Saturday, June 1, 2013

ADZPCTKO 2013

Well the Kick Off is over and I had a great time reuniting with old friends, volunteering, and providing trail magic for hikers with  Gone Fishing and we even got in some hiking ourselves. If you are considering hiking the PCT please include the kick-off. Getting to and from Lake Morena, if you are already on the trail is easy. Many volunteers help transport hikers so they can attend this worth-while gathering. The event provides great information, helps hikers network with other hikers and is a great motivator. Gone Fishing and I were ready to head-out with the class of 2013 and do it all-over again. After over 6 months of texting and phone calls it was great to see my hiking partner. Had it really been a year since we were just starting our adventure of a lifetime??
We coordinated with Max and drove he and 3 other thru-hikers from Lake Arrowhead to Gone Fishing's house for some grub. Then we headed to the Kick-Off. It was great being at Lake Morena once again. We settled in briefly and went to work helping the organizers who give so selflessly of their time and money. We met up with past friends and enjoyed the festivities. PCT 2012 Thru-Hiker Virgo put our class video together. He did an outstanding job. You can download it for free by going to : http://video.com/m/65233793.
Enjoy the Pics!
Reunited with Gone Fishing at the Kick-Off
 
At the KO: from Left to Right: Snort, Max, 2-Step, Joat, Heart and gone Fishing
Making Burritos for the class of 2013
Back on the trail after the KO 2-Step, Snort, Max, Joat
 

Trail Magic for the Class of 2013
 Then it was back on the trail for us too
 And fishing of Course

Coupled with some well-deserved R&R

from my HEART ;) 
 
 

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Straight from the Heart...




What a Difference a Year Makes...

Today Mark flew to San Diego to start his trek of a lifetime. As I dropped him off at the airport I was filled  with bittersweet memories. Bitter only because it was not me leaving again this year. Sweet because I was given the chance of a lifetime last year on this very day and now Mark has earned the same privilege.   Like others who have hiked the PCT I think of the trail every day. Something triggers a memory and I am back on the crest. I feel  the heat at scissors crossing, hear the silence of the Sierras,  taste the sweet juicy huckleberries that I ate far too many of and stand in awe on the Knife's Edge in Goat's Rocks.  My hiking partner calls from behind to get my attention - Heart look what I found ... a beautiful  flower  tucked among the  greenery - don't remember seeing this one  before -

 It has been a year - so hard to believe. The trail has changed me, changed my life in so many good ways. It has made me stronger, more thankful, more patient.  It gave me the courage to admit I was very unhappy in my marriage and I needed to admit it to others once I could admit it to myself. My divorce was final in March and a great weight has been lifted and a joy has filled me like no other. We all walk the PCT for a reason but sometimes it is not for the reason we think. And often there are many reasons,  some of which we do not know at the start. If you are one of those arm-chair hikers, or want to be PCT thru-hiker but are holding back because of the logistics, or because you don't believe you could make it or could afford it or for whatever reason you may have,  just know that you will find a way if you really want to do it.  Just  do your research, plan and prepare to the best of your ability and you will have a great chance of living a dream, finding out what you are made of and having the pleasure of all those wonderful memories.

So where do I go from here??
Well yes I am divorced but I am still friends and business partners with my X. BUT  payback is hell!  This year is my turn to hold down the fort and do the work of 2 as Mark did for me last year. But  as I said in my message to you above - if you really want to do something you will find a way - so I will be reuniting with Gone Fishing for 2 weeks and we will both be at the kick-off come April 26. We will shuttle hikers to and from their destinations, hand out goodies, and  spread the magic.  So please let us know if you need help.  My cell is 281-770-0068 and my email is mindy.dunham@yahoo.com. GF and I will be doing some hiking and hope to meet other hikers living their dream. He has written a journal  entry which you can find by going to: www.trailjournals.com/stevefitch



Mark (trail name Max) will be journaling from the trail as he walks for heart disease. We are so proud of him for all the work he has done preparing for his hike. His journal can be found at : www.trailjournals.com/maxmin.

