For whatever reason I got back to Portland from Montana this afternoon and have felt compelled to write a blog post. I have not done so since February I believe.
A lot has happened since then but mainly, I think, I wanted to archive my thoughts on The Beaten Path thru hike. This was my first thru hike and though it was only three days (and some people run this in a day – clearly this is not to enjoy the beauty of it) there was a lot to take away.
The mental aspect, trail comradery and excitement of accomplishment is similar to what I have experienced when running a marathon, half marathons and the Ragnar. Amanda and I hiked this from the Cooke City side to East Rosebud. We only encountered two other groups along the way but we all ended up kind of leap frogging each other the entire time so we became friendly with each other and chatted throughout the hike. We all ended up finishing around the same time as well and celebrated at The Grizzly Bar in Roscoe. I love, love this bar! Anyway, it was so fun how the trail friendships were encouraging and something to look forward to along the way. I love the culture of anything physically and or mentally challenging. We are all just out to help each other and share the excitement/misery of doing something we all enjoy so much. Particularly this type of recreation. Everyone is so psyched to be in a beautiful place and soak up everything the wilderness has to offer. The last night on the trail we camped at Rainbow Lake. Amanda had some TERRIBLE blisters and was pretty miserable by the time we got to camp. We threw our stuff down and I strolled down to the stream to replenish our water. In the meantime, there was a group of gentlemen camping a little ways away from us and one of the guys just walked up and asked if we wanted help setting up. He also ended up giving Amanda a whole bunch of goodies to help remedy her feet. Things like this.
Another thought on this culture. For this thru hike it is pretty common to try to key swap with someone at the beginning of or in the middle of the hike. This way once you get to the end of the trail your car is waiting for you and you can just drive home. Amanda and I were discussing how odd this must sound to people who are not used to this. I ended up finding a girl to swap keys with on the AllTrails app. She had left her email on the app, I contacted her and we called each other up to make a plan. We ended up meeting at a gas station and she took Amanda’s car to East Rosebud and we took her car to Cooke City. It is kind of a funny concept to think of two completely random humans giving each other their cars with the trust that this will be fine. Of course it was fine and it was fun to run into her on the trail coming from the opposite direction. She left us water and snacks in Amanda’s car too for a celebratory treat. SO nice!
I guess the point in all of this is that it is nice to be reminded again that people are inherently good. I particularly appreciate this given my doubt about everything and everyone lately. I am constantly happy that I decided to pursue this type of lifestyle and be a part of this culture. I think people are inherently good no matter what or where you are but I was just reminded of it this week during our thru hike in the wilderness. Amanda and I were sitting in the dirt with 100 mosquitos on us covered in sweat and blood and whatever else and we just kept saying how happy we were. It really is the best. And of course I was and always am so so happy to be back in Montana. I love it.
I guess that’s all.
Quick update. I mentioned back in February that I was going skiing – I did learn how to ski and I LOVE it. I am going to buy my own for this season and get a pass so I can go as much as possible on my off days. My instructor asked me what my ultimate goal was and I told him I would love to get to a point where I can backcountry ski. After a few lessons he told me I am so athletic that I would be skiing the whole mountain and backcountry ski by next year aka this upcoming winter (unsure I am that confident but it is nice to hear that he has that confidence in me). I also love my instructor. He has to be in his late 50s/early 60s. He is originally from Maine and moved to Hood River. He is a mountaineer so it has been so fun learning from him! Aside from teaching me how to ski he has taught me a lot about reading the weather and the snow. I try to soak it all up to use in my own adventures.
I also mentioned pursuing rock climbing back in February after having tried it in January. I have continued to climb and I also love it. I have gotten into a routine of bouldering a few times a week and top roping a few times a week. When I first started back in winter someone told me they have never done something so meditative. This is honestly the best way to describe this sport. I have not been in a good place the last several months and when I go climb it is literally the only thing I focus on because you have to – there is not room to ponder other thoughts. SO, meditative it has been and it has helped me a lot. It is also extremely satisfying to have something that requires so much mental and physical effort. I have developed so much strength and recognize myself improving. The girl that I have been climbing with the past few months is similar skill level to me so that has been great. We are headed outdoors next weekend and we are both SO excited. I have been itching to climb outside so I can’t wait! If you told me 6 months ago that I would belong to a climbing gym and even be typing any of this I would have laughed. Never say never I suppose.
I’ve also picked up trail running more since being out here. My knee seems to be improving so I am hoping that I will be able to do longer distances in the future. But it has been fun (type 2 fun) struggling up the hills and also seeing improvement this way. The last two times I have been in Montana I have not had any issues with altitude. This is crazy because last year when I was living there I would get nauseous almost immediately when going high. I don’t know if my body is more regulated from working days or if I am in better overall shape or if it is a combination of both but I am SO happy about this. To be able to climb at altitude and not want to throw up has been so great!
Unsure when I will post next. I have not been feeling it but this seemed right. Going to keep rolling with the punches over here in the upper left. I keep trying to like Portland/PNW and it is just not happening. But I am enjoying exploring, it really is beautiful out here and it has helped to meet some good people. I just do not feel like I belong and I do not feel home. After Belize though I made myself come back with a more positive attitude and to embrace this place for a little bit. So! It’s all good! I am probably going back off social media for awhile in the next couple weeks. I have found myself doing exactly what I said I did not want to do in my last post.
Happy Summer.