A Year in Review

I know I haven't been the best about posting to my blog, let alone finishing the stories I've started on my blog (like the one about my course back in October or my recent adventure out West), but one of my dear Outward Bound friends (ahem, Miss Alex Busack) did a post recently on her blog looking back at the past year and I thought (and still think) it's a great idea, especially when I realized how much happened this year.  And so, I have decided to copy Ms. Busack (although, I like to think of it more as flattery than copying) and take a look back on my 2011 and all the shenanigans, people, places, and adventures that crossed my path...

JANUARY
The year 2011 started with my eyes closed.  Literally.  I went to bed at 11:00 pm on New Year's Eve.  I know. Kind of lame, but it's what I do.  I spent the first two days or so of the New Year at home with my family before packing up my car to drive back down to Florida for our Return Staff Training in Yulee.  I broke up my drive by first going to Columbus, Ohio, to pick up Jeremiah at his sister's house then we stopped in South Carolina near Charleston to camp for the night before finishing the drive to Yulee.

The first two days (or was it three?) of Return Staff were spent at the outdoor community pool doing Emergency Water Safety training with Amy A and Jon Howard.  Luckily, the pool was heated, but that didn't keep my knees, hands, and feet from turning purple.  Most of the skills and concepts we learned were review for me from lifeguarding.  The next six days of Return Staff were spent out on the St. Mary's River on expedition with my other wonderful intern friends and assistant instructors.  Katie Dalbey, Csilla, and Adam acted as our trainers and put us through the paces.  We spent a lot of time focusing on diversity, which I really enjoyed.  Unfortunately, the last two days we were out were cold, wet, and miserable, but we persevered (unlike the group of lead instructors who called it quits a day early and only paddled about 7 miles total) and ended up having a really great time.  To finish up Return Staff, several of us went through PAR training.  I don't think our instructor Craig ever thought I was listening because Nick and I were having too much fun putting each other into restraints, but I passed the test with flying colors.

From Return Staff, Jeremiah and I loaded up my car and drove down to Sarasota, Florida, on the west coast, and spent about five or six days with my grandparents.  It was a really relaxing week spent going to the beach, going for runs, and lounging around.  At the end of our stay, we drove up to Tampa, stopping at the Tampa Electric Company to see all the manatees floating in the warm water, and stayed with my aunt and uncle for a night.  The next morning, I took Jeremiah to the bus stop to head back to Yulee while I stayed another night before catching a flight home to Wisconsin for a quick weeklong visit.

FEBRUARY
I flew back to Florida the first Friday of February and immediately got in my car and drove to Yulee for Superbowl weekend.  For those of you who don't remember, the Packers won. =)  That Monday, I then made my way west to Alabama, stopping to pick up my co-instructor Sue Polege along the way.

We started brief for FRS20 and soon had 10 teenage boys on our hands.  It started off as a bit of a crazy course and three of our students were removed (two after epic runaway chases down the highway for about five miles...my Chacos held up great!), but after bringing in some extra help and having a motivational re-tone set with our boys, the rest of the course from river visit on went super well.  I have never had a group be so successful at Shipwreck.  I think I was beaming the entire night as I sat and watched them go through their evening.  I was super proud of those boys.

MARCH
My birthday started with a wonderful 4.5 mile PCE through Fairhope neighborhoods.  I actually managed to finish it three times with three different sets of my boys.  I think seeing them run into their parents' arms is still one of my favorite moments of course.  The rest of the afternoon I spent cleaning gear, talking on the phone to family and friends, and going out to dinner with my co-instructors (along with a little bit of paperwork...what can I say, it's me!).  Our follow-up went relatively smooth, minus two of our kids not finishing.

The day after we finished up, I caught an early flight to Milwaukee to go to my grandparents to take care of them for a week as my grandpa was recovering from a partial foot amputation and my grandma had recently fallen and broken her arm.  I spent the week helping around the house and driving them too and from appointments.  It was really great to get to have this time with them.

To get back down south, my parents and brother drove me, making pit stops in Milwaukee (for a snowmobile race) Indianapolis and Nashville along the way for some sightseeing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (we kissed the bricks), the NCAA museum (or something like that), and some live music at a bar near our hotel (we got to hear a woman play the banjo who used to be on a tv show back when my parents were kids).  We ended in Fairhope, where I got to show my family the base and Fairhope as well as Gulf Shores and the beach there (which is beautiful...no wonder so many people from Appleton go down there for spring break!).

Before my family left to go back to Wisconsin, we drove to New Orleans where we met my uncle, who works in the financial department for the University of Wisconsin-Madison athletic department, and went to the Sweet Sixteen games between BYU v. Connecticut and Wisconsin v. Butler.  Unfortunately, neither of the teams I wanted to win did, but it was still a fun time.  The next day, my family headed north while I headed east on Highway 10 to Yulee to see Jeremiah for the first time in almost six weeks.

I spent the next three weeks (or something like that) in Yulee spending time with Jeremiah and other instructors at the beach house.  Jeremiah and I and three friends headed down to Gainsville for a day to go climbing at a gym there.  We also took a road trip up to Savannah, Georgia, and explored the city as well as neighboring Tybee Island (where the movie The Last Song was filmed for you Nicholas Sparks fans).  I also went for a long weekend up to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to visit my dear childhood friend, Jenny Kneezel, for a few days as well as spend a night with some family friends, the Clares.

APRIL
When I got back from my adventure to North Carolina, I picked up Jeremiah and we headed south to Key Largo for Glades Training with the infamous Amy A, Kim Reid, and Dan Starks.  It was a week full of laughter and good times along with a lot of learning (we got hopelessly lost in the Labyrinth for several hours) and some epic paddling.  I loved the Glades as it reminded me a lot of being out in the Boundary Waters with its remoteness.  Our group definitely made the trip as well (there were six of us trainees).  We managed to paddle the Gauntlet (which is about a 30+ mile paddle) in, I think, 17 hours, including stops for lunch, dinner, and a quick 45-minute nap at about 3am.

