South Sister, the "easy" sister.

"South Sister turned out to be a decidedly less than extreme climb that demanded nothing more in the way of technical skill than energetic walking, and was in fact ascended by hundreds of farmers, house pets and small children every summer." - Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

This speaks to my frame of mind as I loaded up my car and headed to Bend to meet Jesse for our "energetic walk". I had done a little research and knew it was 12 miles, but other than that I was going in blind. We met in Bend, drove the 45 minutes to the trail head, parked our cars and called it a night.

The plan was to start at 5am, when 5am rolled around I had only slept 20 minutes and it was still dark and very cold out so we ended up leaving at 6am. As we embarked on our adventure it was business as usual for team Jesse/Kristi, we laughed (at each other mostly) and caught up on life. Since the beginning of this year Jesse has been my hiking partner extraordinaire, we have laughed our way thru directional challenges, battled unmaintained trails, and even suffered heat stroke, but in June he moved to Eugene and it'd been a couple months since we'd hiked together.

We arrived at Morraine Lake and I made the comment "so we should be at the summit in about 1.5/2 hours... right?" Jesse chuckled at me, yea no. I love hiking with Jesse because we have the same sense of humor, every hike we have a Princess Bride moment where we talk about one of us falling down a hill shouting "As you wish!!!!", then there's the Malcom in the Middle moments where we start sounding like the asthmatic kid that can't breath, usually followed by a nostalgic talk about some 90's tv show or movie (this time it was Sister, Sister). We laughed at the gaggle of over exuberant "bros" that passed us as we made our way to the false summit.

It was a mostly enjoyable hike up, although admittedly I probably should have stopped at the false summit. We stopped and ate lunch by a beautiful alpine lake and I got to feed a chipmunk right out of my hand! I made Jesse take a picture of me while I was feeding said chipmunk to which he responded "Sometimes I forget you're a girl" in his most disgusted voice, that may have been the nicest thing he's ever said to me =).

We spent then next couple hours battling volcanic scree and finally made it to the summit where a fellow hiker greeted us with "Congratulations! You're done with the optional part!" Crap. After doing our best Dumb and Dumber reenactment "We're here!" we sat right where we fell. The Summit was beautiful, with panoramic views of Middle and North Sister as well as Mt. Bachelor and Broken Top. After spending about 1.5 hours at the top, it was time to go down. I found this to be less than pleasant. As hard as it was to climb up the volcanic scree, it was even harder come down. It's worth noting that other people (everyone else) seemed to be getting down with relative ease however my bad knees did not allow me this luxury. I was passed on the way down by literally everyone, this included a Chihuahua with a limp, not shining moment for me, but luckily I have a stellar buddy that refused to leave me behind despite me telling him to numerous times.

The 6 miles back felt more like 16. I prayed to see the road around every bend and started to question if I really enjoyed hiking. After a 13 hour grind we finally made it back to the cars! In this adventure there was blood (Jesse), sweat (both), and tears (me), but it was worth every step. If I had to do it all over I would do it again in a heart beat. There is something intangible about the bonds that you build while out on trail, sweating, and hurting, and laughing all the way (well, most of the way). Thanks for the adventure Jesse!

Mt. Adams Adventure

At the beginning of the year I started my "2016 list", things on my list include : Backpack the Kalalau Trail, go sky diving, get a tattoo, CLIMB A MOUNTIAN. Basically anything pushing myself outside my comfort zone. Honestly, I didn't think I was going to cross "Climb a Mt"off my list this year, so when my neighbor Vicki called and said "Want to climb Adams with me?" I jumped at the opportunity.

I had a little over a month to get myself ready. I got busy with a couple trips and a lot of excuses and didn't end up doing much training during the month. As the climb got closer, my anxiety level increased. I'd never done anything like this before so I had no idea what to expect and if you know me at all you know, I'm a control freak and I like to know what I'm getting into.

A couple days before the climb my neighbor and I went to the Mountain Shop to rent our equipment.
I have hiking boots but I thought I needed something a little more sturdy to opted to rent boots (this would prove to be a mistake), crampons, and an ice axe. I was ready.

The day of the climb Vicki and 2 of her hiking buddies came and picked me up and we were off!
We drove about 2 hours to the Ranger Station to meet up with the rest of the group and get our permits. There were 18 people in our group. 18!



