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Backpacking

Redemption! (Or Maybe Salvation?)

By About Eileen, Affirmations, Backpacking, F*** Cancer!, Follow Your Dreams, Goal Setting, Making It Happen

Declan and Eileen at the site of the makeshift helipad

July 2022.

My son Declan and I set out to finish our hike of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River in Yosemite. (Recall, last summer we were helicoptered out after my chemo ass fainted twice about 24 miles in….)

Well, this year we did it!

We started from the same trailhead, descended 3,600 ft, and waxed a little nostalgic as we camped in the same sites and trekked over familiar ground. Once again, we crossed paths with bears and snakes and marveled at the many beautiful wildflowers growing out of the rocky terrain.

Bear! (Gorgeous creatures!)

But upon coming back to the site of the makeshift helipad we both were struck with emotions. A mix of “Fuck yeah, we did it! We’re bad asses!” and “Now what?” (Recall in Finding Nemo after the Tank Gang plop into Sydney harbor in their Ziploc baggies?)

We hiked another 12 miles and 3,600’ back up the canyon, past some breathtakingly gorgeous waterfalls and mountain vistas, to the other end – completing our journey, both physically and spiritually.

I won’t lie. This hike is extremely challenging. 40 miles from end to end. 7,200 ft of overall elevation change. Granite staircases. Water crossings over downed logs and branches. Lots of sections exposed to sun, wind and freezing rain. There were times when we were both exhausted – physically and emotionally – and ready to call it. I’m so glad that we took turns encouraging one another to keep pressing on and finish.

My battle with cancer has been life changing in so many ways. That sounds trite, but I’m not just talking about me and my outlook on life. I hope that I’ve shown Declan (and by extension his sister Caitlin) how important it is to follow through on a goal, despite whatever obstacles life might throw your way. You might not make it on the first try, but try, try again!

 

Eileen atop Glen Aulin

 

Maybe Chemo isn’t the Best Time for Backpacking?

By About Eileen, Backpacking, F*** Cancer!, Follow Your Dreams, Making It Happen

Not how I wanted to end the trip!

July 2021.

My son Declan and I set out to backpack thirty miles through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne in Yosemite. When I got the wilderness permit six months ago I didn’t know I’d be going through chemo and still wanted to make a go of it. I’d been hiking and cycling and swimming in chemo, so I figured I could make this happen through sheer force of will.

Spoiler alert: I couldn’t.

We hiked about 24 miles, over 4,200 ft of elevation change in 85+ degree heat before my body gave out on me. On the third day I fainted twice on the trail. Declan was clearly scared but kept his wits about him and pushed back on me when I insisted that I could keep going. (Six miles and 2k+ feet back up the canyon to go – WTF was I thinking?!) Declan rang the SOS button on our Garmin satellite device and took charge. He communicated our situation clearly to the Yosemite rescue dispatch team as they mounted a response over the next few hours.

Ultimately, we got flown out of the canyon by helicopter by a great crew who feted Declan and didn’t make me feel like a totally crazy person for having tried to make the trip in the first place.

I’ve never been a person who took “No!” for an answer. It’s more like a challenge. Cancer and its treatment have been humbling. I am at once pissed off at what I’ve had to sacrifice physically and emotionally in the fight while also thankful for the fact that the treatments, while harsh, exist for me to suffer through and live.

Declan has promised to return next summer to the same spot from which we were rescued, to complete our trek. Stay tuned….

My First Backpacking Trip

By About Eileen, Affirmations, Backpacking, Follow Your Dreams, Living Our Best Lives, Making It Happen

For a long, long time, I’ve wanted to go backpacking.

I can’t pinpoint exactly when or from where this desire first sprang. Maybe it followed a day hike in the Sierras with fantastic views of a vast and beautiful wilderness beyond the reach of cars? Maybe it was a shared desire for adventure after reading “Into the Woods” by Bill Bryson or “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed?

Whatever its source, the desire grew within me. Problem was, no one I knew had any interest in backpacking. Not my husband nor any of my friends.

And so I was stuck – and for a long time.

Finally, about a year ago, I’d had enough. Enough of waiting for someone to come along to help me make my dream of backpacking come true. Enough of allowing my fears to keep me from forging ahead on my own.

So I started to do my homework – figuring out what equipment I’d need and what route would be appropriate for a beginner like me. I recruited my son Declan (12) who’d enjoyed two short backpacking trips with his Scout troop. We made a plan – a three day hike through Desolation Wilderness high above Lake Tahoe.

The night prior to our start, we car-camped near Fallen Leaf Lake. We pitched our tent amidst a dozen variously-sized RVs. Their generators hummed as we roasted marshmallows for s’mores in our fire pit. When bears started to roam the campgrounds after dark, as the rangers had warned they would, folks started to honk car horns to ward them off. We were sleeping on the ground in our tent, yes, but it didn’t feel like we’d really escaped to the mountains at all. The loud, frenetic din of modern life was all around us.

The next morning we set off. The first 2.5 miles were nearly straight up, some 1,000 feet, on narrow switchbacks through groves of red fir. Over the following four miles, we hiked along the saddle between two peaks, taking in stunning views of Lake Tahoe to the east and high Sierra peaks to the west. Snow still covered some of the north-facing slopes above 8,000 feet, creating several streams that we had to ford over rocks and downed tree limbs. We reached our destination – Upper Velma Lake – in mid-afternoon and set up our campsite. We swam in the lake’s crystal clear waters and hiked to a beautiful waterfall for lunch. We had crossed paths with a handful of other backpackers and were expecting some number of them to share our lakeside campground, but no one ever came. It was just me and Declan.

Now, if you’d told me I’d be all alone in the mountains with Declan for the night, back when I was planning the trip, or even when we were standing at the trailhead earlier that morning, I would have broken out in a cold sweat. Because, really, what beginner backpacker should be alone at 8,400 feet with her 12 year old? So many things could go wrong, from bears getting into our food – or our tent! – to a lightning strike, to a snake bite …. You get the picture.

I had expected that there would be some other people around, with more experience, who we could ask for help, if something went awry.

But there weren’t.

*&#$!*&^!

Turns out it was a blessing. When the sun went down and we tucked into our sleeping bags, all we could hear was the sound of the nearby waterfall. No generators, no car horns. (And if there were any bears nearby, they left us alone!)

Over the next two days, as we continued our journey, I felt the weight of so many doubts and fears that I’d been carrying slough off, one by one. And they weren’t just concerns about staying hydrated on our hike or getting comfortable pooping in the woods. They were the kinds of everyday self-doubts that keep you from taking risks. The kind of everyday fears that allow you to settle for something less than you deserve.

When we returned to the trailhead, I found myself at once energized and at peace, realizing that I can do just about anything if I set my mind to it. And, really, can’t we all?