After Glades Training, Jeremiah and I road tripped north, making stops in Fernandina at the beach house as well as Asheville, NC at his friend Mike's family's lake house, before arriving in Sunman, Indiana, at his parents house.  We spent several days there with his family, celebrating Easter, then drove up to Appleton for him to meet my family.  We kept ourselves pretty busy in Appleton, and before I knew it, it was time for me to drop him off in Columbus, OH, and head back south to Scottsmoor for my next course.  It was an extremely hard good-bye for me and a big part of me just wanted to stay there with him.  But, I made myself get in my car and head for my next OB adventure.

MAY
I was extremely nervous for my Scottsmoor course as I hadn't been in the field with kids in a lllllllooooooonnnnnnggggg time (about six weeks).  Our brief was extremely laid back, which was nice and helped me feel more comfortable, but our course proved otherwise.  It was an extremely challenging course, probably my worst course ever and my least favorite, but I survived.  It was an endurance test and a test of patience, which was good for me.  I was a happy girl when follow-up was done, especially since I was going to Ohio.

JUNE
I flew to Ohio the first weekend of June to be with Jeremiah for his younger sister Nikki's wedding.  It was a beautiful ceremony and day, and I enjoyed getting to meet all of Jeremiah's family.  I stayed with him until the Wednesday after the wedding then once again boarded the plane to fly back to Miami to start brief for my next course in Key Largo the following day.

KLF192 was a stellar course and just the course I needed after such a rough one.  I got to work with some absolutely awesome people (Phil Rosa, Alex Tiberio, and Hope McArthur) and had a fun group of boys.  We had some pretty crazy weather while we were out (which seemed to come every night we started on a new river or any night we had mac n cheese), but also had a lot of fun.  It was the first time I ever had to do a legitimate lightning drill (I know, crazy) in addition to contemplating whether or not I had to make sure all the kids were out of the water before me if an alligator attacked (turns out I do).  During solo of this course, Jeremiah and I broke up, which was extremely difficult for me, since I still had half a course left to do in addition to follow-up.  It actually ended up being good for me because I was so focused and distracted on doing my job that I didn't have time to focus on my broken heart.  The carrot that kept me going through follow-up was a plane ticket home, where I knew I could and would fall to pieces.

JULY
I spent the Fourth of July doing lots of paperwork at base and ended up watching the fireworks that night with Alex standing on the sidewalk that runs along Highway 1.  Nothing spectacular, but it worked for me.

I drove to my aunt and uncle's in Tampa the day after our course ended and got to hang out with my uncle watching the U.S. play in the Women's World Cup (he had taped the game just for me to watch) all afternoon.  He took me to the airport that night, and my parents picked me up in Milwaukee.  The week I got to spend at home was much needed, and there was lots of crying done.  At the end of the week, I wasn't too eager to leave, but I got on the plane anyways and found myself back in Florida.  I spent the night with my aunt and uncle then drove to Alabama the next day.  At the conclusion of that drive, I had managed to drive or paddle the perimeter of the entire state of Florida that year. =)

I arrived in Fairhope and soon found out I had an extra day of down time than I had originally thought, which was great news to me.  I enjoyed my two days of rest before jumping in to brief for a 14-17 Intercept course with Shannon and Lance.  I had worked with Shannon on an Intercept course the previous November.  And, of course, AJ was my CD  (who else would be at this point...although, I guess Katie technically started as my CD for this course then left us at solo).

AUGUST
(Intercept course continued) We ended up having a super high functioning group of kids (three girls and five boys) who amazed us all by getting on Final on day 12 of course (a record in my book).  They were a great group, and after solo, we got to have "instructor days off" since the kids were pretty self-reliant in all areas and weren't at risk of killing each other.  It was my first course with no separations or restraints in addition to none of the kids using a real course tool to get all their course tool checks to go from Training to  Main.  We had a successful family weekend and a relatively easy debrief.

I ended up sticking around after our debrief to help out with the 12-13 year old Intercept course family weekend.  A large reason I did this was because I hadn't seen my partner in crime (Nick) since March.  I also got to spend time with my dear friend Kristin Thomas, who I would soon become attached at the hip over the course of the next month.

SEPTEMBER
Instead of driving home immediately after helping with family weekend, Kristin convinced me to come to the beach house for a week.  After my first day there, I ended up on the phone with my mom crying because I wanted to come home, but the reality was I was just coming down from my course high and transition stressing like I always do.  I settled in after that and had an absolutely fantastic weekend surrounded by so many people I love.  It ended up being a bit of a madhouse at one point during the week with people crashing on the floor and couches all over the place.  But in the end, it was a blast.

I took off for home the day before Labor Day and managed to make it about an hour south of home (which is equivalent to about 20 or 21 hours of non-stop solo driving) before I had to pull over at a rest stop and sleep because my eyes refused to stay open.  I knew that making the solo drive from Florida to Wisconsin probably wasn't the brightest idea I've ever had, but I had to do it once!  I ended up "napping" from about 4:00am to 6:00am before finishing the drive home, stumbling up the steps to the house, saying hi to my parents, and crashing until 4:00pm that afternoon.  I honestly felt like I had the worst hangover for the next two days and I hadn't even had a drop of alcohol.

I headed over to western Wisconsin my first weekend home to participate in the MS Original Mud Run.  While it turned into a mud walk/slog by the end of the 6 miles, it was an absolute blast, and I can't wait to do another one! (See before and after pics below)

Mom and I met on Ballard one afternoon to eat at this new restaurant, called the Kangaroostaurant, which was a mobile restaurant that travels around the city of Appleton and parks at a different place each day during the lunch hour.  It was a beautiful day, so Bailey and I had walked down there to meet Mom.  Sadly, their fryer was broke so we didn't get any of their famous sweet potato fries.

My time home was pretty jam packed with people to see and things to do.  I felt extremely productive, which was awesome.  I got to see both sets of grandparents as well as go to a Brewers game with my dad.  The highlight of the game was when he and I were walking out of the stadium behind this couple and their little boy, who couldn't have been more then 6 or 7.  The little boy was jazzed out of his mind.  I, of course being the comedian that I am, proceeded to narrate what I thought the little boy was saying as he walked along, baseball glove in one hand and ticket in the other.  At one point, he jumped in the air like he was catching a hit up against the outfield wall.  When we got out to the parking lot, this little guy saw another little boy tossing a baseball up and down and asked him where he got it.  His spirits seemed to droop a little since he didn't have a ball.  I looked at my dad and told him that I had to give him the ball that one of the players from the Rockies had tossed to us.  So, I called for the little guy to stop and squatted down in front of him and asked him if he would take the ball home.  Talk about priceless.  The expression on that little boy's face was priceless.  Pretty sure his mom's jaw dropped a little bit when she realized what I was doing.  He was speechless, and my heart filled with joy.  That ball would have disappeared into a box or my dog's stomach whereas I'm sure that little guy paraded it around for weeks, showing all of his friends and family the treasure he had gotten at his first Brewers' game.  My dad and I continued our walk to our car.  As we walked, the family drove by, and our little friend poked his head out of the window and shouted thank you.  I wanted to tell him thank you.

