About six months ago I developed a desire to go backpacking. I love camping, I love being in the mountains, I love hiking. There was something about going into the mountains and being away from cars and roads and lots of people that I liked. Simplifying the gear for camping and discovering new places just seemed right to me. The idea just wouldn't go away, so I started researching gear and hikes that I could do.
The biggest obstacle for me to backpack is my health. I wasn't in great shape so I bought a pedometer to help me start keeping track of my steps. On the evenings that I didn't meet my goal (7500 steps) I would go outside and walk. I have found myself craving the exercise and I have enjoyed the health benefits of being more active.
My brother Dan* and his girlfriend Taylor offered to take me on my first backpacking trip. He suggested a hike in Little Cottonwood Canyon called Red Pines. It is about 4 miles to the lower lake and just under 2000 feet elevation gain, so it was a good hike to do for a first time. For the past 15 years, anytime I have gone hiking it has been with little kids, so I have only done easy little hikes (under 2 miles). Knowing that I was going on a 4 mile hike two days in a row, I started working on pushing myself to handle longer walks.
* My brother and my husband are named Daniel. To keep things clear around our house I have always referred to my brother as Dan and my husband as Daniel.
A week or so before we went, I was doubting if I should really do a backpacking trip. I thought that it would be too hard and too exhausting. Here is what I wrote on my Facebook account:
Yesterday was an inspirational day. I am preparing to go on a backpacking trip and I am nervous to do it because it will be pushing me out of many of my comfort zones. After finishing a 4 mile hike with my sister I felt encouraged. But then doubt started creeping in. Can I do this with a 25 pound pack? The hike will be harder- I can't do this- am I crazy (don't answer that)?
Just then a song came on my radio from the 1980 cartoon of Return of the King called "It's So Easy Not to Try". It hit me that I just need to do it! Mark reminded me that I miss 100% of the shots that I don't take.
Last night Daniel and Paul had their Taekwondo belt tests. Paul earned his yellow belt (1st belt test) and Daniel earned his double red/black. His next belt test is his 1st degree black belt. It has been a lot of hard work for him and I've been impressed with the dedication he has put in.
I have a workout shirt that says "If it doesn't challenge you it doesn't change you". I'm feeling challenged and I'm loving the process.
I could ramble on, but I just wanted to put it out there to all of my friends that you can do hard things.
When it came time for our hike to take place I got really nervous. I realized that I should have been doing exercises to strengthen my shoulders. I realized that I should have practiced wearing my backpack more often. Dan has an incredible amount of energy and I am a slow hiker, so I worried that he would be impatient with how slow I am. Self doubt is really a terrible thing to deal with, but I pushed through it and decided that I'd go no matter what.
Turns out that I was okay! The hike was exhausting, but exhilarating at the same time! Taylor is a slower hiker, too! We had a great time walking up the mountain and visiting with each other.
The wildflowers were in full bloom during our hike. I don't remember a year with such vibrant flowers. I really liked these purple ones.
On our way up we saw 2 beautiful deer. We saw a few more when we got up to the lake. I really liked that the hike was far enough away from a lot of traffic because things seemed more quiet and still- untouched.
We made it up to the lake an hour or so before sundown. It got cold in a real hurry, and the bugs came out in droves. We set up our tents, changed into dry clothes (I didn't anticipate getting so sweaty!) and ate our sandwiches in Dan's tent to get away from the bugs.
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| I made it! |
I was preparing myself for a really cold night. We were chilled and it wasn't even 9 pm. Once the sun went down, an amazing thing happened. The moon started to rise above the east mountain peak and it was a full moon. It was a really bright full moon and it lit up the area. The temperature seemed to rise by 10 degrees. We went walking around the lake and didn't even need to use our flashlights! The moon reflected off of the lake and it was a beautiful sight. We tried to get pictures, but our cameras weren't good enough (cell phones). We played with our shadows in the moonlight. It was amazing!
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| Our home for the night |
I was able to sleep pretty good that night. Dan said that I snored- sorry about that! I was warm and I was comfortable. Several times during the night I woke up and I decided that I wouldn't check to see what time it was until I was certain that the light I could see was the sun and not the moon because it was light all night!
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| Dan took this picture in the morning while we were looking at the beautiful lake. |
This was a great experience for me. I am anxious to go out again! Seth has even decided that he wants to go on a trip with me as well! I have learned a lot about myself with this adventure. I learned that I enjoy a challenge and that it is okay to feel vulnerable. In fact, with most things you will be vulnerable to some degree while learning. Pushing myself out of my comfort zone is amazingly rewarding. I really thought that I wouldn't be able to handle a 4 mile hike with my backpack. I seriously thought that it would be too much for me. But when we got to the end of the 4 miles, I was a bit embarrassed that I thought that I couldn't do it because I didn't struggle like I thought I would!
I've found a new love! I really enjoyed this trip! I am so glad that I tried it!
