Throwback Thursday: The Water is Just Fine

This Throwback Thursday is brought to you from the summer of 2011 and a trip to the beach in Port Aransas, TX. I was pregnant with Jack at the time. The photos and captions recently showed up on my Facebook "on this day" posts. Ever since this moment at the beach, I have been making an effort to get in the water, regardless of how I feel about swimsuits. I'm getting in the water and enjoying time with my kiddos. No more sitting on the sidelines.

I wasn't going to get in...

but then I kept thinking about how my brother 

always gives me a hard time for never swimming any more.

And I noticed that very few women over the age of 25 were actually in the water...

and I decided that I didn't want to be one of those people that never 

get in the water just because they are "grown up."

Daniel ALWAYS gets in the water...

...and I am glad I did too.

Life Lessons from Wilderness Trek

Twenty-three years ago I climbed Mt. Elbert in Colorado.

View from top of Mt. Elbert, summer 1992

It's kind of weird that I now have enough life experiences to state that something occurred twenty-plus years ago.

View of valley while hiking up Mt. Sherman, summer of 1994

Anyway, that particular trip was my first true backpacking experience, but certainly not the last. I have written about Wilderness Trek before, and it truly was one of the most influential experiences of my life.

Hiking up Mt. Sherman, summer of 1994
 

At the ripe age of twelve-and-a-half, I was exposed to grandeur beyond my comprehension and the principle that when life is difficult, it is always best to reach out and encourage, or help someone else.

Mt. Antero, summer of 1996

On Wilderness Trek every person carries not only their own essentials for a five-day trek into the wilderness, but also various items for the crew you are assigned to. Everyone is carrying weight beyond what you might think you can endure (35-50 lbs), and regardless of your fitness level, it is a tough trip. Obviously the more fit you are, the easier it is, but it isn't easy. 

Rapelling on the Mt. Antero trip, summer 1996

The thing that made the experience of climbing a mountain more bearable (besides the amazing views) was to try to motivate someone else who was struggling to keep moving.

My sister, Angela, and I on the Mt. Antero trip, summer 1996

When I could dig down deep and encourage another to keep plodding along, one foot in front of the other, it allowed me to forget my own difficult journey. If I could take a moment to encourage others to look up from staring at the ground and breathe in the beauty that we were all enveloped in, it allowed me to take in the moment myself.

 On the trail. Mt. Antero, summer 1996

Last week I was reminded of that principle. I was in a funk, in the midst of my very own pity party, focused on myself and some of my own frustrations. It was all I could think about as I drove to the Y for a midday pick-me-up.

 On the trail. Mt. Antero, summer 1996

Working out helped to lift my spirits and clear my mind. I felt less alone as I let the endorphins take away my frustrations. But it was after my workout that I was reminded of this lesson from my youth. 

Summit Day, Mt. Antero, summer 1996

As I spoke with a friend, I learned that another mom with a newborn was walking through a difficult valley right now. The cliff notes of the situation broke my heart and I felt ashamed of my pity party.

My sister on our "summit". We had to turn around before the actual 

summit because a storm was moving in. Mt. Antero, summer 1996

At that moment I shifted gears because I really believe that when we slow down, and move our focus from ourselves to how we can support others, it changes us for the better. It makes us better humans.

The girls on our "summit" as a storm moved in. Mt. Antero, summer 1996

I learned so much from Wilderness Trek, and even 23 years later I find that I am still applying those lessons to my life.

 Angela and I on our "summit" as a storm moved in. Mt. Antero, summer 1996

This is just one of the many lessons and experiences I had on Wilderness Trek. Those trips had a profound impact on me and I hope that someday my boys can have similar experiences.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 
Philippians 2:4  
...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.
Luke 10:27

Throwback Thursday: Then and Now

70s Roller Skating Trip, Spring 2001

Since having one of my college roommates visit last week, I have been thinking about some of the differences in my life since my college days.

Swimming at Heber Springs, not sure year, maybe 2001?