The other great thing that happened while I was home was that I got to see my grandfather, who was turning 80 the day I left to go back south.  I had made him a book online on Shutterfly with pictures of him and I.  I guess he looked through that book 100 times the day he got it and showed everyone he knows.  I think he still does. =)

My drive back to Alabama I decided to be a bit smarter and break up into two days, so the first day I made a detour and stopped in Macomb, IL, where one of my best college friends, Mariana Sanchez, is going to grad school and working as a grad assistant for the women's soccer team and our former coach, Tony Guinn. I hadn't seen her in a year and a half, so it was wonderful getting to catch up with her.  The next day I had about a 14 hour marathon drive to Fairhope.  The people waiting at the other end for me, though, were more than worth it (Kristin, Alex, and Dave!).  The most recent NST had just finished that day, so base was bumping.

Originally, I was supposed to be doing a 10-day IMPACT course with Kristin, but due to the inability to recruit kids for the courses, Kristin and I got nominated to go out to the local schools and recruit kids for the rest of the fall.  It was fun getting a behind the scenes look at what goes on while we're out on course.  I also ended up helping with a STEP solo and course end in addition to the course end of the first round of IMPACT and another STEP course start.  During my time there, my dear friend Alexis arrived to brief for her next course which was with Nick (so he was there, too).  Amy A showed up as well to start her new position as CD at Five Rivers along with Britt who started her new job as Logistics Coordinator.  It was so fun to have all these people around.  I ended up getting a new tattoo during this time(!) but you'll have to ask to see that the next time I see you. =)

My September ended with a drive to the beach house with Alex Busack, as she needed to go back to start briefing for a course in Scottsmoor.  That night, I got to see Dave again (whoa!  two times in one month might be overkill...lol) and reunite with my future co-instructors Liz and Eric.  I spent the rest of that week at the beach house prepping for course, going for long runs on the beach, going to yoga, and sleeping in.  It was magical and just what I needed to get me ready for course.

OCTOBER
Liz and I drove down to Key Largo and met Eric there.  We started brief for KLF196 on Sunday morning then picked up our last co Mark in Miami at the airport that night.  Brief was a bit hectic and stressful, but we eventually got our kids and, well, you can read my previous blog posts to learn about this course.  All in all, it was a crazy, hectic, stressful, exhausting course and I LOVED IT!  I fell in love with my kids and my co's and came off of that course riding a high like no other.  I felt like I was in a really great place at the end of that course and at a high point in my instructing career.  I hope that continues over into my next course.

NOVEMBER
Our follow-up ended on 11/11/11, and sadly, I didn't end up getting married that day even though it had been my dream.  The next day, Liz and I drove back up to the beach house where I spent a few days before heading out on my epic road trip west (which I have partially documented in previous blog posts...I'll finish them someday).

DECEMBER
My road trip ended in Alabama for All Staff.  It was a bit of a somber week as we were not certain whether or not NCOBS would be taking our Florida bases under their wing or not.  But there was also lots of laughter, learning, and love that took place.  I enjoyed this All Staff much more so than the year before, probably because I knew everyone there. =)  It was also so much fun having our NST82 group reunited.  There are 7 of us left!  More than any other NST there other than the newest batch.  I love those people so much.  I love my entire OB family so much.  Turns out there is life after college, although had you asked me that a year and a half ago I would've said otherwise.

I left Alabama on the 16th with my friend  Mimi as my co-pilot, and we drove to Louisville, her hometown, where her family graciously let me spend the night.  The next day was a rough day of driving for me.  I had stopped to take two naps by 2:00pm and was more than likely looking at a third when Dave texted me and offered for me to crash at his parent's house in Chicago for the night.  I took him up on the offer and was able to drive home on the 18th with a recharged battery.

The past week or so has been pretty laid back, spending most of my time at home with my family or going to see family, and have recently gotten to see some of my close high school friends. Oh, yeah, we go to go to the Packers v. Chicago game on Christmas day.  Go Pack Go!

It has been a year chock full of adventure with plenty of ups and downs.  I continue to feel blessed each and everyday for the amazing people God has put in my life as well as the opportunities He has put in my path.  There are many days that I cannot believe this is my life, but I am so glad it is.  I am looking forward to the new year and pray that it continues to bring good health and happiness to those I hold dear.

Thank you to all of you who have been a part of my 2011!  Let's ring in the New Year! =)

Don't cry because it's over...smile because it happened. -- the great and wonderful, Dr. Seuss

3:10 to Yuma

Although I've never actually seen that movie, I thought it would be an appropriate title seeing as though that's where I headed next on my trip.

The night I hiked out of the Canyon, I slept in my car in the Backcountry Office parking lot (Please, don't get mad at me, Grandma!).  It was not comfortable and definitely cold.  I tossed and turned most of the night, getting minimal sleep until about 4:00am when I decided to turn my car on for a little bit to warm up.  Next thing I knew, my alarm was going off at 7:00am.  It's amazing what a little heat can do for a person.

I got my car put back together and hit the road on my way to Yuma.  I decided to take the scenic tour on my way down there and detoured through Sedona, which is known for its amazing red rocks and energy vortexes (pretty interesting, actually...Sedona is one of the few places in the world that supposedly has these energy vortexes which can increase your positive energy by being within a 1/2 mile of them, or something like that).  Unfortunately, when I was going through there, my GPS was being rather annoying when I tried using it to find a gas station, and I got rather pissed off and frustrated and decided that the beautiful scenery I saw while driving would have to suffice for experiencing Sedona.  It also was Thanksgiving, so there weren't too many places that were open either to help point me in the direction of where I wanted to go.  However, I would definitely recommend to anyone going south from the Grand Canyon to take the detour through Sedona.  It is well worth it.

