New Gear!!

I've always believed I defied the "every girl loves shopping" stereotype.  There has never been a time where I've truly been excited about it.  Even when I bought my wedding dress- it took me one day and 2 stores and that was it.  About a month ago I realized that I was partially kidding myself...  I LOVE SHOPPING FOR HIKING/CAMPING GEAR!!

Love it.

I could spend a week at REI picking out the workout/hiking gear that I want and then drooling over the kayaks they have sitting in the rafters.  I love lying in the display tents and figuring out which shade of jacket I want to wear (I settled on purple, by the way).

REI Chinuka Jacket

I spent no less than 30 minutes traipsing around the store- climbing up and down the stairs multiple times- wearing all different kinds of backpacks.  I ended up with a Gregory brand that was gray with pink accents.

Couldn't find a pic of mine... but I was so close to buying this one just because of the flower.

Having a backpack that fits is very important from a comfort perspective since it's likely to be the heaviest thing you carry.  For me, I'd compare it to picking out just the right purse because I'm a "pockets" gal.  I need to have the zippers and clips and adjusters where I want them and I want my stuff easily accessible.  It needs to feel right on my shoulders.  Interestingly enough, it was more important for how it felt sitting on my hips.  The guy at the store placed weighted bean-bags in the ones I tried out so I could compare to how it would actually feel on the trail.  The weird thing is that it actually fits better the more stuff it has in it because it pushes the pack down on my hips so the straps aren't sitting around my stomach.

Now that I have a jacket, a backpack, hiking boots, socks, and new spandex workout gear (from my mom for Christmas), I feel like I'm just about ready to get going.   I'm hoping that even though our schedule is packed we'll find some time to get out!

(Not) Naked and Afraid

Everyone is afraid of something at some point, but I used to be a particularly special case.

When I was in elementary school there was a boy named Justin who told me he wasn't afraid of anything.  I remember trying to be like him- to act like I wasn't scared.  He made fun of me until I agreed to go on a "daring adventure" so far into the woods behind my house that when my parents called I couldn't hear them and my dad drove halfway around town looking for me before he found us at the playground around the block.  That was the first time I broke out of my comfort zone and I never really strayed far from there again.

I've been called a "goodie-two-shoes" on more than one occasion (yes, those exact words).  But it was because I was too scared to be anything but perfect.

Earlier in my 20s I started having panic attacks.  Literally everything terrified me- all at once.  Any straying from what I considered "normal and appropriate behavior" would set me off.  I could be alone and driving my car and all of a sudden I would need to pull over because I was so overcome with this tightness in my chest that it hurt to breathe and my vision blurred.  Mental health, in my opinion, is just as important as (if not more than) physical health.

From my favorite point of reference:

Unfortunately, it's not as easy to come back from that as most would think... I allude to the many people surrounding me telling me to stop being so dramatic and let it go (just like Sheldon exclaimed: "Calm down!").  Once the panicking starts it's like trying to convince yourself you're not going to die while your organs are simulating a heart-attack.  If you compare it to your physicality, it's like telling a person with no muscles or exercise experience to just start dead-lifting 200lbs.  Just Do It doesn't exactly work here. It's not impossible- but you need training.  The key to maintaining good mental health is like anything physical- and that's through prevention and exercise. I can thankfully say I've learned how to prevent my anxiety (and the best part- without medication). To be honest, I feel stronger mentally than ever before.

So- why bring up such a topic?  What does this have to do with a hiking blog?

The answer is my newest obsession- watching "Naked and Afraid" on the Discovery Channel.

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/naked-and-afraid

If you've never watched Naked and Afraid- I highly suggest it for the people that think they're tough (like my friend, Justin), or for people that truly appreciate the beauty and power that is Mother Nature- and the ability to use it to your advantage.  The premise of the show is to drop two people (one man and one woman) in a remote location with nothing but one tool a piece and a camera crew of people that aren't allowed to interfere except for medical emergencies.  The players can tap out at any time (and I've seen it happen), but then their partners are left to fend for themselves- and to be honest, no one ever lasts alone.

Why is it that no one lasts alone?

I once watched an episode where a guy bailed before he even got to the remote location.

It's scary.

