from myspace...chilkoot two

Monday, September 03, 2007
people of the chilkoot....Current mood: jubilant
thought i should write a few words about all the cool folks on the trail. my group consisted of me, martha(she's a resp therapist i work with), gail and sandra ( peds icu nurses i work with) and sue (travel nurse who now lives in san francisco, she's come on all my annual trips these last 5 years) everyone was totally supportive and positive and i couldn't have asked for a better group to tackle the mountain with. there were also lots of other hikers doing the trail that we met along the way. one family was very fit and we were very impressed that the young kids(around ages 6 and 10) did as great as they did. they had thier grandpa along as well. the mom and son had done the trail 3 times...the boy said the first time didn't count for him as he was only 1 and his mom carried him up. she pulled out this delicious loaf of bread at the summit. i think i ate tuna!! they had a cute dog named crunchy and that dog looked super tired every night. i had debated bringing blossom but was happy i didn't as i think i would have worried about her leaping over boulders and possibly breaking a leg. the little girl had a ski hat made from crunchy's fur. how cute is that. another family was totally opposite, but just as nice. they showed up pretty haphazardly and not prepared for the conquest ahead. they had a 19 year old daughter who took forever getting into the first camp. when she made it in her siblings were supportive and the family discussed options. she was easily over 300 pounds and this trail was not for the faint of heart. hannah was given the opportunity to turn back and i must say i admire her spirit and tenacity. we were fairly slow, but on day three we took 5 hours to go the 4.7 miles from sheep camp to the warming hut at the summit. that girl took 16 hours and finished her climb around midnight by flashlight. the ranger at the hut came down and took her pack for her at some point and the girl needed some physical assistance, but she did it. i was sure she'd turn back as i'm sure i would have turned back if i'd have been in the same position. her family was supportive and kind and she did it. i can't help but wonder what that accomplishment will mean to her in the future. i felt great about it and i'm in decent shape for 40 something...
it's been a year of physical challenge for me and a year of finding that i'm stronger than i thought possible. in may i was able to kayak a single kayak for over 20 miles in one day. 40 miles in 3 days. my mom had just passed away and it was my first time in a single kayak....my friend scott had rigged his kayak up with rope to tow me as he was sure that i would need assistance, but i didn't. i never saw the rope til we pulled into whittier.....i surprised him and myself. the chilkoot was another challenge. never say never and never hold back doing something for fear of what you are capable of...you are capable of whatever you put your heart and soul into.