In which I survive hiking the Wellsvilles...

I did it!

This past Saturday Hubby, my friend K'leis and I left before 6 AM to conquer the Wellsville Mountains via Deep Canyon. By the time we turned up 300 North in Mendon and got to the trailhead it was barely light (6:25 AM), but we began our climb anyway.

I took it slow, taking many breaks, but finally reached the summit just before 10 AM. What a rush!

I'll save all the details for my write-up in the Herald Journal on Tuesday, September 15th. (Don't worry if you don't get the paper. I'll post it here shortly after the 15th.)

Whew! I did it. And my newspaper writing stint is all but over. Just in time for my new career as a substitute teacher.

Hiking Update

News Flash: The date for my much-publicized hike to the top of the Wellsvilles has changed. I will be hiking the Wellsvilles on Saturday, August 29th. Those wanting to accompany me will meet at my house at 5:30 AM. The date change fits better with my newspaper deadlines.

Recent hikes have helped me to see that the Wellsville hike will be a doozy! Hubby and I hiked 9+ miles on the High Creek Trail on Saturday(photos posted below), and it took me days to fully recover. It was nowhere as steep as the Wellsville hike will be and was also nice and shady up and back. A week ago I started Weight Watcher points tracking again. I'm also going to the gym and doing weight training and cardio. It sure would be nice to drop 10 pounds before August 29th!

But if not, I'll just gut it out, go SLOW, and make the Wellsville climb come heck or high water. I'm guessing that it really is the last window of opportunity for me to climb to the ridge and look down into both Cache County and Box Elder County. I WILL DO IT!

Here are the photos from the High Creek hike. We crossed the creek five times or so. Once on a nice, sturdy bridge with guarde rails, next on a tilting foot bridge, then three times on log bridges. Even Annie, my dog, got proficient at crossing log bridges. Despite my achiness on the way back, the hike was spectacular! It was cool, damp and smelled wonderful (of pine).

Hiking to Health #3: Alternate Routes

This write-up ran in my local paper in April. (I'm happy to report that I'm feeling much better.) :)
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Writing about hiking to health doesn’t guarantee it’s going to happen. Life happens. An underactive thyroid gland happens. Ongoing nausea, fatigue, and a bit of the winter blues happen. Yet my calendar still shows the dates I’ve mapped out as hiking days, and the newspaper deadline must be met. Just how does one try to meet fitness goals when one’s health takes a dip?

The advertisers at Nike tell us to “just do it.” While getting out and moving can help one feel better, I object to the models that Nike uses in its commercials. It’s not surprising to see young, fit men and women out running and sweating. Real people struggling and overcoming real health issues motivate me to keep going. Instead of looking to Nike’s brand of motivational models, I’ve found a few of my own – friends and neighbors whose courage and persistence set an example that says, “If I can do it, you can too.”

I have a neighbor who suffers from degenerative bone loss that leaves her in near-constant pain, but you’d never know it from looking at her. A smile and cheery outlook are her trademarks. I also admire a mother of six children who goes swimming in the wee hours of the morning. She goes because she has found that she’s more patient with her family on the days she goes swimming. Another woman in her 90s goes swimming three times a week and has been doing so for over three years! No doubt you have similar acquaintances.

Perhaps you’re wondering if I completed the two hikes I had planned. Yes and no. I did go on two hikes, but they weren’t to the destinations on my list. During the past few months of feeling sluggish, I had to focus on climbing hills, not mountains. Mountains overwhelmed me, but hills seemed doable. I lightened up on my expectations for myself but didn't let myself quit entirely.

During the short, snow-free thaw in mid-March I hiked the Cedar Ridge jeep trail along the foothills above Hyde Park. I chose it because it was close to home, wouldn’t take too long to hike, and because it looked like it was dry as I scoped it out from my backyard. It was all I thought it would be, plus something else – steep! I was glad that I decided to go this hike alone, as no one had to know how many times I stopped to catch my breath on the climb up. Making it to the top gave me a sense of accomplishment along with breath-taking views of Cache Valley.

For my second excursion I did a little urban hiking. I tried to think of the steepest roads in Logan and then developed a walking route that would take me up or down most of them. I went down the street just north of the Logan Temple, north half a block and then up Temple Avenue. Next I went down a walking path to the south of the temple, along Canyon Road and then up the short dugway. I made my way to the bottom of Old Main Hill and climbed all 124 stairs. Once on campus I walked toward the LDS Institute building and then headed down a path that put me near the entrance to the underground parking terrace. From there I hiked down 600 North to 600 East and eventually returned to where I’d parked my car near the temple. I liked how this urban outing let me get my heart rate up during short climbs, followed by quick recovery periods while hiking downhill. It was a fun way to get a good workout.

Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher, said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” This especially applies to anyone trying to meet fitness goals during a health downturn. Focusing on single steps has kept me moving forward on the path to health.

Meeting fitness goals when your health takes a dip

I've been working on writing up my next "Hiking to Health" article for my local paper. It starts off by exploring how to meet fitness goals when your health takes a dip. If only writing about health could make it happen. Here are some thoughts on getting through health challenges and returning to health.

The advertisers at Nike tell us to “just do it.” While getting out and moving can actually help make one feel better, I object to the models that Nike uses in its commercials. It’s not surprising to see young, fit men and women out running and sweating. Real people struggling and overcoming real health issues motivate me to keep going. Instead of looking to Nike’s brand of motivational models, I’ve found a few of my own – friends and neighbors whose courage and persistence set an example that says, “If I can do it, you can too.”

I have a neighbor who suffers from degenerative bone loss that leaves her in near-constant pain, but you’d never know it from looking at her. A smile and cheery outlook are her trademarks. The closest I’ve heard her come to complaining was when she expressed a desire to be of more service and help to others. Those who cheerfully persevere through unremitting pain and challenges can never know the extent that their examples help to lift and encourage others.

No doubt you have similar friends. I also admire a mother of six children who goes swimming in the wee hours of the morning. She goes because she has found that she’s more patient with her family on the days she goes swimming. Another woman in her 90s goes swimming three times a week and has been doing so for over three years! Pretty much I admire anyone who enjoys swimming -- anyone who will 1) put on a swimming suit and 2) get in chlorinated water. (You can see that I’ll never be known for not complaining.)

Pretty much I found that during the past few months of sluggish health I had to focus on climbing hills and not mountains. Mountains overwhelmed me, but hills seemed doable. I lightened up on my expectations for myself but didn't let myself quit entirely.

I like the quote that says, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." When you're facing health challenges, focusing on single steps keeps you moving forward on your journey.

Hike #5

The mother in me wanted to avoid hiking in mud. But how? I briefly contemplated doing a little urban hiking -- walking up and down the steep dugway a couple times and climbing the stairs on Old Main Hill a time or two. In the end, last week I looked out my back windows at the foothills and noticed that the snow was almost gone. Upon closer examination, I noticed that the Cedar Ridge jeep trail on the mountains above Hyde Park looked dry. I decided to give it a try.








So, on Friday morning I dropped my youngest off at school and took the dog in the back of the truck up to the trailhead. The two photos to the left were taken so you could get a feeling for how steep the trail is. I was glad that I decided to go this hike alone, as no one had to know how many times I stopped to catch my breath on the climb up.









The views of Cache Valley on this hike were spectacular! (I had plenty of time to enjoy them on the many stops I took during my ascent.) In this photo I can actually see my house. It's fun to see my community from a different perspective.








When I finally made it to the top of Cedar Ridge, I felt great. What a sense of accomplishment! This is the view from the tippity top. I'm happy to report that my body held up great -- my knees felt fine, and my heart and lungs didn't feel over-taxed even though I haven't really done much cardio in the last two weeks. The nausea I've been feeling the past three weeks disappeared on Thursday. I felt like Rocky when he made it to the top of all those stairs. I even thought about putting my hands in the arm and doing some Rocky moves. Yeah!




Okay. I will admit it. I was really looking forward to getting to head DOWN the trail. It was a nice change. And again, my knees held up great. I did notice, however, that my legs where a little shakey from fatigue. After a couple weeks of little exercise, it felt good. Once I got off the ridge there was a lot more mud,but I found that I could walk on patches of unmelted snow or along the side of the trail where the vegetation kept me off the mud. Some spots were dry, and for the most part I avoided getting too much mud on my hiking boots.

The biggest disappointment of the hike was seeing the amount of junk and trash that the melting snow left uncovered. ATV tires, wooden pallets, liter from food containers. Who do people think is going to clean up after them? It's disgusting! Actually, I may make a suggestion in my newspaper write-up that some enterprising Eagle Scout looking for a project would have plenty of work to keep them busy. (Thank goodness for Eagle Scout projects!)

All in all, it was good to get out into the great outdoors and enjoy a solitary walk in the mountains. I love hiking!

Newspaper Write-up #1

Note: One of the best things about having this published in my local paper is that I've had a handful of people come up to me and express their opinion that I'm not overweight. I assure them that according to the government/insurance height and weight tables I'm plenty overweight. People are so nice!
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Everyone has a claim to fame. Mine is that up until a couple months ago I was Google’s number one overweight housewife. Meaning, if you typed the terms “overweight housewife” in a Google search, my blog was the first result listed. I should be embarrassed about that, but I’m not. Something in my personality makes me perfectly willing to look bad if it will help someone else feel better.