After passing through Sedona, I continued south through Phoenix.  I had talked to my friend, Emily, who I was going to stay with and who told me that they were heading over to a co-worker's house around 3:00pm for Thanksgiving dinner.  I told her I would be there by 2:30pm, perfect timing.

I called my family as I drove to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving.  It was definitely hard for me to be away from them for the second Thanksgiving in a row, especially because this year I could have been home.  Prior to leaving on my trip, I had scoured travel websites to see if I could find a cheap plane ticket from AZ to WI to surprise my family for a few days and be home for the holiday.  Unfortunately, $300 was as cheap as they came.  I would have to say Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday, mostly because my entire family is there and the time we get to spend together is not overshadowed my all the commercialization that has occurred with Christmas in the form of gifts and whatnot.  Thanksgiving is still a time for family and giving thanks for the things that we have been blessed with, including family, friends, good health, etc.  Everyday while on course with my kiddos, we do something called appreciations where we say what we appreciated about the day.  I think this is one of my favorite parts of the day because I think that in today's society we often forget to appreciate people, places, or events that cross our paths.  I think it's so good for kids, and us instructors, to do this.

Along with missing my family, I also thought about my Thanksgiving from the previous year, which I spent on course with a freaking crazy bunch of kids who not only ran around in girl's underwear and laid in the middle of the highway but also punched our van and trailer several times to the extent that there was a huge dent in it. Definitely will never forget that.  But that's a story for another day.

While on the phone with my Grandma Rita, I made her cry when I told her that I'd be celebrating Thanksgiving with some friends rather than eating a turkey sandwich in my car by myself.  Guess that turkey sandwich thing sent her over the edge because next thing I knew I was talking to my dad.

Lucky for me, while driving through the boring, ugly part of Arizona, the Packer game was on the radio since it was a nationally televised game, so I got to cheer on Aaron Rodgers (who my mom is still actively pursuing to get to marry me) and the rest of the team as I drove.  However, unlike my mother, I did not punch the roof of the car when they scored a touchdown. =)  (I still remember that, Mom)

I wasn't really sure what to expect Yuma to be like.  I was a little concerned when the only towns I saw for quite a while consisted of about 10 houses and a gas station, but as I wound my way through the final foothills, I was spit out above a relatively large city that seemed to sprawl out for several miles.

Cities in the southwest have a different feel to them.  No offense to any southwesterners, but they just seem kind of dirty and not very pretty.  Maybe it's because there's a dearth or complete lack of green.  Not sure I'd be able to handle that.

I followed my GPS to Emily's house and knocked on her door at about 2:00pm.  For those of you who don't know, Emily and I went to college together at Saint Mary's.  She was a year ahead of me in school, studying elementary education and Spanish.  Em and I played soccer together and made quite the pair in the middle of the field with our stopper/sweeper combo.  She was my first real friend at Saint Mary's, as she was one of the few people that didn't scare the crap out of me. =)  Thanks, Em!

I was introduced to Emily's boyfriend, Andrew, and her roommate's dog Kirby (a little dachshund who thinks he's a lot bigger and more ferocious than he actually is).  I quickly changed then we hopped in the car to pick up my dear friend Erin.  Once again, for those of you who don't know, Erin and I have been in and out of each other's lives since we were about 6 or 7.  We went to Red Apple Day Care together at the YMCA back in Appleton when we were little, and she lived right across the street from one of my other childhood friends.  Then, when I moved back to Appleton for high school, Erin and I ended up at Appleton North together (she's a year younger than me) and played soccer for two years together on the varsity team.  I convinced Erin to come to Saint Mary's with me, where we spent another 3 years together getting into all sorts of trouble (well, not really, but we did a whole heck of a lot together including playing soccer, intramurals, SOUL trips, church, meals, and so much more!).  And now she had followed Emily down to Yuma to teach.  Oh, yeah, these two girls are both teachers down in Yuma at two of the middle schools.  Em's been down there for three years now while it was Erin's first.

We headed over to Emily's co-worker's house where I met him and his family as well as Emily's roommates, Betsy and Brian, and another young couple (the guy worked with Emily, too).  It was kind of funny because everyone there was from the Midwest (Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan).  My grandma asked me later that night if the food was good.  I told her it wasn't as good as the food at our family's Thanksgiving, but it was a Midwestern one nonetheless.  We stayed until around 6:00pm, then drove back to Emily's house in a food coma and crashed in front of the tv.  All of us were in bed relatively early that night.

The next morning, Em had to get up early to go to soccer practice with her girls (she coaches the girl's varsity team at the high school), so I headed over to Erin's to run with her and her friend Jess along the canal.  It was a beautiful day out for being the end of November.  After our run, Erin and I got cleaned up and waited for Emily, then we made a dash for the border.  Well, technically we drove to the border and then walked across into the city of Algodones where we were immediately accosted by people selling all kinds of junk and trying to get us to come have some dental work done.  I must say that I have never been called "Barbie" or "Charlie's Angels" so many times in my life.  Several men also offered to be our boyfriends or body guards for the day, which made me laugh.  At one point, we got asked if we were from Canada.  Emily and Erin told the man "no," but I begged to differ.  I've always wanted to be Canadian (or maybe just say I'm from another country).  We ate lunch at a little restaurant tucked in the center of a plaza and walked around a bit more.  I would love to go back and explore more of the southern part of the Baja peninsula, as I'm there is some beautiful nature down there.

We returned to Yuma and went to a little coffee shop before heading back to Erin's and making plans to meet back up at 7:00pm for Ultimate Frisbee.  Erin, Em, and I were all on the same team, despite our lack of experience in the sport, but our team dominated the first game.  I'll have to admit that I hadn't done that much sprinting since I graduated from college.  Several of the guys there asked if we were marathoners like Em.  It was a lot of fun and a lot of great exercise.  I had one pretty spectacular catch at one point, if I do say so myself.  Although, after it was said and done, I also had a crap ton of sand in my pants.