I felt really good as we started our hike to base camp, that feeling was fleeting. As we came to our first stop I could feel the "hot spots" on the back of my heels signifying the beginning of what would be 2 of the most glorious blisters to grace my feet. By the 2nd stop I had 2 gigantic full fledged blisters. Now this is not my first rodeo, I know when you start feeling hot spots you should stop and tape but my ego and stubbornness got the best of me and I thought "I'll just take care of it at base camp". After a couple detours to lose my lunch I slowly made my way up the last stretch and stumbled into base camp, wrecked.

I set up my tent as quickly as I could, zipped myself inside and began having a meltdown. I sent a couple "I don't think I can do this" texts. I knew how bad my feet were but was trying my hardest to pretend I was good. I decided the best course of action was for me to sleep it off. We had a 3am wake up call and I was deteremined to summit this Mt.. Fast forward 8 hrs later, I'm suited up, crampons on, ready to tackle this Mt., I got about 20 ft up the Mt before it was painfully clear that this wasn't happening for me. My blisters were bad, where the crampons clipped into the boots were digging right into them. I haven't been that disappointed in while, I HATE not finishing things.

I had a lot of time to think as I lay in my wind battered tent. I was battling myself  "Could I have done it?", "Is this the right choice?", "Is everyone going to think I'm a quitter?", I beat myself up for hours, then suddenly. Peace. I'm a very stubborn person, I often take things to far to prove I can do anything, sometimes to the point of bad decision making. Turning around was hard for me, I considered my physical predicament, it was dark on the mountain

so if I had to turn around I would be wandering down the Mt in the dark by myself. I thought about Noah. It was the right decision for me.

While I was up there my dad sent me text that said "Your best is good enough", and that stuck with me. Last year I would have never dreamed I would be sleeping in a tent I assembled on the side of a mountain. I learned some valuable lessons on this adventure, don't rent boots, stop and tape your blisters, and YOUR BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH =)

Being BIG

When I think back on what I thought my life would be like "when I grew up" I did not envision this.
I didn't picture myself as a single mom, living back at home, starting over. Don't get me wrong, my life isn't terrible by any means. I have wonderful family and friends that love and support me, its just not how I pictured things.

In a way my "reboot" was the best thing that could happen to me, I would consider this me, Kristi 2.0. A year ago I found myself ending a long relationship and coming to terms with another relationship I had long thought would pan out, it was my rock bottom. My rebuild wasn't without its drama, there was messiness and sadness and anger but during this time I rediscovered me.
Somewhere along the line I let "life" get in the way, I forgot to set goals for myself and decided being content was the same as being happy.

I've learned its ok to be broken. Sometimes we stay in our pajamas all day and eat ice cream for dinner. Sometimes we cry and fight over homework till bedtime. Sometimes I let Noah watch too much TV because I'm exhausted and feel like I can't function. But sometimes I try to climb mountains, I hike trails that I never thought I'd be able to finish, I get in sketchy canoes on beautiful lakes (even though I'm terrified), I drive thousands of miles and see beautiful places, stand on rickety bridges, and spray paint my name on old buses.

I've found my inner "BIG" after years of making myself small, even when I fail (which is often) I still feel BIG. I may not be exactly where I thought I would be, but that's ok. I'm learning to find joy in the journey, and learning its ok to just be me. I decided 2016 was going to be a good year and I haven't been disappointed.

Arizona Road Trip Pt 2

Our next stop, Lower Antelope Canyon!
This was one of the coolest places I have ever been, well worth the 20$ tour ticket (and the 8$ fee to get on the reservation). We booked through Ken's Tours, the guide was amazing, she shared the history of the area and canyon  as well as some Navajo folklore.

After our 3 hours of walking through this amazing canyon we got back in the car and drove to Flagstaff, AZ to Locket Meadow Campground. Lockett Meadow is beautiful, primitive camp sites nestled between aspen trees with breathtaking views of the San Francisco peaks, it was a perfect place to relax in the hammock and enjoy a quiet evening.

                                   

We (I) had our sights set on tackling Humphey's Peak, so we (I) packed up the tent and headed to the Arizona Snow Bowl where the trail starts.


                                           These smiles didn't last long.

                                                 

        Forced smiles and delirium

                                       
He was pretty much done at this point, but we had 3 more false summits to go!

After HOURS of blood, sweat, and tears we made to the top! 12, 633ft, the highest point in Arizona!

