Month: August 2020

I’m just your normal every day girl who happens to love the mountains.  But like most of you, I work.  So I don’t get to spend every waking hour where my heart would love to be! But the free time that I do have I love to spend in the mountains.  I can’t wait every year when I take off a week and spend the entire time exploring the amazing mountains. This normal every day girl loves to be outside.  Yes I have grit.  Yes I have strength and endurance. But I’m also not a mountain warrior who goes from 14’er to 14’er.  I’m still working on hiking my first 14’er.  It will happen but it’s been a process. Last summer-it was an ankle tendon injury.  This summer it was the forest fire smoke and my asthma flaring that has prevented me. However, one thing this normal every day girl refuses to do-GIVE UP! BACK DOWN!  There is no challenge I won’t stare down. Because guess what? Normal people can wander into amazing adventures!!! 

So this summer when my husband and I were on our week long vacation we decided to do a hike that was rated-HARD! We decided this while eating pizza!  The hike in its entirety would be around 8 miles. Our reasoning-why not at least try?! And so we planned  to attempt this hike of 8 miles up to an alpine lake and challenge ourselves to do something harder than we had ever attempted. 

It was a beautiful day. We took our time. We got lost at one point and went half a mile out of the way, so it ended up being around 9 miles for us.  And can I be honest?  On this particular day, I wanted to quit so many times.  It was steep, it was long, my feet hurt, and mentally my body was screaming-you can’t do this.  And when I say it was steep-I literally mean it was steep all the way up!!!! The final part being the hardest.  At one point, I stopped sat on a log and wanted to quit.  My husband sat down beside me and said-Are you ready to go again?! You didn’t come all this way to quit did you?  I sighed and with all the energy I could muster continued on.  And guess what?  One foot in front of the other-we got to the top! It was a triumph moment.  My feet hurt so bad I put them in the ice cold alpine water just to numb them up.   But my heart was so happy. I had triumphed.  This normal every day girl did it.  That day I triumphed and became more of a mountain warrior! 

I share this story with you to encourage you.  Yes you!!!!  You can do anything you set your mind to.  You might feel normal, but inside of you lies a warrior.  And I encourage you to adventure on and experience triumph moments!!!! 

Wildflowers are like the icing on the cake. They take something that is good and make it absolutely amazing!  So I guess you could say, wildflowers are the icing on the cake for the mountains.

On a beautiful day at the beginning of August, I’m already amazed by how beautiful the mountains are. Then as we round the corner we see the most amazing view.  (see picture) In our view are the San Juan mountain peaks that look as though they have been beautifully cut out. However, front and center, and stealing the attention, are these beautiful purple wildflowers.  Let me introduce you to this particular wildflower known as Fireweed. Fitting name, since it stands out even amongst some of the most beautiful mountains peaks. It thrives in the mountains in meadows, beside roads, and by creeks! It absolutely always demands your attention with its radiant color and the height of the flower.

Now this is just a highlight of one wildflower out out of many, but this one is my favorite. So I had to lead with my favorite leading lady of mountain wildflowers-Fireweed. I hope that each of you will have the opportunity to experience a view like this. Growing systems for wildflowers will be different depending on the mountain range, elevation, state, drought, and seasons.  But whenever wildflower season comes around wherever you are at, I challenge you get out and experience wildflowers-the icing on the cake for the mountains. 

I figured that it was time to share a funny mountain adventure with you. They happen often to me and I just go with it. Ethel Barrymore said, “You grow up the day you have your first real laugh-at yourself.”  That being said-lets laugh together! It’s my hope this finds you on a day when you need a good laugh. It’s a story involving me and a marmot. You might wonder-WHAT IS A MARMOT!? I’m glad you asked.  In case you are not familiar with a marmot, a picture above shows you what they look like.  They are found in the mountains usually in rocky areas-and thrive in high alpine rocky conditions above tree line. They are usually lazy and like to just lounge around but can get territorial if they feel you are trying to mess with their home. 