We headed back to Erin's after the game where she cooked us up some delicious pasta alfredo.  We tried to play doctor to Erin's palm after dinner and dig out some cactus needles she had gotten stuck in there earlier in the week when she fell on a cactus, but did not have any luck.  We decided that maybe Em's roommate Betsy might be able to have more success and went back to her house.  Betsy wasn't able to get out the needle either, so we left poor Erin's hand alone after that.

Em and Erin had decided that the next morning we were going to hike up Telegraph, one of the foothills on the outskirts of town near Emily's house, so we set our alarms early to be up with the sun (well, not that early).  Erin's friend Jess met us at Emily's and we drove to the foothill to start hiking up.  It ended up being quite the climb.  I was super impressed with all of the people we saw hiking up the hill, all different kinds of people from intense fitness nuts who were running up the ridiculously steep climb to little kids chugging along at their parents' sides.  We made it to the top and took some pics and signed the book that said we'd been there before heading down and back to Em's.

I showered quick there before we headed over to the Donut Corral for some breakfast burritoes and doughnuts.  I left as soon as I got mine to go meet two of my other college friends, Bill and Derek, for coffee back at the coffee shop we had gone to the previous day.

It was really great getting to catch up with the guys and see how their transition to Yuma had been.  It's always strange for me to be with familiar people in an unfamiliar place.  I kept expecting to see other people from college, which, of course, didn't happen.  Also, it's incredible how quickly time passes.  I hadn't seen either of these guys for a year and a half, since our college graduation, whereas when we were in school, I didn't go a day without seeing them for almost three years.  Life's funny that way.  I guess that's what happens when you grow up.

I left the guys and went and got an oil pan to change my oil at Erin's house while she laid by the pool.  It felt good to get that done and clean/reorganize my car a bit, as it had deteriorated over the course of my travels.  Afterwards, Erin and I sat by the pool and talked for a long time about life and relationships, me being the mentor and she being the mentee.  My mom laughed when I told her the advice I had given Erin and told me she hoped I was listening to it myself.  She also said I was turning into her with all my "optimistic bullshit."  Love you, Mom.

That night, Emily, Andrew, Betsy, Brian, Erin, and I went miniature golfing at the Fun Zone.  I had been texting my friend Dave beforehand, and he told me to show them how people from the Midwest did it when I told him I was going miniature golfing.  I laughed out loud and texted him back that I couldn't because they were all from the Midwest!  Erin and I partnered up for the round and came in a respectable 2nd place behind Betsy and Brian.  After golfing, the locals decided I needed a local experience at the Bird Cage (??? I can't remember the name of the bar, but that sounds about right), so we headed over for a few drinks and games of pool.  Bed was calling my name by about 11:30pm, although I don't think my head hit the pillow until closer to 1:00am.

The next day, Emily and I went to Erin's where the two of them worked on grading papers and lesson planning for their upcoming week at school, while I distracted them by listening to LMFAO and trying to learn to shuffle.  Although, I feel like they were quite entertained by my ridiculousness.  I caught up on other unimportant cultural things, like watching Rihanna's latest music video and trying to "Bernie."  Em and I eventually headed back to her house and went for a run.  Em runs fast even when she's not trying to, and even though it was NOT easy, I managed to keep up with her (provided she wasn't slowing down for me) and made it the entire 5 miles.  We ran it in under 40 minutes which I can't say I've done in a long time.  It's so nice to have a running buddy, even when they kick your butt.

Brian made us brats for dinner (Sorry, Dad, they weren't Johnsonville), while latest episodes of Modern Family provide the entertainment.  Betsy, Em, and I met Erin at one of those new fun frozen yogurt places about halfway between their houses later that night after Erin got back from church.  Erin and I said our goodbyes and made plans to meet up over the holidays.  The rest of us headed back and were in bed by 9:30pm.  I told Em I didn't think I'd be able to do the 4:30am wake up (or something crazy like that) that she did, so we said our goodbyes, too.

It was so much fun getting to see these people (not to mention have interactions with another human being!) and see where they were living and working.  I had said so many times that I was going to go down and visit Emily, but I just hadn't done it.  Well, now I have.  Now if I could just get people to come visit me!

Tune in next time for my travels to and in Zion National Park!

Going down is optional, Going up is mandatory

Here's the continuation of my hike in the Grand Canyon, as told by my journal on 11/23/11:

I got up at about 6:45am this morning after having fallen asleep at 7:00pm last night!  Don't worry, I managed to get out of my tent before falling asleep to pee and lay down for a few minutes to look at the stars, which were beautiful.  I think people way too often forget to look up at the stars, partially because these days so many people have never experienced them due to all the light pollution and whatnot.  Remember to look up when you go outside.  The immensity of the night sky never fails to amaze me.  It always makes me feel so small.

The other interesting thing that happened last night was that the ranger who came to check my permit had worked for Outward Bound for 15 years at various schools before joining the park service.  He was quite the talker, and I didn't think he was going to leave.  We didn't know anyone in common, but I love it that Outward Bound can connect complete strangers!

But back to today...I broke down my camp, ate some breakfast, and was on my way by 7:36am.  The majority of the first part of my hike was right along the Colorado River.  By the time I turned the corner to start hiking away from the river and follow Bright Angel Creek, I had stripped down to my shorts, vest, and long-sleeved shirt.  It wasn't too long after that that I lost the vest and popped in my headphones (yes, I know...it's cheating and taking away from experiencing nature by bringing my iPod, but I only had one earbud in and I needed a little extra fun to hike out of that canyon which was provided in the form of The Band Perry on repeat for five hours...It just felt like appropriate music for my trek out, and positively, now I know all the words to the songs!  Well, sort of. =)

I saw a few other people as I hiked along, including a group of three older women I had briefly spoke with yesterday.  They were so sweet and impressed that I was doing this trip all on my own.  One of them thought my pack looked "horrendous" and offered to carry some stuff for me.  I politely declined.  The other woman told me I was a "cutie," and the first woman told me my "smile needed to be broadcasted everywhere."  Made me smile more.  And, not gonna lie, gave me a bit of an ego boost.

Oh!  I almost forgot.  Shortly before I met up with them, I had to cross several small creeks by carefully stepping on rocks that were above or partially submerged in the water.  I was able to successfully make my way across without falling over or getting my feet wet (Keen boots score again!).  I felt pretty "G" (as my kiddos would say...it means "gansta" for those of you who do not hang out with little 14-year old wannabe thugs on a regular basis); although, it really wasn't something to be that proud of.  I was just happy I didn't fall on my butt.