Happy Trails!

Heart-Full

Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Naked Truth






Ok so its been almost a month since I have been off the trail and inquiring minds want to know ...
How has your experience on the trail changed you?
I purposely held off writing this segment because simply put, it takes time to know. Our consciousness seldom recognizes the beginning of growth within us; fruit appears on the tree long after the seed is sown. I can tell you it has made me appreciate the little things we often take for granted and the never ending beauty I witnessed daily: shadows on mountains during sunrise, staring up at the milky-way night-after-night, the sweet scent of lupines, and the never ending splendor of views from the crest.
The trail taught me how important it is to get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. You will never know what you are capable of, what treasures are there for you to see, feel, taste and smell or what thrills you will have when you face and overcome dangers unless you get out there. How short life is and how quickly it passes. Don't let your doubts stand in your way. You can do far more than you realize. Age is no barrier. Just make up your mind to do it and start working on how to make it work. Don't sweat the details. Most of what you're worried about will never come to pass. You will be giving others a chance to step up to the plate and you may be helping them get out of their comfort zone as well.
How are you adjusting to being off the trail?
Weeks leading up to the end I had feelings of joy and sorrow. I wanted to savor every mile and every minute but I wanted to finish before bad weather hit and my knee went on strike.




Timing is everything: Waldo at Harts Pass just 2 weeks after I completed the trail
The day after I completed the trail was like a zero so the usual routine was the same- just no hiker box this time. Then there was the distraction of Vancouver and Seattle and plenty of opportunity to walk. I insisted on donning my pack. I felt naked walking without it and who knows I might make a few purchases in route. The hustle bustle of normal life is a bit disturbing when you come off the trail. Gone Fishing saved me from getting run over several times as my tendency was to jaywalk - after all there are no traffic lights on the trail. Nights were the hardest for me. The rooms were stuffy and it was too noisy outside to open the windows, not to mention I had not earned the level of exhaustion I was used to and could not sleep more than a few hours. My leg muscles started cramping as if rebelling and I even considered walking home to Texas (Just kidding). I stayed in Seattle a few more days waiting to meet up with old friends but all the exposure to sick passengers left me sick with a cold. After Gone Fishing left I knew it was really over. With no one there to discuss the trail I became depressed. As I laid sick in bed at the hostel and stared at my backpack I couldn't help feeling sorry for myself and for my pack. Needing the wall to hold it up, deflated without the body and gear that once held it together, it looked out of place and sad too.
So I got my sorry ass up and went shopping. As bad as I felt I cheered myself up with my shopping spree (its a girl thing). The next day I made banana pancakes, then spent time at the post office shipping my purchases home. I stopped looking at my hiking pictures and started looking at family pictures again. I made it back to Texas in good spirits.
But once home I found it hard to motivate myself to accept all my previous responsibilities. I wanted to slow everything down. I did not feel ready to start working. Driving a car felt like cheating. I lost my appetite for food and for life. I had missed my family and my old life but now at home, I missed the trail--my new, old life. So I started cleaning (another girl thing). I cleaned out my closet and gave away nearly half of my things. I just spent 6 months wearing the same pair of pants, shirt and shoes- did I really need all this stuff? I wanted to simplify. I attacked other rooms as well and it kept me busy and cheered me up. I spent time in my garden and time with my chickens and took my dog for walks wearing my backpack. I went to the dentist, the orthopedic doctor to have my knee examined and I cooked. I wrote in my blog and read the comments from followers. I wrote thank-you notes to trail angels and slowly began to feel happy again. But it is a process and my family has been very supportive. Just the same it's other hikers you turn to because only they really know where you have come back from, what you miss and why you yearn to return.
Time has a way of moving faster the older you get and my energies now are focused on sharing my experience with others. There is much to do. I am working on my gear review and recommendations for those planning a PCT hike. I am putting together a presentation to share with interested groups and helping my husband prepare to do the trail next year. I am making plans to be at kick-off to support the class of 2013 and will do some angel magic with GF at Walker Pass. Currently I am hiking trails in Kauai with my backpack on my back and the smile back on my face.