I’m bringing my strange sense of altruism to the pages of this newspaper. This year I’m planning to go on two showshoe/hiking outings each month in training to climb the Wellsville Mountains in early September. Basically I’ve subscribed to the idea that things which don’t kill you will make you stronger. Or at the very least, they’ll help you drop a few pounds.

My journey to the top of the Wellsville Mountain range started with a little hike up Green Canyon. I chose this hike first for two reasons. One, I’m familiar with it. I’ve done it before. And two, it’s fairly easy. I didn’t want to keel over from a heart attack on my first outing.

The next hike on my list was Bunchgrass to White Pine Creek trail, but it worked out better for my hiking companions to meet at the Cherry Creek Canyon trailhead instead. Part of getting in shape means being flexible, right? Until I can literally bend over backwards, changing my hiking plans will just have to do.

The Green Canyon and Cherry Creek Canyon hikes had a lot in common. Both followed a road that’s passable by truck during non-winter months. Both took place on sunny, clear days. Both trails were packed, allowing us to ditch our snowshoes. Both hikes were fairly short, lasting less than three hours. And on both hikes we were accompanied by our dogs, who alternated between racing ahead and charging straight back at us. Every time they ran at me I’d stop for a second and brace myself for impact. Four knee surgeries are enough for me, thank you very much. I wasn’t about to let an exuberant dog disable me at the beginning of my hiking career.

I’ve been tempted to use my upcoming hikes as an excuse to go shopping for things like a hydration pack, another pair of hiking boots and some stylish, breathable outdoor-oriented togs. But the truth is, I already own most hiking essentials: the 2004 edition of Jim Sinclair’s book, Cache Trails, broken-in hiking boots, a large fanny pack, water bottles that don’t leak and plenty of clothes to wear in layers. Tina Pierson, one of my hiking buddies, has embraced the wisdom of dressing in layers when hiking. On the Cherry Creek outing she said, “I have on so many layers that my pants could fall down, and I wouldn’t even know it.”

With two hikes now under my belt (not that I’ve really worn a belt in the last 10 years), I’ve made some happy discoveries. First, I’ve noticed that hiking gets me wrapped up in the moment. When I’m huffing and puffing up a hill surrounded by snow-cloaked mountain maples and glistening snow fields, I’m not thinking about the endless to-do list that awaits me at home. For a few hours I’m simply focused on putting one foot in front of the other while trying to absorb as much beauty as possible.

I’ve also noticed that after only two hikes I’m feeling stronger. Not just physically, but mentally too. I’m proving to myself one hike at a time that being an overweight housewife with a bum knee can’t stop me from living a healthy lifestyle.

Hike #4 -- Woodcamp/Jardine Juniper

This sign marks the start of the trail to Jardine Juniper. Please note that 5.2 miles is a bit beyond my winter snowshoeing/hiking capabilities. By our estimates, my sister and I hiked approximately 2.5 miles toward Old Juniper before we turned around. Also, please note that we did that 2.5 miles in 2 hours, whereas our 1.65 miles up Bunchgrass Creek Trail a week earlier took us 1 hour and 45 minutes. We went faster and farther this time. I give the credit to a packed trail and hiking sans snowshoes. We could have gone farther, but we'd left the snowshoes in the truck, and at the end we were breaking trail through snow that was above our knees at times. I dressed in layers, but my top layer was a loose pair of jeans (my ski pants make me too hot). All the knee-deep hiking was getting me soaked! Hence, we turned back.


A beautiful, sunny morning causes squinting for photos. We could not have asked for a better day -- warm, clear, gorgeous!







We came across this sign once we started on the switchbacks, before getting to the naturally occuring springs. It made us chuckle because at the first of our hike Sherri spied a milk jug lid in the snow. She went to pick it up to throw away later and discovered a 1/3 full milk jug of . . . well . . . let's just say it looked like Mountain Dew. Gross! We had a short conversation about what would prompt a guy (had to be a guy) to wee in a jug and then leave it under a tree. Weird. And wrong on all sorts of levels! In future, let's hope that all hikers follow the sign's advice.




This is the trail before we hiked through it, breaking trail for the 7 or so other snowshoers we passed coming up the trail as we were headed down. (It felt good knowing that we'd gotten farther than any other hikers in the past three days or so.)


Look closely. This is proof that the cartoons are right. A little snow rolling down the hill does form into a big wheel-like ball. This is photographic proof.

All in all, it was a gret hike and a great workout.