Emma, our Aussie friend, coined the name. It came from her watching Patricia square herself up with her trekking poles on the rocky trails. On a particularly challenging section, she would make quick moves in order to line up properly and it became a habit.
This trek has been the hardest thing Patricia has ever done and the hardest thing we’ve ever done together.
And I think a lot of it is because there were so many truly epic days back-to-back. An early rise, a long strenuous day, and a late dinner from the get-go. A stomach bug and the altitude were big factors as well. With the altitude, it literally takes weeks for the body to fully adjust.
So this has been quite an amazing accomplishment in its own right. But there’s more to the story and I want to share a little on how this all came to be. Or how we came to be here.
So I’m going to go back in history and expose a couple of decision points in our lives. Probably points we never really thought much about at the time, but that’s what makes up the journey of life, right? And then I think I can tie it together and paint you a better picture of my soul mate.
Why do I want to share any of this? I dunno, I guess it’s because she’s made life grand for me, and we’ve had a grand time together on the adventure. An odyssey of life I suppose. But it’s not because we’ve purposely sought out challenges, maybe it’s more because we like the experiences of adventures. And all the expected and unexpected things that may challenge us are just part of the process of exploring.
Or maybe because we like to see and show others just how big and marvelous the natural world is. A world that includes all the peoples. And many times it shows us ourselves. And we realize that there are other, simpler, different and more important things that go on. And, for some reason, and even after approaching 40 years, we seem to come out of the other side with a story to tell and a gladness at the attempt, whether or not we’d ever do it again.
We first met in the 1980’s at our workplace when I was fresh out of college. I have always been active and loved the outdoors. Anything adventurous that didn’t cost much money. So backpacking, climbing, canoeing and the like, the harder the better. Patricia, on the other hand, had not had those opportunities and had not done much more than a car or boat camp with her family on summer weekends.
As we got to know each other, it became obvious she was up for any challenge. And, whether good or bad, she seemed ready to follow me just about anywhere and at anytime. Our hikes became extended hikes. And our extended hikes became backpacking trips. I can’t even recall how many adventures we had together in those early years.
One time in the mid-’80’s while we were dating, I asked Patricia if she wanted to go on an overnight backpacking trip into a true wilderness area, the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. She was up for it! So on a blustery, rainy day we drove the old ’79 Dodge three-on-the-tree pickup with the manual steering all the way over to Big Fat Gap in North Carolina. We saddled our big external frame packs, put on our ponchos, and left the truck in the rain.
In wilderness areas, there are no trail markers, only trail signs at the junctions. There are also no bridges, in keeping with the wild ethic. Our goal (my goal, I’m sure she had no idea where we were going) was to hike up alongside Slickrock Creek a few miles and then take the Naked Ground trail up to the saddle for camp. Tomorrow we would come out via the Hangover with resplendent views of the Smokies. An adventure sure to impress!
Did I mention it was late November? And all the leaves were down? Following a trail upstream in downed leaves with no trail markers is actually pretty difficult. Every little tributary has a game trail that looks like the main trail, but wanders off into the forest until it closes in and you have to backtrack. It took us hours to get up to the trail junction for Naked Ground. It rained the whole way.
Looking at the trail sign, I see “Naked Ground 3.1” officially carved into the wood. But down in the lower right corner what catches my eye are the unofficially carved words, “BALL BUSTER“. Hmmm. Maybe Patricia won’t notice.
The Naked Ground trail is steep, with about a 2,800 foot elevation gain in the 3-ish miles. It’s steepest at the top and switchbacks are rare. Patricia, to this day, has a ‘fond memory’ of being able to stand straight up on the trail and actually touch the trail in front of her with her finger.
Oh, this is also bear country, and hunting was in full swing. Partway up the trail, a bear dog joined us. Bear dogs are typically Walker dogs with radio collars so their owners can track them as they run the bear. This guy was lost and quite hungry, and no manner of shooing was going to run him off. He knew we were coming out somewhere and he was going to be a part of it.
