2012 has brought its
share of inspiration. In addition to The Happiness Project, by
Gretchen Rubin, I read the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Inspired by
Gretchen to try new things and then by Cheryl’s journey, I spread the word to
friends, clients and co-workers about the books. My sister, Shara, who loves an
adventure story, read Wild and was also very inspired.
We
cooked up this idea to do our very own “Wild” backpacking trip. Ready to
challenge ourselves and reconnect with the mountains of our youth, we looked
toward the John Muir Wilderness in the Eastern High Sierra.
The
trailhead is the shortest trans-Sierra starting at The Vermillion Resort on
Thomas Edison Lake in the West at 7,648’. It travels along Mono Creek along the
Mono Pass Trail, up and over the mountain range, summating at Mono Pass 12,780’
off the eastern ridge exiting at Rock Creek Lake around 8,000’a few miles
Northwest of our childhood home. A total of 25 miles, this trip would be a rare
treat due to a light snow season.
Our new goal excited
both of us to work out. We needed our bodies ready to carry 40-pound packs,
something neither of us had ever done before. My training involved hiking in Rock
Creek Park in North West DC with the City Fitness Gym
hiking club and the “IT” workout, City Fitness’s signature interval step
class, to build my endurance. My weight training emphasized leg and back
strengthening exercises: deadlifts, squats and body weight rows using the
TRX. My flexibility and core training
included Samayama Yoga and Pole Pressure pole dance
classes. Shara chose Spinning classes to develop her cardio-respiratory
endurance, weight training to get stronger, and yoga classes to improve her
flexibility.
The trip was amazing
– the grandness of the rock formations, the smell of pine and sage in the air,
the noise of the Aspens when the wind blew through the trees all put us in
touch with those mountains of our youth. We met some really cool people
executing challenges of their own: the woman who had been on the trail for 3
months from Oregon who helped fix our stove, the guys doing the John Muir trail
decked out with techie gear blogging their trip, the young endurance runners
who did the 25 mile pass in one day carrying almost nothing but their water and
themselves. We’ll never forget the lightning storm on the ridge with the Boy
Scout troop. There is something comforting in the knowledge that they knew CPR
just in case.
The best part of the
trip was spending time with my sister bonding. We worked together keeping each
other going by good conversation, reciting poetry (If by Rudyard
Kipling), counting steps, singing to keep the wildlife away, and talking about
our childhood, our lives, our family and friends, and our dreams.
The last night of
our trip we camped deep in a mountain valley along Mono creek. Sheer granite walls surrounded us. My sister went to sleep early as I read to
her from my survival book. As the twilight descended upon the tent I could feel
the quiet absorbing into my body, my mind.
I listened to the rhythm of the creek, the wind, and my sister’s
breath. I looked out at the stars and
the Jefferson Pines so tall they reached the heavens and I realized that I too
am Wild; a high-Sierra girl running through a mountain meadow. This part of me
is real, authentic and needs space and the freedom to roam, explore and be
adventurous.
The last day we
summated Mono Pass. It took us several hours longer than expected due to the
weather. We began the descent following the switchbacks down. From a distance
Shara spotted what she thought was a bear. Several switches later I declared it
a dog. Bear. Dog. Bear. Dog. As we made a turn we ran smack dab into our
families – my son, Shara’s daughters, and Moriah (their dog). Whew. What a site
for sore eyes and bodies. We did it and it was difficult, and having our little
search party find us and carry our packs out was just what we needed. We
expected challenges like sore shoulders, tired legs and shortness of breath at
the summit. Other difficulties such as our stove not working, getting caught in
a high-altitude lighting storm, and the emotional effects of an intense trip,
pushed us to our limits. We screamed and cried and laughed.
To keep the spirit
alive, I will continue to explore the nature in my own back yard. Rock Creek
Park and Great Falls Park may not be “The mountains are calling and I must go,”
as John Muir puts it. But in a big city like DC, it’s a true blessing to have
nature woven into our lives so intimately.
We are planning
another Back Packing Trip for next summer, maybe a section of the John Muir
Trail/Pacific Crest Trail near Mount Whitney. In the meantime I will dream
about my childhood home and the Sierra Wave. As John Muir himself puts it best,
“Long, blue, spiky-edged shadows crept out across the snow-fields, while a rosy
glow, at first scarce discernable, gradually deepened and suffused every
mountain-top, flushing the glaciers and the harsh crags above them. This was
the alpenglow, to me the most impressive of all the terrestrial manifestation
of God. At the touch of this divine
light, the mountains seemed to kindle to a rapt, religious consciousness, and
stood hushed like devout worshippers waiting to be blessed.”