After passing the trio of ladies, I came to the Indian Garden Campground where I was originally scheduled to stop for the night, but seeing as it was only 10:00am, I decided to push on and finish the remaining 4.5 miles that day.  I talked with a couple while I filled my water.  They were amazed I was in shorts and a long-sleeved, then laughed and said it made sense when I told them I was from Wisconsin.

It was so fun getting to talk to people along the trail.  Everyone (well, most everyone, but especially the people hiking to and from the river) is so friendly.  Makes me want to be more outgoing and talk to more people I don't know! =)  Don't worry, Mom, I'll be smart about it.

From the Indian Garden Campground, it is another 4.5 miles to the trailhead/rim of the Canyon.  This part of the hike is composed almost entirely of switchbacks and quickly began tiring me.  I aimed for 30 minutes of hiking before stopping, but that quickly turned into 20 minutes, give or take.  More than anything else it was my back that hurt the most.  It's kind of like riding a bike: once you spend enough time on your bike, your shorts stop growing teeth...same with a backpack, although it doesn't grow teeth, it just gets heavier.

I made it to the 3-mile resthouse (it's 3 miles from the rim) and stopped for my second snack of the morning and water before pushing on to the 1.5-mile resthouse.  By that point, there were considerably more people headed down the trail on dayhikes, many who did not seem to be properly equipped with the correct shoes or water or the realization that when went down the trail had to eventually come back up...and that it sucked!

The last 1.5 miles was excruciating.  The top never seemed to get any closer.  I kept to my 20 minutes of hiking then stopped to rest and drink water for a few minutes.  Sometimes I think I drive myself too hard.  I would never have been able to move at the pace I did if i had been with someone else (well, maybe but they probably would have made me stop for longer than 3 minutes at a time in the interest of physical well-being and sanity).

I had been dripping sweat since the 3-mile resthouse, and since the sun hit the southside of the Canyon last (which was the side I was hiking out on), sitting in the shade for too long automatically led to chills, so it felt better to just keep moving.

The last 1/2 mile was the longest 1/2 mile of my life.  One family stopped to talk to me about where I had hiked from that morning, assuming I was with other people.  When they found out I was alone, they were so impressed and the mom, just like my mom would have, said, "You go girl!"

I finally made it to the top at 12:46pm, 5 hours and 10 minutes after I started.  Not bad for hiking 9 miles uphill with crazy elevation gains.  (And, of course I had to do the math, the park says that it will take you twice as long to hike out of the canyon as it does to hike in.  Well, the day before I hiked 7 miles in 3.5 hours, or 210 minutes, which means I was averaging 1 mile every 30 minutes.  So, if I had hiked 9 miles down the Canyon, it should have taken me 4.5 hours, which means it should have taken me 9 hours to hike out of the Canyon today.  But I did it in 5 hours and 10 minutes.  I think you can do the math from there...basically Me = Awesome...haha)

I was (and still am) crazy proud of myself.  I felt (and still feel) like the confident badass I was before things fell apart this summer.  I feel like I've really embraced life lately and have done a lot of things I kept saying I would or wanted to do (like the Mud Run) but just never did, mostly because I was scared.  I feel so empowered and happy right now.

With no fanfare or applause, I walked the additional 5 minutes to my car where I promptly called my mom and dad before turning on the heater to eat lunch (I was so hungry!) and creatively put the majority of my stuff away without getting out of my toasty warm car.

Feeling absolutely gross (at this point I had been 4 days without a shower which, truthfully, isn't that long for me), I went to the Mather campground showers where I took the most magical $2, 8-minute steaming hot chocolate....(haha!  I actually wrote that in my journal!  "steaming hot chocolate"  instead of "steaming hot shower"!  Guess that's because I was drinking "steaming hot chocolate" when I wrote this).  I had quite the heap of dirty clothes, so decided to do my laundry while I was there, too.  After my laundry was done, I pulled out my computer and external hard drive to put all my pictures on.  I think I took close to 130 pictures just at the Canyon!  I'll have to do my best to keep that up over the rest of my trip.

I'm sitting at the General Store's cafe right now drinking hot chocolate.  My legs, butt, and back are incredibly sore.  It's going to be rough going tomorrow, but so worth it.

As my mom likes to tell me, "You ROCK kiddo!  You ROCK OUT LOUD!"  Lots of love, Me =)

An Adventure of the Grandest Sort

**Warning: This entry is extremely long due to my procrastination and combination of multiple days into one big entry. ***

Sorry it’s been so long.  My access to internet and my desire to sit down and use my computer have been limited in the past week and a half.  The last time I wrote, I was in Fairhope, Alabama, and had been convinced by my fellow friends and instructors to stay an extra day, which I did.  It was nice getting to have some extra time with these people that I’m usually missing due to our crazy, mismatched schedules that never let us be off at the same time.

So, that Friday morning, I hopped in my car and started driving away from Fairhope at 7:45am to Allen, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, where I would spend the night with a childhood friend from Texas, Melissa.  It was about a 10.5 hour drive from Fairhope to Allen, but the time went by pretty quickly as I listened to the audio version of the book Bossypants by Tina Fey (it’s worth a listen!  Thank you Alex and Kristin for sharing with me!). 

I got to Melissa’s around 7:00pm.  Well, truthfully, it was more like 6:30pm, but she lives in this crazy shopping complex place and it took me a good while to find a place to park.  I met Melissa downstairs at her apartment, after confusingly riding an elevator up in the completely wrong building, and we headed upstairs to make some dinner and catch up on life. 

You know those friends that you have that you haven’t seen or really talked to in years, but the minute you’re together, it just seems really natural and familiar?  That’s how it was with Melissa.  We quickly updated each other on our lives, the ups and downs of being our age, the drama of relationships, and the most recent books and movies we had read or seen.  The hours passed by, and before we knew it, it was 11:00pm and time for bed.

My watch alarm beeped at 7:32am the next morning, and it was definitely hard to roll out of bed.  Part of me just wanted to head north from Dallas and go home for the remainder of my break, but another part of me knew that if I didn’t go on this adventure, I would regret it later down the road.