Heart

Friday, October 19, 2012

Home Is Where The Heart Is...



 

Well it's been 2 weeks since I completed the trail and I have been home Oct 12.  After my last entry GF and I hiked 9 miles to Manning Lodge.


Manning Lodge  

Some hikers, for various reasons, hike back to Hart's Pass and exited home through the USA. I'm glad we chose to go to Manning Park. Many hikers were there celebrating the end of the journey.  


 
 
 
 
The hike to Manning is a great way to finish. It was a nice respite. We had a great dinner and just kept reliving the end, hardly believing it was here at last. The next morning we boarded the bus to Vancouver along with many other rested happy PCT Thru-Hikers.

 

Vancouver is a great city and helped us to slowly integrate ourselves back into civilization.

 
 

There is a hostel within walking distance (for normal people-4 blocks) from the bus station and we stayed there meeting people from all over the world. We walked along the water to Grandville Island Public Market, shopped, ate and checked out the museums.   Vancouver has a lot to offer and without a pack the walking was a breeze.


Then we took the 4 hour Amtrak train to Seattle. We stayed at the Green Tortoise Hostel near the famous Pike Market.




 




  A few days of shopping, eating, and sightseeing and we were beginning to remember the good things about being off the trail.  
 
 
Seattle Aquarium

The First Starbucks Store 1971
 
 
 A favorite pastime on the trail was watching the sunset so on our last night we ate our favorite "in-town" food at the waterfront while watching the sunset.
 
 
I bid a sad farewell to hiking partner Gone Fishing the next morning as he headed for the train station (zoom in: he's the guy with the backpack). He decided to slow the trip and ease back into getting home by seeing more of our country.

 



 I shopped a few more days (my way of coping) and visited friends in Seattle before flying home.


Welcome home dinner with husband Mark, and children Scott and Stefanie
 

Stef treated me to a special breakfast the next morning...

 Banana Pancakes ...Yummm

Many thanks for the welcome home/congratulations messages I received from so many of you. I hope to continue to share any information that may help those of you interested in hiking. I welcome your questions. Just email them to me at heartyhiking@gmail.com.
My next  entry will include recommendations/suggestions and answers to the questions that inquiring minds want to know. Stay Tuned...

 
 
 
Heart
 
 

Monday, October 8, 2012

The Last Chapter

Oct. 1
A beautiful last day...
















Just 5 miles left...




















One Mile Left
We could see the division of Canada and the United States ahead




This was the hardest part of my blog entry to write. Unimaginable feelings of joy and sorrow mixed with a little exhaustion...




OK a Lot of Exhaustion
And...




A moment of Glory




We gave the trail all we had...




And Now...




We rest our weary bones
The monument is not much, but the people that make it there are a special breed and I am proud to be one of them.












A 2012 poster at the monument showed many that came before us.




My entry into the final register..




The entry reads:
I started this journey to inspire others. I was inspired everyday by the beauty and miracles I witnessed first hand. Curiosity and the realization that I was living a dream most never have a chance to experience coaxed me from my warm sleeping bag each morning. When the going got tough it was the love, sacrifice, and support from family, friends and followers that kept me going and it is with the grace of God I completed this journey.
From my Heart




A Special Salute to Steve Fitch (GF, Gone Fishing) my Hiking Partner who hiked with me through thick-and-thin for 4 months covering over 1800 miles.
We both came to believe...



Joy Shared Is Twice The Joy

Once home I will write a conclusion and will be happy to answer questions and help anyone who is considering hiking the PCT. You can email your questions to me at heartyhiking@gmail.com
With All My
Heart