The show only selects trained professionals based on a survival skill rating (PSR).  They're not exactly throwing amateurs out there.  They have exactly 21 days to survive- and guess what?  The majority of it has NOTHING to do with physical ability.  You need to be smart. You need to make good decisions (one guy drank unfiltered water a few days in- and that was it for him).  You need to not kill your partner when their only job for the day is to hunt for food and they come back empty-handed.  They've had "complainers" on the show.  The people that get mad at everyone else except for themselves- or worse- ridicule.  At the end of it all, they learn the hardest lessons (watch Episode 8- Double Jeopardy- probably the best example of this).  The people that survive together- the people who finish strong together- are the people that work the best mentally.  The strongest guy swung his machete too hard and nearly chopped off his leg.

I like hiking because, mentally, it makes me stronger.

From my post: "Was it Algonquin or Algonqin?" I talked about thrashing my toe into a rock about an hour into the hike.  I couldn't quit then... otherwise Mother Nature would have won.  I exercise my mentality by challenging it.  By stretching it. I prevent my anxiety by surrounding myself with people and things that make me happy, by being active (and staying hydrated).  Could I ever see myself on a show like Naked and Afraid?  Probably not.  Coming from where I was, mentally, I would need a lot more training to Just Do It.

But, I have to admit, it's an admirable goal.

In the meantime...

So we're at the point where we're beginning to plan our next adventure- and I'm so excited that I've tried to figure out ways to get involved.  With those random warm-ish days that have come and gone as quickly as you take a moment to appreciate them, I'm itching to get outside again.  Unfortunately, as much as I think I understand things- I really have no clue what I'm doing.  As I mentioned in my very first blog post, AJ and Jared pretty much took the responsibility of planning the hike.  AJ even packed everything for me.  I just showed up- which was really great for what it was... but there were some uncomfortable moments that I know I could fix with the right equipment and preparation.  Plus, if we ever decide to do a true backpacking trip (where you can only take what you can carry for shelter, food, equipment, etc), I will definitely need to start researching and saving some money for that.

Through my internet browsing, I came across an amazing website called Hiking Lady:

http://hikinglady.com/

The website is maintained by a woman named Carol Roberts, who hopes to educate and inspire anyone and everyone about the great outdoors, with a particular focus on women.  The site is clean and user-friendly, and it offers topics on all kinds of things for beginner hikers that I've found extremely helpful.  When you head to the main page, it's suggested that you start with "Hiking 101" where she lists pieces of equipment that she believes to be necessary: boots (with the correct lacing technique), socks, a proper-fitting backpack and trekking poles.  I was happy to dig further into her suggested foot gear and discovered that I selected a brand and style that she recommended for day-hiking.  However, if I want to get into overnight backpacking I'll need to select a different style.  I bought new socks for the trip, but was using a borrowed backpack, and had no trekking poles.  My biggest complaint at the end of the day was the fact that my knees were killing me.  Carol suggests that to save your knees in the long run, a good pair of trekking poles is essential.  I'm going to need to look more into that...

I'm also hoping to purchase my own jacket- the one I borrowed belonged to AJ's dad- and although I was extremely thankful, it was just a LITTLE bit big.

And perhaps a better set of hiking pants... the shorts were great when I was hot, but that was only for the first hour or so.  Then I contended with a lot of mud and pine trees.

Avalanche Pass- The End of Hike One

And then... we made it to the clearing of Avalanche Pass.  We took one last long break here, as our throbbing legs couldn't take anymore.  I ate a cucumber (judge away- it was the best decision ever) and some more trail mix- and Jared gave me some ibuprofen to help get me through the rest of the trip.

Kasie and I at our finest.

We were all sore and ready to be out of the woods, but this had to be the most breathtaking part of the entire hike- so we meandered through slowly for a little while.  Avalanche Pass was the exact moment I realized that I was truly committing myself to completing these trails.

The pictures will never do it justice.

Above our heads and all around us there were HUGE rocks. There were sections of bridges jutting out from the rock face so that the trail was passable.  As we approached one of the bridges I heard a very strange sound coming from across the water.

I actually closed my eyes to listen because it was such a faint echo- it almost sounded like there were people across the valley- I listened harder, and for a moment it sounded like a loud whisper coming from inside the mountains...I opened my eyes and looked directly across from where we were standing. Right in front of me, even though I almost glanced forward and missed it, was the tallest waterfall I had ever seen in my life. Without a doubt it will be one of the most memorable moments of my entire life.

The waterfall (courtesy of Jared)

We passed a few people hiking in to camp for the night- but were otherwise fairly alone at this stage.  At one point, Jared told AJ and I to go ahead and that he and Kasie would catch up... so we took off across the, mostly flat, section of trail towards Marcy Dam.