I jumped in the shower (and no, Mom and Dad, I did not hurt myself) and got dressed and ready to go before 8:00am.  Melissa helped me operate the intricate coffee machine downstairs, and I was soon on my way to Albuquerque.

I filled my time in the car finishing my audio book and singing along to the radio.  The stretch from Dallas to the New Mexico border isn’t much to look or talk about, and that part of the drive seemed to take forever.  Once I reached New Mexico, though, the colors began to change, and my interest was piqued since I had never been to this state before.

I drove into Albuquerque as the sun was setting, so I didn’t get a chance to see much of the city in the daylight.  After almost another 10 hours in the car, I was eager for some physical activity, so I used my GPS to try and find a YMCA in the area.  Unfortunately, after three failed attempts at finding one (and landing at a dead end where there were absolutely no buildings), I decided to head to my hosts’ house, Maggie Price and Bill Cartwright.

Maggie and Bill are artists that have done workshops for the company my mom currently works for, Jack Richeson & Co.  They travel all over the country, and the world, for the majority of the year, but I just so happened to catch them on the one week they were home.  They told my mom they would be happy to have me for the night.

I rang the doorbell and was greeted by Maggie, who showed me my room and offered me some homemade green chile soup and blue cornbread (the cornmeal was blue).  It was wonderful to have a home cooked meal after so many days of eating base and course food.  I sat and chatted with Bill and Maggie after I finished eating.  They were going to Massachusetts that Monday to see their daughter and grandchildren for Thanksgiving.  They had just returned home earlier in the week from a workshop in Georgia (which they had driven to and back from) and had been trying to keep their bodies accustomed to east coast time rather than making the switch back to mountain time.  So, by 8:30pm, they were ready to head to bed.  I won’t lie, I was, too.  It had been a long two days of driving, and I was tired.  I read for a bit before shutting off my light at 9:00pm, the earliest I had been to bed in who knows how long.

The next morning I was up around 6:30am.  I told Bill and Maggie that I probably wouldn’t be up at the early hour of 5:00am that they got up at.  I asked if there were any good places to run nearby, and they pointed me in the direction of a great little trail right across the street from their house that snaked it’s way through backyards and down a small foothill that Bill and Maggie’s neighborhood was situated on.

I took off in the brisk morning (it was in the 40’s) in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt and t-shirt.  The other people out walking must have thought I was crazy, as they all were bundled in their winter jackets, mittens, hats, and scarves.  I wore a t-shirt that said WISCONSIN in big bold print on the front, so hopefully they saw that and attributed my scantily clad self to the fact that I was from the Midwest.

My run didn’t last too long, as I’m never good at making it far without food in my stomach.  But, it was enough to stretch my legs before getting back in the car.  I returned to Bill and Maggies, ate a bowl of oatmeal with fresh raspberries, and loaded up my car for the next leg of my journey: the Grand Canyon.

For some reason, the Grand Canyon has always fascinated me, and I spent a lot of time as a kid daydreaming about visiting the monolith and hiking its trails down to the mighty Colorado River below.  I pictured the mules going up and down the steep, narrow trails, accidentally kicking rocks over the side from time to time.  I know that the mules are sure-footed, but after going to the Canyon, I don’t think they would ever be my first choice of mode of transportation.

To say I was ecstatic to finally be going to the Grand Canyon would be an understatement (if that’s even possible).  So many people praised it’s size and the wonder and awe it inspired, but I couldn’t fathom how this natural wonder had such a profound effect on people. 

The last 40 or so miles to get to the Canyon seemed to take forever.  My anticipation kept growing as the miles became less and less.  I think what initially shocked me the most was the little town right outside the entrance to the park that had not only multiple hotels but a McDonalds, Wendy’s, and Pizza Hut.  Seriously?  I thought I was going into the wilderness.  The commercialization of today’s national parks is quite sad.  To me, a national park is a place to go to get away from all the technology and craziness of everyday life.  It’s a place for solitude and reflection; a place to appreciate nature and creation.  But I guess the people in charge see it otherwise.  My hope is that, though, like Edward Abbey said, if you do go to a national park, at least “get out of your damned car” while you’re there.  You’re not actually seeing or experiencing the park until you do.

After dealing with the formalities of entering the park (got an annual pass for all of the national parks for $80…not bad), I drove to the visitor center parking lot and parked my car just as a family of mule deer began making their way toward me.  Left alone for so long, the deer were not shy of humans, since their only real predator in the park was cars.  One was a male and had a huge head of horns, which I, of course, had to take a picture of for my dad.  Unfortunately, my camera likes to act up whenever I try to take pictures of animals, so the quality isn’t the best.

Following the photo shoot, I finally made my way to the South Rim of the Canyon.  It was spectacular.  The clouds gave the enormous canyon a depth and perspective that wasn’t there on a perfectly sunny day.  There were crowds of people all taking in this breathtaking wonder.  I took picture after picture, knowing that no photo would ever do it justice.  I sent a picture message to family and friends, hoping that the tiny photo would at least convey 1/16^th of the majesty that was there before me.

I wandered along the rim of the canyon, stopping here and there to take in the sight below me.  A woman offered to take my picture for me, and I stood as if I were on the top of the world.  As the sun began to set, I wandered back towards the visitor center and stopped to read about the numerous trails that were available to hike on at the Canyon.  As I looked at the information for the South Kaibab trail, I overheard a dad talking to his daughter about the time he hiked into the Canyon.  I asked him a few questions about his experience and made up my mind after our conversation to attempt to get a backcountry permit the following morning to hike and camp down in the Canyon.

That night, I camped out at Mather Campground.  Luckily, the rate had been reduced to $10 a night that day as the late fall/winter season went into effect.  I set up my little camp, cooked myself some dinner, and snuggled down into my sleeping bag to read before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning I awoke early and was out of camp by 7:30am to make it over to the Backcountry office in order to be one of the first people in line for a permit, when the office windows opened at 8:00am.  I was 5^th in line, and as I stood there, I kept thinking, “What the hell am I doing?!?  This is crazy, Stephanie!  You can’t hike down into the canyon alone!  Just go on some day hikes.  Don’t do this.”  But then that stubborn part of me shot the Negative Nancy down, “You can do this.  You know you want to.  Think of what a story this will be!  You’ll regret it if you don’t.”  Before I could argue this part of me down, my number was called and the deed was done. 

