June 10, 2017
One week after running the Squaw Peak 50, Jon invited me to
hike Lone Peak with him and 2 other wranglers. I was feeling better i.e. the
uncontrollable shaking when I stood up had stopped and hadn’t come back the
rest of the week. I tried to go for an easy run on Wednesday and it was rough. I
think it was a combination of still being wrecked as well as allergies that
caused my knee hurt a little bit and my breathing to be super labored even
though I was just trotting along. So, when I got invited I was hesitant but
didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity so I said yes.
The trail was beautiful and very fun. On the way up, I could
feel some tightness in my knee but it wasn’t hurting. It made me nervous but I
kept at it and enjoyed the scenery. When we got to the snow someone mentioned
glissading on the way down. I looked up and thought they were joking. There was
no way we were going to glissade down it. It was crazy steep! I dismissed it
and, kicking out steps, charged up.
When Jon and I finally made it to the top we were stoked, giddy
with adventurous adrenaline. It had been a steep hike but the last stretch
required some sketchy scrambling. It was very exposed and I loved it. It looked
awesome and felt awesome! We went up in our trail running get up and met a
group of people in full on mountaineering gear. We effortlessly leaped around
the rocks. This also was in stark contrast to the group we had joined on the
summit. One of them was sprawled out and only moved around by crawling on all
fours. He looked petrified by fear. It made me reflect on how people react to
different situations. I have always been prone to being willing to throw
caution to the wind and take more risks outdoors. I have been known to be
referred to as an “adrenaline junkie”. I don’t know what factors may have
contributed to that but it seems like it is a part of my personality. I do
recognize that experience has helped give me confidence to be riskier. I remain
respectful but the more familiar I am with a situation, the more comfortable I
am and act more freely as a result. At
first, I chuckled to myself at the group of adventurers that we joined on top
of Lone Peak, but then I realized that even though they were so nervous up there,
they had reached the summit. They were really no different than me at all. They
were seeking adventure and wanted to get outside their comfort zone and push
their limits. Everyone is unique and has their own limits. Who am I to compare
myself to others and diminish their accomplishments even if just in my mind? After
recognizing that, I felt very proud of them.
As soon as we began our descent, the pain flared up. Ibuprofen
helped for a while but the final mile was awful. Every step sent sharp pain to
my knee. I resorted to walking sideways or even backwards to make it down. Aaron,
and Logan had long dropped me and eventually Jon did as well so I finished the
trek alone. I was very grateful to be done. Doing Lone Peak so soon after the
Squaw Peak 50 was a stupid decision. My body did not like it. It was awesome
though…
Thanks Aaron Williams for putting together such a cool video of our adventure!
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