life have I pushed my body that hard while carrying a 30 pound pack.
8 miles outside of Warner Springs, I developed a rash that covered both of my thighs. Not knowing what it was, I decided it would be in my best interest to get to the next town a.s.a.p. Here is a video of when I first discovered it:
This is what a 44 mile push felt like:
My body and brain wanted to stop, but I had to push myself, or I knew I wouldn't make it. I had to give myself something to look forward to, and that was Paradise Valley Cafe. I heard about a loaded "Jose burger" that seemed like heaven. My eye was on the goal, and I was getting there.
My body and brain wanted to stop, but I had to push myself, or I knew I wouldn't make it. I had to give myself something to look forward to, and that was Paradise Valley Cafe. I heard about a loaded "Jose burger" that seemed like heaven. My eye was on the goal, and I was getting there.
Not knowing if I was having an allergic reaction, I took a benadryl and put a typical steroid cream on the rash. Forgetting about the drowsy side effects of benadryl, I zombied my way down the trail. The heat of the sun was pounding on my body as I trudged through the dry, water sapping desert. With 6 miles left, there was a sign that said, "PCT hikers! Water, soda, hikerbox, 100 feet."THANK YOU TRAIL ANGELS!" So miraculous! The first 20 seconds of this clip is what I felt like:
After the last grueling 6 mile stretch through the hot desert with absolutely no shade (just like the past 38 miles), I made it to Paradise Cafe. People started asking my name, which I now reply "Wiki Wiki" (trail name). They asked how I got it, and I couldn't remember "Gottawalk's" name because I was so drained. All I could say is sorry, I can't think right now.
I devoured my hamburger and fries, and proceeded to ask for a plate of pie and ice cream. The next thing I heard was, "You better wake up and eat your ice cream." I jumped out of my dream and into reality. Did I really just fall asleep in a chair at a restaurant? There was music and loud conversations all around me. I felt exhausted, but the ice cream looked delicious! People around me laughed as I quickly finished every last drop of ice cream and pie.
The next stop was a $3 camp site in "Idyllwild" with a $1, 5 minute shower. The best 5 minute shower of my life, even though I had one 2 days earlier. At 5pm, I crawled into my sleeping bag and fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning, I started laughing when I discovered 2 hamburgers laying next to me. I was so confused, but later found out that a hiker thought I'd be hungry, so he put those next to me. Kind of random and funny to wake up to 2 hamburgers laying next to me, but very thoughtful.
This mentally and physically draining experience made me think of people trying to deal with Multiple Sclerosis. We tend to have set expectations for our friends and family. People wanted me to talk more to them, but I couldn't. Thinking straight was a mental chore that I just didn't want to do. Walking was awful, my legs were numb, and it felt like more of a hobble, but I had to keep moving. Many people with Multiple Sclerosis have these symptoms 24/7 plus blurry vision, and more! Most of the time there is no break, no getting better, and no healing. They often say, "What is normal? I don't remember." Slowly degrading with these masked symptoms, keeps them pushing for a cure. Ya, sure, cures may be hard to come by, but... What if? What if you were part of the cure discovered for M.S? How amazing would that be? Medical break-throughs are only achieved by people passionate about the future of discovery.
I would appreciate all readers to comment how M.S. affects your life (even if you don't have it), and how important and beneficial a cure would be. Examples would be great! To do something about anything, we have to speak out, and make people aware. We have to increase understanding and drive. There's no point in being timid. Let's get out there!
............
I'm writing everything on a smart phone, so sorry for any typos or imperfections. :-)
 |
| "Gottawalk" (67) who gave me my trail name "Wiki Wiki" (quick in Hawaiian). She has hiked the PCT, CDT, AT, and American Discovery. She is a beast and I love it! |
 |
| Happy to have my burger. |
I devoured my hamburger and fries, and proceeded to ask for a plate of pie and ice cream. The next thing I heard was, "You better wake up and eat your ice cream." I jumped out of my dream and into reality. Did I really just fall asleep in a chair at a restaurant? There was music and loud conversations all around me. I felt exhausted, but the ice cream looked delicious! People around me laughed as I quickly finished every last drop of ice cream and pie.
The next stop was a $3 camp site in "Idyllwild" with a $1, 5 minute shower. The best 5 minute shower of my life, even though I had one 2 days earlier. At 5pm, I crawled into my sleeping bag and fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning, I started laughing when I discovered 2 hamburgers laying next to me. I was so confused, but later found out that a hiker thought I'd be hungry, so he put those next to me. Kind of random and funny to wake up to 2 hamburgers laying next to me, but very thoughtful.