This adventure finds myself and my husband driving in a jeep on Stony Pass. It’s a 4×4 road only. True to the name, Stony Pass was very rocky and bumpy. On the way up, I drank a lot of water due to high altitude and nerves! I just kept chugging it. It really was a bumpy narrow road! Soon I discovered that I had to pee-REALLY BAD! You know that moment when you have to go so bad its really all you can focus on?  And as a girl it’s not as easy for us in these moments when we are in nature! Usually you manage to find a tree to hide behind and do your business. However, the road up is a dead drop off.  There are no places to squat behind a tree-as the trees are all off the edge of the road!!!! As we travel higher, it gets worse because we hit tree line and drive out of the trees. Did I mention this road continues to get even bumpier!?! This is not helping things!  We finally arrive at the top! YAY! We take pictures and begin the decent. 

We round this corner and I see the perfect place to pee!  It was an outcropping of boulders that I could hide behind.  And at this point, I was quite desperate! All around us is just high alpine tundra in clear view. I could not be happier to see the boulders. My relief was in site!  No sooner have we pulled off the road, my hand is on the jeep handle to get out, when this marmot pops up on the top of the rock.  He has the meanest look on his face and was showing his teeth and everything. Just google Marmot teeth and you will get the picture!  As if he knew what I was going to do and was saying-NOT TODAY SISTER!  You are not going to pee on my home! You know that look your mom gave you when you were caught trying to steal a cookie? It was like that, but meaner with more teeth. At first, I thought I was imagining the mean face. I mean seriously its just an animal.  Then my husband looks at me and says-I don’t think that marmot wants you to pee here.  It’s true!  THE MARMOT WOULD NOT HAVE IT!   Marmot-1, Me-0

The drive down was ROUGH.  And finally at the bottom I found a spot!  And thankfully-as luck would have it-there was not a marmot there! 

The journey to finding the perfect hiking shoe is not easy. Last summer I needed to find a new pair of hiking shoes. I had completely worn out my current pair and they were no longer effective as the tread was worn down.  Trying to find the right hiking shoe was an overwhelming experience. There are so many options to choose from.  The reviews on each shoe vary from someone loving the shoe to someone hating it and only left me more confused. What would I choose?  And what if I chose the wrong shoe?   

I went to several shoe stores that specialize in outdoor shoes.  I didn’t feel that I got any closer to the answers I needed. I searched reviews online and had a general idea of the leading brands to choose from.

I decided to go to REI.  Unlike, other stores I had been to, I was approached right away by an employee who seemed very excited to help me find the right hiking shoe. Turns out, he was very knowledgeable as well. He asked me what I was going to use the shoe for. I told him my goal was to hike a 14’er and wanted a shoe that had good grip that I won’t slip in.  He smiled and told me that for steep hiking, you want a shoe that is a half size bigger than you normally wear to give room so you don’t get blisters while hiking down the incline.  He showed me my options on shoes, but then thoughtfully steered me in the direction of a brand I had never heard of called Oboz.  It’s a brand made in Bozeman, MT.  For every pair of shoes bought they plant a tree. How amazing! I love a brand that is environmentally sensitive. After trying on Oboz shoes and then other shoes to compare, I fell in love instantly with the Oboz shoes. It provided ankle support, was light, and had an awesome tread.  

I have now used these shoes for two summers and they work amazing. Even after hiking long distances my feet don’t hurt bad. They have tremendous support and grip on steep areas. Also, they hug my ankles which is a huge relief after having a bad ankle injury last summer. The ankle support provides me with peace of mind. 

Next time you need a new hiking shoe I highly suggest checking out the Oboz brand.  They may not be for you, but they are definitely worth taking a look at as their price comes in at quite a big cheaper than other leading brand options.  However, quality wise, I feel they are just as good if not better!   

Happy Trails. Keep hiking. Keep adventuring. And good luck finding the perfect hiking shoe for you!