View from Marcy Dam (photo also courtesy of Jared)

We rested for barely 10 minutes at the dam when they caught up. We all had some difficulty at this point- I'm pretty sure none of us were thinking clearly. After what seemed like ages, we reached the main trail. Jared finally sprinted ahead (no idea how) with Kasie, myself, and AJ trailing far behind. The three of us kept each other going at a (fairly) quick pace as other hikers whisked passed us- we worked as hard as we could to keep up with them, and would gradually slow back down once they were out of sight. It started to get darker and darker-- at points there were raindrops starting to fall... and then we finally saw Jared, and the lights of the cabin near the cars, and we basically leaped/collapsed into the car.

Even though we were out of the woods- mother nature wasn't done with us yet.  It was drizzling as we sped down the road headed towards town.  We passed the edge of the trees and approached a large field- and out of the darkness, the sunlight appeared- you could see the sun slowly setting over the mountain.

We found a dirt patch and stopped the car. At the exact same time, the rain cloud that followed us from the trail was approaching... and what happened next was nothing short of spectacular.

That's all I can really say.

It's pouring in this picture

Iroquois and the Descent

After finishing lunch at the peak of Algonquin I was so rigid that I started to shiver and my teeth started chattering- I was ready to sprint down the other side to our third and final peak- Iroquois. I followed slowly behind Jared, Kasie and AJ down the other side of Algonquin- they were quite far ahead of me. My legs were resisting movement but I scurried as quickly as I could to keep them warm.

Photo Courtesy of Jared

Technically, the only way to Iroquois is on an un-marked path over “Boundary Peak”- apparently named after the boundary that separated the Algonquin and Iroquois Indians' ancient beaver hunting grounds.. It was an extremely narrow trail, and I was, once again, thankful for the over-sized rain jacket that AJ's father let me borrow as I whisked through the pines. We made it to a steep rock incline that took some time to maneuver. Thankfully Jared and Kasie have both done a lot of rock climbing before and were there to offer some assistance. Jared jumped up ahead a little and helped to hoist me, and then Kasie, up to the top. I was so excited about getting to the next step that I started to take off to the peak without looking back. Next thing I heard was a loud grunting noise and I turned around- Jared was completely hunched over, unable to breathe from how hard he was laughing. I ran over to the ledge and AJ was holding on very tightly, half-dangling over the edge and completely hugging the boulder he was lying on. After assuring us that he was safe (and just... “stuck”)... Kasie and I also doubled over with laughter. We decided to take another small break on the top of Iroquois.

Jared conquering Iroquois

We took our final set of pictures from the top of the mountains- even though it was our third peak of the trip, Iroquois was amazingly beautiful in its own way. The view was very clear- and you could see easily down to some of the valleys below- beautiful bodies of water tucked in between all of the mountains. It was quiet- peaceful- not as many people at the top of this peak.

Looking down on the valleys from Iroquois

As quickly as we got there, I was ready to turn around. Everyone was prepped for Avalanche Pass. On the way back down I had to pee for first time on the whole trip... I'll spare you the details but for any woman thinking about hiking that has never "gone" in the wild before... just be prepared.  Especially when you're near the tree line and there are people hiking down towards you.  I was literally in a pine tree.  Anyway....

We eventually made it back to where the paths crossed and started our descent around 2:00PM. At this point I was the most tired I had been all hike and was so excited we were “almost done”.  The way down was all rocks and slides – very slippery.  Although it was extremely difficult, it was actually one of the coolest things I've ever done.  We actually followed a small trickle of water from the top of the mountain and watched as it pooled into a stream, slowly growing and ended up as a waterfall in a few locations on the trail.

No pictures- sorry! I was too busy hiking down the rocks.

As wonderfully in-shape as I was, I was pretty awful at this descent.  My knees and ankles hurt VERY badly- everyone had to stop a few times for me. Jared and Kasie were much better at this part... though they they assured me it was because they are fairly seasoned rock climbers. I felt bad they had to wait for me so I tried to go faster and I hit my knee on a rock.  I was starting to get frustrated.  Eventually we even ran out of water- but thankfully were able to refill with an awesome water filter we got from AJ's dad. Water from the stream cannot be consumed directly- it's actually quite dangerous.  It is teeming with bacteria and would make you very sick even though it looks so tempting.  However, once it was filtered, it was the coldest and most refreshing water I've ever had.