The trio made camp about dark. I set up the big dome tent and turned to grab the stakes. When I turned back I could see the entire bottom of the tent as the wind carried it off the saddle like a big kite. Fortunately, the trees eventually pinned it down and we were finally able to crawl in, completely bushed. The food situation was light, but the dog nonetheless enjoyed the remaining chicken soup.
We came all the way out the next day. It had rained the entire time and the clouds were thick with no views to be had. The Hangover Lead trail dropped quickly and steeply and was nearly as bad as the Naked Ground trail. And it was slick, slick, slick from the mud and the leaves. I gave the bear dog to some hunters coming in that said they knew the owner. Once we got home I splurged for a long distance call (remember those?) to the number on the collar just to make sure he made it home okay.
This would have been a good opportunity for Patricia to beg out of future adventures or even decide that maybe she needed to go in a different direction with her future. Fortunately, she did neither.
One more story to get to where I want to go. By 1988, we had saved enough vacation time for some significant travel time Out West. We took my AMC Cherokee and camped every night, exploring as much as we could with no reservations or destinations pinned down.
Patricia and I ended up in the Tetons while the fires raged in Yellowstone that year, it was a major event. Yellowstone was obviously closed, and overnighting in the Tetons was banned too, due to the smoke and fire danger. Disappointed, ‘we’ opted for a long day hike instead. 23 miles to be exact. Up Cascade Creek to Lake Solitude, then across Paintbrush Divide, and down the Paintbrush Canyon trail.
Starting well before daylight, we hiked around Jenny Lake before climbing into the hanging valley of Cascade Creek. It was a cold, snowy day and somewhere up above Lake Solitude, after about 3,000 feet of climbing, we stopped for a breather. Looking back down, Grand Teton nearly brought tears to my eyes. It was perfectly centered in the glacier-carved valley below and I was filled with our Peru guide Ruben’s “mountain energy.”
It was decision time. If we continued on, we’d have another 800 foot of climbing and a much longer return to camp down the rocky and steep Paintbrush Canyon trail. It would be well after dark and include a couple of miles of road walking. So I asked Patricia what she wanted to do.
“Well, I don’t want to go back the way we came.”
…
We were married the following spring.
How lucky can a man be? I am blessed beyond measure with her attitude and willingness to explore, to see new things, to experience new cultures. If I said tomorrow “Hey, do you want to go hike the Andes in Peru in late winter at high altitude?” I’m pretty sure she’d do it.
Oh wait, I actually think the Peru trip was her idea….
But there’s a bit more to the story. Over the years, Patricia has had to work through several physical issues. After a stroke about 20 years ago, we found that she had a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), literally a large hole between the upper heart chambers. Something that was supposed to close after birth. The PFO allowed blood returning to the lungs to bypass back into the oxygenated blood, reducing available oxygen and possibly allowing blood clots, normally collected by the lungs, to get to the brain. Amazingly, this was repaired successfully. Patricia could actually feel a difference in her stamina, something she never knew was missing. She’s had chronic lower vertebrae issues for years, possibly stemming from a car accident at a young age. At one point Vanderbilt told her not to come back until she was ready for screws and plates. And for the past two or three years, there have been issues with migraines and other seemingly neurological problems. Last year, plantar fasciitis severely limited our activity traveling around the Great Lakes, and flared up again this year, threatening to derail our odyssey!
Patricia has a strong will and she just doesn’t give up. And with each issue she learned more about herself and how to manage the problems. In short, she’s learned to listen to her body. And it has been amazing to watch her determination pull it all together for this trip. And on the Peruvian Odyssey, it was almost like none of these issues ever existed! Which was good, because we really need to keep our focus on breathing, hahaha!
What a journey it has been so far! One thing we’ve learned together is that through your life journey you can adapt without compromising who you are. In fact, for a well-lived life, it’s probably a requirement.
Emma’s observation was spot-on. I’ve been working on a ‘badge of accomplishment’ just to remind Patricia that, no matter what the future holds, she can enjoy her status as a Trail Ninja. She’s not beholden to anyone. And now she has all these stories to tell!