This mentally and physically draining experience made me think of people trying to deal with Multiple Sclerosis. We tend to have set expectations for our friends and family. People wanted me to talk more to them, but I couldn't. Thinking straight was a mental chore that I just didn't want to do. Walking was awful, my legs were numb, and it felt like more of a hobble, but I had to keep moving. Many people with Multiple Sclerosis have these symptoms 24/7 plus blurry vision, and more! Most of the time there is no break, no getting better, and no healing. They often say, "What is normal? I don't remember." Slowly degrading with these masked symptoms, keeps them pushing for a cure. Ya, sure, cures may be hard to come by, but... What if? What if you were part of the cure discovered for M.S? How amazing would that be? Medical break-throughs are only achieved by people passionate about the future of discovery.
I would appreciate all readers to comment how M.S. affects your life (even if you don't have it), and how important and beneficial a cure would be. Examples would be great! To do something about anything, we have to speak out, and make people aware. We have to increase understanding and drive. There's no point in being timid. Let's get out there!
............
I'm writing everything on a smart phone, so sorry for any typos or imperfections. :-)
September 11, 2013
Ice Lake and Matterhorn in the Eagle Cap Wilderness
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| Spoiled with beauty; that's the theme of this venture! |
As I stared across Ice Lake, I was reminded of how clean this Earth can be. This absolutely clear oligotrophic oxygen filled lake refreshes your inner being that humanity can so easily strip away. Only adventures with a like mind and heart find themselves embracing every second of this absolutely breathtaking area. In my efforts to show my readers the beauty of this Earth, I've realized there is no way a picture or video can suffice. The human body is miraculous in what it can sense, and therefore the euphoria it can experience with in a moment's time. Check out more pictures I found of the Ice Lake area!
May 31, 2013
Mount St. Helens Summit
Over Memorial Day weekend, Rob and I hiked up Mt. St. Helens. We were number 5 & 6 out of the 20% who made it to the top. Before our journey began, we had no idea we were going to be post holing through waist deep snow just to get to the top. Everyone said, "Ya, there won't be hardly any snow this time of year!" Wrong! A pair of snow shoes would have been a great addition to the hike, but that wasn't about to stop us.
Being that the road to Climber's Bivouac was closed, we started hiking from June Lake Trail head (Elevation 2,700 feet). The trail started easy with a slight incline and a few inches of snow that made jogging feel like I was running on the beach. Every time my foot hit the ground, it slid back a few inches. Would I dare put my crampons on? No way! As soon as Rob said, "Let's see how far we can get with out our crampons.", I knew they would not be touching my feet!
About an hour into the hike, we started rock scrambling up a snowy/ rocky ridge with the risk of falling off the side of the mountain if we were to lose our balance. 1 step into that snowy shelf and "Adios" would have been our new names for the last seconds of our lives. But, that is not how the story goes my friends; we played it smart! A few people followed our rock scrambling path for a ways, then decided that stair stepping through the snow was more of their style. After the rocky ridge ended, we had no choice but to join the stair steppers for next 500 foot climb. At least we were almost to the top! Well, that's what we thought anyway.
The top was not the top, and the wind was chilling my skin, so I knew we had to keep moving. At that point, there was a group of about 20 people who were turning around. I asked them how much further it was to the top and in a chuckle they said, "This is halfway." My eyes were huge in disbelief as I realized my perception of elevation dramatically changed when snow was involved. As the group of 20 were leaving, I asked them why they were headed back down. They said the weather was supposed to get worse and an inversion was coming in. This older gentleman looked at us and said, "That's just us old people talk; we can't risk much at our age." Rob and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and decided to keep climbing. After all, there was a group of 15-20 people ahead of us.
The next 3 hours (2,700 feet) of climbing Mt. St. Helens was quite the challenge. Fellow climbers were strapping on their skis and skinning up the mountain side, or strapping on their snowshoes for a much easier hike. Well, we didn't have any of that, but we were determined to make it to the top. The quickest hiker made it in snow shoes and we were close behind. When we started to climb above the cloud level, I was just struck with wonder. It is one thing to be in an airplane looking down on the clouds, but it is another to conquer those clouds and look back at their beauty with the sun shining on you. The freedom experienced in those moments are completely priceless. It radiates through your entire being and holds you in an enormous bubble of extravagant beauty. This was what the rest of our hike was about: freedom.