Similar pump to the one we used- I'll have to do some research to buy my own!

I will also be purchasing one of these for myself- best way to stay hydrated and keep your hands free for climbing.

The Symbolism of this Journey

Unfortunately as it happens, actually living life consumed a lot of my time these last few months- so I apologize for lack of blog posts.  I realize I never actually finished my account of my first hike- and I'm still in the process of finishing that entry as I've slowly been compiling it.  To all my readers- I hope you had a safe and happy New Year!  We were fortunate enough to have spent ours with a group of friends- including Jared and Kasie who took that first trip with us... and we spent a lot of time reminiscing about our adventure.  They went over their set of pictures with us and showed us a few of their prints- looking at those photos made me long to go back more than ever since we've been home.

A lot of our time was devoted to our wedding in October- and although I don't want to go into too much detail about this in particular, it was a very important step in our journey- and it would be a disservice to not include it.  This hiking goal of mine isn't just about me- it's about us.  It's about sharing time together.  It's about meeting people.  It's about moving through the pain of a tumble, or slipping on the streams.  Our marriage is merely the official symbol of everything, just like the peak of the mountains. And at the risk of sounding cliche- what it means to me is so much more.

Sitting on those peaks is an absolutely breathtaking, jaw-dropping, heart-stopping experience... and they're something I'll hold onto forever.  But those moments are fleeting- and you realize you don't spend the majority of your time actually on top of the mountain.  If you only ever enjoy the peaks- you'll spend more of your time miserable than happy.  What makes getting married so worth it are all those little moments that lead us to where we are.  Sure, those big moments are something to treasure and celebrate, but you should never forget all the steps that led you there- just as you should realize and embrace the journey past these points as well.  There will always be another peak to climb- and I hope you all stand beside me on that trail at some point in time.  Sometimes I will be behind you, other times I'll be in front- and more often than not we might be on entirely different mountains altogether.

What I'm getting at is that no matter what our relationship is, no matter where we are in life- whether it's emotional, or physical- or even psychological (you all know I'm crazy), just know that I will be there beside you, always, but especially when you ask me to be.  Because climbing those mountains are so much better when you don't climb them alone <3

Our wedding cake topper

Was it Algonquin or Algonqin?

 After completing the hike to the first summit we descended quickly down the rocks. Once we hit the tree-line I felt instantly better- the wind blowing over the giant rock slab that is the top of Wright's peak was chilling me to the bone. We followed the trickle of water down towards the trail crossing- stopping momentarily when I had my first big slip and jammed my toe/knee into the side of a boulder. It honestly felt like I lost my nail it hurt so badly- but... it was either give up or keep going (and we had just started). I came to grips with the fact that I'd have a very bloody sock to deal with later and we got moving. The distance between the two summits was not great, the tree-line eventually broke again and we were guided by the cairns to the top. We paused just below the summit to take a few pictures- there was a sign that said “drop your rocks here”. Unfortunately, we missed the sign at the bottom about bringing the rocks up- but it was great to see the effort all the same.

Top of Wright seen from Algonquin

There were also signs saying “please stay on the rocks, protect the local arctic vegetation”. I soon learned why exactly those signs were there as the absolute klutz in me accidentally slipped off a rock and put my foot straight into the moss-looking plant. It was the softest thing I've ever stepped on as it gently caught my foot and I steadied my balance. At that moment I felt absolutely awful for what I had done and actually sprinted away from the spot. I don't think my one footprint did too much damage- but the thought of hundreds of other people doing what I just did made me really cautious from there-out.

Not falling on the vegetation!

At the summit we met the “Summit Steward” (a person whose lone purpose was to chat with the people at the top of the mountain). He told us about the efforts to preserve the arctic vegetation and helped us take some pictures at the top where the plaque was planted. One of the more interesting facts I learned was that the name was actually spelled incorrectly on the plaque!

If you look closely you will see it's spelled “Algonqin”.

We stopped here for lunch (aka peanut butter on a bagel and a power bar) and took a LOT of pictures. The view was clear, and then all of a sudden a cloud passed over us and everything around us was gone. I actually watched one cloud as it crept up the mountain and that was hands-down one of the coolest things ever. It appeared to pass around us more than over us- as I could always see everyone at the top of the mountain but nothing beyond that- AJ frowned slightly and asked me if he was pathetic for actually understanding the science behind the movement.

I love my fiance. Mostly for taking me on this hike... but you can't deny the level of adorable.