We only stayed at the top for about 5 mins, there was a gigantic thunderstorm coming right for us so we hurried of the mountain as fast as we could. As we were hiking down Noah made it very clear "this was never his dream and not on his bucket list". My hope is always that even with all the craziness he will look back at these adventures, smile, and know that I loved him the most.

Good times.
Good company.
Good adventure.

Arizona Road Trip Pt 1

Adventure:
Arizona Road Trip - Grand Canyon / Horseshoe Bend

Our little Arizona road trip had been on the horizon for quite some time, we (I) had come up with a pretty grueling schedule taking us from Phoenix to Page, then into Utah and pretty much everywhere in between, the one thing that I had hadn't taken into consideration was the heat.
Much to my dismay (and Noah's delight) most of the hiking got cut out of our itinerary due to the extreme temperatures.

New plan in hand we boarded our plane to PHX. As soon as we stepped outside the terminal we felt it. It. Was. Hot. Too hot. We picked up our truck and some snacks for the road and we were off to the Grand Canyon!

Noah was not very excited about the Grand Canyon (he was eager to get to Page) so we only spend about an hour exploring. As usual I got too close to the edge and he scolded me.

We got back on the road and made our way toward Page, AZ. This is a beautiful but LONG drive.

                                                    Somewhere near Tuba City, AZ

 We rolled into Page around sunset, set up our tent near the lovely Lake Powell and tried to get some sleep. It was so hot that neither one of us really slept much. After tossing and turning for a couple hours we got up around 0430 and took showers (YAY for campsites with showers!) and headed out for Horseshoe Bend.
                                                         I love a good warning sign.

 We arrived at Horseshoe Bend at about 0600 and there were already quite a few people there.
This is a short 1.4 mile out and back hike, its very popular/touristy but so worth it. I mean, look at it!

                         

                           

As we were on a schedule we spent about 30 mins basking in the amazingness that is Horseshoe Bend and then made our way to our next stop...

Good times.
Good company.
Good adventure.

That NW Bus / Palouse Falls

Adventure:
That NW Bus / Palouse Falls

What do I do on Wednesday? I pile 2 of my good friends and my son into Subie and head for Eastern Washington. Why?

                                                                       This. Bus.

 From Vancouver, Wa its a 4.5 hr drive (one way =/) to get to this beauty, buts its totally worth it.
Its just a random bus parked in the middle of a field, in the middle of nowhere, but look at it!

                                                    We came. We saw. We tagged.

After we'd had our fill of exploring, tagging, climbing, and pretending to drive the bus we piled back into Subie and headed ten (ish) miles up the road to Palouse Falls.

The plan (ok, my plan) was to hike around Palouse Falls however, it was a pretty hot day (90's) and not wanting to hear Wylie and Noah bicker the ENTIRE time I decided to pull the plug on the hiking and just enjoy the falls from a far.
We didn't stick around as long as we probably should have considering the amount of it took to get there but we were tired and still had 4.5 hrs to drive to get back home, so it was back into Subie for us and home we went.
                                               A rare moment of silence on this 9 hr drive.

Good times.
Good company.
Good cdventure.

Vance Creek Bridge

Adventure :
Vance Creek Bridge

I had been wanting to venture out to this bridge for a while but that had always managed to talk myself out of it. Too far away. No one to go with. Its trespassing and I don't want to get a ticket.

Randomly one day I was talking to Ray at work and BOOM. Wednesday at 0500, we were going.

I had done a bit of research on how to get there and figured I could find my way once we were in the area, so we set "Vance Creek Viaduct" into Google maps and we were on our way.
136 miles later were on NF-23 and found ourselves parked at this gate

 We quickly decided not to park there and continued down the road for about a mile and until we found a clearing with a more convenient and inconspicuous place to park.

I had read online that we should expect obstacles that the logging company had put on the trail to try and discourage adventures from going to the bridge. I was thinking American gladiator (maybe we should stretch before hand as not to injure ourselves) but was met with a very lack luster effort to thwart us. Most of these "obstacles" were laughable, extremely small trees you could literally step over without any effort at all.

After a brave 1.25 mile hike we found ourselves at That NW Bridge!

This bridge is amazing and terrifying and sketchy.

You can see 347 feet straight down!

"Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile... initially scared me to death."              -Betty Bender

• This is a must see for any PNW adventurer, that being said, we knew the risks and possible consequences for going on this adventure and were willing to take the risk.

Good times.

Good company.

Good adventure.