As we hit the summit, at 8,365 feet, Mt. Adams was staring, from the right, with a beautiful lenticular cloud hovering over its snowy peak. As we turned around to see where we had came from, we saw Mt. Hood basking in the sunlight. Close behind was a guy that I had the urge to talk to. While I was talking to him, I soon found out that he hiked the PCT last summer and misses being on the trail. I can see why. When you conquer a mountain or a really long trail with people who started out as strangers, you suddenly feel like you have this understanding of each other that doesn't even need to be expressed. It is just known. Your past, future, or where you come from doesn't matter because your spirits are the same in their hunger for the beauty of nature and the adventure it holds.
Eating on top of Mt. St. Helens, made homemade wraps and no bake cookies better than ever! Once we ate our food, we had to get going again because the wind was starting to cool off our bodies and we needed to keep moving.
On the way down, we spent the majority of our times sliding down the mountain on our bottoms. If that is not a freeing experience, I don't know what is. 33 years ago, Lava slid right down that hillside; why can't I? :)
My dad always taught me to appreciate the beauty in everything, to experience nature with all of my senses, to let it talk to me and teach me a thing or two. That is exactly what happened on Mt. St. Helens. I am now able to pull that experience out of my brain and hold it like a little bubble to release that invigorating feeling of the freedom I experienced. Nature is my drug, and I can't think of any better source! When I am surrounded by an area of nature that is rarely touched by humans, I realize that God new exactly what he was doing. We, as humans, believe that we do, but they really haven't a clue.
PCT 2014 Trek for M.S. Here I come!
About an hour into the hike, we started rock scrambling up a snowy/ rocky ridge with the risk of falling off the side of the mountain if we were to lose our balance. 1 step into that snowy shelf and "Adios" would have been our new names for the last seconds of our lives. But, that is not how the story goes my friends; we played it smart! A few people followed our rock scrambling path for a ways, then decided that stair stepping through the snow was more of their style. After the rocky ridge ended, we had no choice but to join the stair steppers for next 500 foot climb. At least we were almost to the top! Well, that's what we thought anyway.
The top was not the top, and the wind was chilling my skin, so I knew we had to keep moving. At that point, there was a group of about 20 people who were turning around. I asked them how much further it was to the top and in a chuckle they said, "This is halfway." My eyes were huge in disbelief as I realized my perception of elevation dramatically changed when snow was involved. As the group of 20 were leaving, I asked them why they were headed back down. They said the weather was supposed to get worse and an inversion was coming in. This older gentleman looked at us and said, "That's just us old people talk; we can't risk much at our age." Rob and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and decided to keep climbing. After all, there was a group of 15-20 people ahead of us.
The next 3 hours (2,700 feet) of climbing Mt. St. Helens was quite the challenge. Fellow climbers were strapping on their skis and skinning up the mountain side, or strapping on their snowshoes for a much easier hike. Well, we didn't have any of that, but we were determined to make it to the top. The quickest hiker made it in snow shoes and we were close behind. When we started to climb above the cloud level, I was just struck with wonder. It is one thing to be in an airplane looking down on the clouds, but it is another to conquer those clouds and look back at their beauty with the sun shining on you. The freedom experienced in those moments are completely priceless. It radiates through your entire being and holds you in an enormous bubble of extravagant beauty. This was what the rest of our hike was about: freedom.
As we hit the summit, at 8,365 feet, Mt. Adams was staring, from the right, with a beautiful lenticular cloud hovering over its snowy peak. As we turned around to see where we had came from, we saw Mt. Hood basking in the sunlight. Close behind was a guy that I had the urge to talk to. While I was talking to him, I soon found out that he hiked the PCT last summer and misses being on the trail. I can see why. When you conquer a mountain or a really long trail with people who started out as strangers, you suddenly feel like you have this understanding of each other that doesn't even need to be expressed. It is just known. Your past, future, or where you come from doesn't matter because your spirits are the same in their hunger for the beauty of nature and the adventure it holds.
Eating on top of Mt. St. Helens, made homemade wraps and no bake cookies better than ever! Once we ate our food, we had to get going again because the wind was starting to cool off our bodies and we needed to keep moving.
On the way down, we spent the majority of our times sliding down the mountain on our bottoms. If that is not a freeing experience, I don't know what is. 33 years ago, Lava slid right down that hillside; why can't I? :)
My dad always taught me to appreciate the beauty in everything, to experience nature with all of my senses, to let it talk to me and teach me a thing or two. That is exactly what happened on Mt. St. Helens. I am now able to pull that experience out of my brain and hold it like a little bubble to release that invigorating feeling of the freedom I experienced. Nature is my drug, and I can't think of any better source! When I am surrounded by an area of nature that is rarely touched by humans, I realize that God new exactly what he was doing. We, as humans, believe that we do, but they really haven't a clue.
PCT 2014 Trek for M.S. Here I come!
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