The Hard Part

I am using my phone to type this so please pardon any grammatical errors!

Yesterday I left our home in Joshua Tree to drive up to our house in Ahwahnee as I am flying out of Fresno this evening (just for the record - this was incredibly dumb on my part.  Sleep?  Who needs sleep?  I don't need no steenkin' sleep!).  Leaving my partner of 7 years and our six cats and one dog was emotionally heart wrenching.  Yes, I want to go hike on the A.T. and I am excited about it, but how does one leave the love of their life not even knowing when they are returning?

We both cried as I left and I struggled to not throw down my backpack and declare that I was staying...because I had to go.  I have to do this for me, even though it breaks my heart to leave my family.  So I left.

I am incredibly lucky that I have such a wonderful and supportive partner in my life that not only allows me to pursue my adventures, but is supportive of them.  She is staying behind to care for our home and all our animals (which is practically a full-time job) so I can have an adventure.  I am incredibly thankful for her and I appreciate everything she does for us.

In return,  I support her pursuit of adventure as Kate is a solo big wall climber.  I help carry loads to the base of her climb, belay patiently as she fixes pitches, and then tearfully see her off as she leaves the ground for a couple of weeks.

This is love, folks.  Helping and supporting one another even though it hurts your heart to let them go for a while.

The benefit is when we return to one another, happy and refreshed, and with a new and grateful perspective on life.  Our relationship is stronger because of this.

Thank you my beautiful, loving, and kind Kate.  You mean everything to me and I can't wait to come back home to you!

In other news, I got my pack ready to go the other day and came to the sad realization that my ultralight cuben fiber pack wasn't going to cut it for this trip - I was really having to cram it to get everything to fit.  It wasn't heavy, just bulky.  I stopped at REI in Fresno and, after about an hour of trying on many fancy bags, I found one that fit perfectly and would carry all my gear easily - the REI Crestrail.  As a bonus, it was about a $100 less than most packs its size.  I had an REI pack a few years ago and loved it, but it wasn't very durable.  Supposedly they have fixed this issue so we shall see.  Unfortunately, I had to miss dinner with my friends so I could figure this out so thank you Matt and Jennifer for your understanding!

Where Does the Time Go? Appalachian Trail Countdown

Sixteen days before I head out on Springer Mountain in Georgia, the southern start of the Appalachian Trail.  I can't believe how fast time has flown and that it is almost here and I feel like I still have so much to do before I can leave.

Since being in Joshua Tree for the last couple of months, my training schedule has taken a complete dive due to work and renovations on the house.  I finally took a hike up Chaparrosa Peak in Pioneer Town Preserve and I felt a bit of pain in the top of my patella when hiking uphill.  What the heck?  I've never felt pain in me knee going uphill!  After doing a bit of online research, it is from overuse.  See, I take the dog for a walk around our home and I had been carrying a very heavy pack, heavier than I would actually carry on the trail as I was training.  This was no muy bueno.

So I have been resting this week.  I am now worried about not having any training before getting on the trail in a few weeks.  I will continue to do my walks around home, which are usually 3 miles or so, sans the heavy pack, so that is probably better than nothing.  I am sure I am stressing for nothing, though.  Last year, when I had a stress fracture in my foot before my 200-mile hike in England, I had very little training before leaving as I had to spend several months healing in order to be able to even go.  I still managed to do two back-to-back 15-mile days on the first two days of hiking.

It's difficult for me to acknowledge that my knee joints (and other joints) simply do not work the way they used to.  Injuries or mystery pain pops up whenever it feels like and for what appears to be no reason.  I feel like I have no control over this and I simply want to keep on doing what I love - hiking, climbing, etc., for as long as I can.  Today I read Infinity's (my A.T. trail partner) trail journal and something she wrote was very inspiring and helpful for me:  "Ladies – don’t let those aches and pains stop you from hiking. My joints in my feet, hands, elbows and knees have progressively become more painful, but I know if I stop moving, they will only hurt more – so out I go and push my body to its limits!"

It's a reminder that first off, I am not the only one with aches and pains and secondly (so I need to quit my whining), I have to keep moving...maybe much slower than I am used to or want, but just keep moving!  Thank you, Infinity, for that inspiration.

I have my maps, food, all my backpacking gear (still assembling, but it's all there) and just need to get on my flight and go.  Another Summit Sister, Melanie Evans, is kind enough to pick us up at the airport and drop us at the Hiker Hostel.  All arrangements have been made and the trail awaits. 

I can do this.

Why Ya Gotta Leave Your Mark? Why?

Not that long ago, we took a trip out to the Las Vegas area which, besides all the casinos, has amazing outdoor recreational opportunities.  Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area, Death Valley National Park, Valley of Fire State Park, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, etc., you get the picture, there is a lot to do for an outdoorsy person.

We decided to visit Valley of Fire since we had never been there before.  It's about an hour northeast of Las Vegas and is Nevada's oldest and largest state park.  It earned its name from "red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs, 150 million years ago. Complex uplifting and faulting of the region, followed by extensive erosion, have created the present landscape." Source:http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire-state-park/

We drove into the park and it was indeed breathtaking landscape.  Soaring red rock formations all around us and blooming vegetation made for quite the lovely drive in.  We stopped at the visitor center, which was in a  gorgeous location, and picked up a map so we could find a couple of short trails to explore.

We chose Mouse's Tank Trail which has prehistoric petroglyphs carved into the walls.  We drove to the trailhead, which was quite crowded, and set off on our half-mile hike.

The trail went down a narrow canyon and after a short while, we saw the petroglyphs carved into the sandstone.  Beautiful!

What a privilege to be able to see these beautiful images!

Then there were "other" images, the more recent kind...

On many of my hikes, I have found graffiti on rocks, names carved into rocks or trees, people writing their name with a sharpie marker on rocks, or tons of rock cairns in one location because if one does it, everyone must do it.  So my question is, why do people feel the need to leave behind their mark?  The last thing I want to see on a hike is "YOLO 2013" spray painted across a large boulder (yes, I have seen this!).

I have thought about this a lot and can only come up with a few reasons.  My first thought is ignorance - they do not know or understand the impact of what they are doing.  Yeah, they know it's wrong, but what's the big deal of carving or writing your name on a rock or a tree?  The second reason is that they do know that it is wrong and that everyone can see it, but they just don't care.  You know, "Breaking the law, breaking the law!"  No one is going to tell them what to do, so they do it and they don't care if you don't like it.  The last reason I can come up with, as has been the news lately here in Joshua Tree with one certain graffiti artist, is they are doing their art and somehow people will love and appreciate this art.  They are "honoring" the desert, not desecrating it.

Does that look like art to you?  Come on, dude.

Other than those few reasons, I really have no idea why people feel the need to leave their mark.  If you have ideas as to why, by all means, share them in the comments.  As I have never felt the need to "leave my mark," I cannot relate to this at all.  I am interested in hearing other people's interpretations, though.

My partner just pointed out another reason - status.  "Hey look at the dangerous position I had to get into to spray paint my weird graffiti symbols that no one understands?"  I think this happens a lot in cities, but I see it on large rock formations as well.  Hey, you know what?  No graffiti is worth risking your life over.

Oh, on another note, 3 more weeks before I hit the A.T. with my friend, Infinity.  I am trying not to let panic set in, but I do feel the pressure of getting everything ready to go.  No real panic yet, but it's coming...