I think I was shaking a bit when I walked out of the office, or at least, my heart was beating faster than it normally did.  I couldn’t believe what I had just done: two nights camping down in the Canyon.  However, at the same time the shock set in, a sense of exhilaration did, too.  I was going to hike the Grand Canyon.  And, I was going to do it on my own.

I spent the rest of the morning hiking along the South Rim trail before returning to my campsite to start packing and inventorying some of my gear.  Sadly, I had not been able to acquire a one-man tent before my sojourn west, and so my bulky three-person tent would have to suffice (Looking back now, I would’ve just slept under the stars if I could be guaranteed the weather would be as amazing as it was).  After getting some things packed, I headed back to the rim of the canyon where I found a nice spot on a rock in the sun to read my book for an hour or so.  Around 2:00pm, I made my way back to my car and changed into running clothes before hopping on the shuttle bus that headed out towards Hermit’s Rest on the west end of the park.  No private/personal vehicles could go out that way, only shuttle buses.

I rode the shuttle out about 4.5 miles to the Mohave Point lookout before disembarking and running the rim trail back to my car.  Mumford & Sons played in my ear as I picked my way carefully along the trail overlooking the Canyon.  I’d have to say it was quite an experience, one that I doubt too many people can say they’ve had.

By the time I got back to my car, it was close to 4:30pm.  I made my way back to camp and ate a cold dinner before venturing off in search of hot chocolate.  The pansy that I am spent the majority of the rest of the evening in my running car in the parking lot of the General Store drinking hot chocolate and reading.  For a girl not used to the luxury of having a heated space at her fingertips, this was heaven.  Plus, the temperature was supposed to drop down in the teens that night and that’s cold no matter where you’re from.

This is what I wrote in my journal on Tuesday afternoon:

I am currently sitting in the campsite at the Bright Angel Campground IN THE GRAND CANYON!  Yes, it’s true.  Yours truly got up at about 6:20am this morning, took down my tent (which was covered with frost), rescued a dog that had gotten loose from its owners (which were my friendly neighbors from Texas, who called me an angel upon the return of their dog), drove to the Backcountry Office, hopped on the Hiker’s Express shuttle to the South Kaibab trailhead, and started hiking down into the Canyon at about 8:30am. 

Literally, five minutes into my hike, I thought to myself, “What in God’s green earth am I doing?  I should’ve just done day hikes.  I should really turn around.”  But no sooner had that thought crossed my mind when Kristina and Tom, a couple my mom and dad’s age from Vermont, came bounding down the trail and took me under their wings.  They offered to take pictures for me, which I gladly did for them in return.  They were on vacation while their two kids, Lexi (16) and Tek (14), were at training camps for the boarding school they attended for skiing.  Both kids are aspiring Olympians, so if I ever see their names during the winter games, I can brag to everyone that I hiked down into the Grand Canyon with their parents.

We kept going back and forth along the trail with each other, sometimes I was in front, sometimes they were, sometimes we hiked together.  Towards the end, they fell behind taking pictures, so I soldiered on alone.  At one point, I had to get off the trail for a mule train to pass.  They stopped just as they passed me, and after a minute of admiring the animals, I kept going along the trail and around the switchback they had just come up.  The two rangers/mule guides were talking to each other, and I mistakenly thought they were talking to me, so I hollered up at them to ask them to repeat what they had said.  They laughed and apologized, but then offered to talk since they knew how lonely it could be hiking down alone with no one to talk to.  I chatted with them for a few minutes and was laughingly called a Cheesehead when I told them I was from Wisconsin.  We parted ways shortly, and I kept pushing on to the Colorado River, which I eventually reached 3.5 hours after leaving the trailhead.

I went and stuck my hand in the river after crossing the suspension bridge to get to the Bright Angel Campground.  I felt an overwhelming sense of success in what I had done.  I was so proud of myself and rode that high throughout the rest of the day and into the next.

I found myself a nice campsite in the sun and quickly set up my camp before eating lunch and laying down in the sun to read my book.  My rainfly was still covered in ice/frost from the night before, so I had to hang that up to dry out before putting it on my tent.

After reading and getting my rainfly on, I headed out to explore a bit more, getting on the 1.7 mile River Trail loop and walking around Phantom Ranch (it has dorms, cabins, bathrooms, and a canteen/store).  Now, I'm back at my campsite.

I've been taking a lot of pictures and have been having a lot of fun with the self-timer and making video diaries of my adventures.  It's beautiful down here in the Canyon and very surreal.  To think I'm at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is unbelievable.  And the weather was absolutely gorgeous today -- not a cloud in the sky.  Thankfully it's a lot warmer down in the canyon than up on the rim.  Last night, I think it got down in the teens -- hence the frost on my tent. 

After a day like today, with everything falling into place, I always wonder how people can not think there is not some higher power up there.  I said "thank you" a lot today.  I only wish my mom and dad and brother could have been here with me to share in this incredible experience.  Hopefully, we'll be able to go on another trip this upcoming spring/summer -- maybe to Yellowstone or the Great Smoky Mountains.  I want to just keep exploring all the national parks out here.  I wish it were September so that it wouldn't be too cold and there wouldn't be snow yet so that I could without freezing.

While I was hiking today, I felt like I was in a Lord of the Rings movie with the Canyon looming above me.  My legs would tremble quite a bit whenever I would stop, and my back definitely hurts/is sore.  Lots of ibuprofen tonight and tomorrow.  Supposedly, you can have your stuff sent down on a mule to have waiting for you at the bottom.  While it would be nice, what fun would that be!?!  It totally takes away from the experience.  I'll be curious to see how I feel tomorrow.  The hike down took me about 3.5 hours, and your hike out is supposed to take you about twice as long.  I'm trying to decide if I should hike all the way out tomorrow or just go to the next campground about 4.5 miles away like I had planned.  Guess I'll see how I'm feeling when I get there.  It's nice to have that safety net if I want it.

[Journal entry ends here]

Read my next entry to find out what happens next on my western journey!  Thanks for keeping up with my travels!  I'll be sure to continue my story of KLF196, too!  Love to all from Provo, Utah!