In college, eating a pizza at midnight was no big deal.
Now, late-night pizza would give me heartburn and mean exhaustion the next morning. Instead a bowl of frozen yogurt after putting Jack to bed is more my speed. That and going to sleep by 10pm.

Hanging out with friends, possibly Spring 2001?

In college, going out to eat meant fast food (and a break from the cafeteria). It was cheap and I had no money.
These days, going out to eat means a nice break from cooking and dishes... and it's NEVER fast food.

Spring Sing, Spring 2001

In college I collected all of my favorite music on CDs.
Now I listen to the local 80s and 90s radio station or Pandora. Mostly "classic" rock and lots of kids music as well.

Zurich, Switzerland, Summer 1999

In college, I went to the movies almost every weekend.
Currently watching a movie in a theater is a treat. I think we go twice a year. For one thing it got expensive, but mostly, we haven't really found a babysitter.

San Diego, Spring Break 2000

In college, gas cost between $0.70 and $1.10 a gallon.
These days gas never costs less than $3.00 a gallon.

Caving Trip, Spring 2001

In college my social life revolved around meeting up with friends in the caf or student center and figuring out what to do.
Now, social life is going to the gym and chatting with other moms on the playground. My friends tend to be the parents of Jack's friends.

Club Pledging Week, Fall 2001

In college, I took 18-20 hours every semester and worked as many hours as I could waiting tables at the Dixie Cafe.
After 8+ years working as a full-time graphic designer, I am now a full-time stay-at-home mom. On the side I do some freelance design projects (often late at night or during Jack's naptime).

Above Multnomah Falls, Oregon, Spring Break 2001

In college, I liked to spend weekends hiking, camping, canoeing or caving (anything outdoors).
I still love to do those things but have to plan a little more to accommodate our almost-three-year-old.

Rome, Italy, Summer 1999

In college vacation meant going home for the summer, couch surfing or camping.
Now a vacation means renting a vacation home for a week and enjoying the mountains or the beach with my little family.

Toronto, Ontario, Spring Break 2002

Speaking of vacation, Daniel has been working long hours with very few days off... I think it's about time we took a vacation.

Throwback Thursday: Virgin Falls 4th of July, 2003

What now seems like a lifetime ago, when we were first married, Daniel and I had this idea that we would go camping or backpacking for all of the major holidays (besides Thanksgiving and Christmas). The first year of our marriage we did pretty good – backpacking on Independence Day and New Years. After that it was a bit of hit or miss, though we did go to Mt. Rogers for Easter one year. 

Anyways, as newlyweds we had no money (Daniel was still in school and I made $7/hr even though I had a college degree) but we had a decent amount of time. Our mutual love of the outdoors led us on some amazing trips that cost us next to nothing. 

Unfortunately as we have gotten older, we have more money but less time. Right now Daniel has a somewhat sporadic work schedule that can have him working 13-hour days for weeks at a time. But when he is on a normal schedule, we try to enjoy his free time by doing fun outdoor activities as a family.

All of this to say, we won't be backpacking this holiday weekend... Instead this post is a look back to one of our first backpacking trips. 

To celebrate our first July 4th weekend as a married couple we decided to go backpacking in the Virgin Falls Pocket Wilderness area outside of Sparta, Tennessee. We had been there before in college and have visited at least one other time since. For this trip, we took Daniel's middle sister Amy with us.

The trail to Virgin Falls is a pretty difficult hike over rugged terrain, though it is only 4 miles to the waterfall. The falls themselves come out of an unmarked cave and cascade down 110-ft before entering another cave below. It is an interesting waterfall because it has no visible bottom.

About a mile in, you come to Big Branch Falls with a rock overhang that we have camped at in years past (on this trip, we arrived as it was getting dark). Further in, you come to Big Laurel Falls, which is a 30-ft waterfall with a cable crossing over the creek. The hike to Virgin Falls is mostly downhill with an elevation drop of 900 feet. Going down means you have to come back up. Coming out is what makes this hike so difficult. It is exhausting and if you are not planning on camping, you should make sure you have 8-9 hours to complete the entire 8-mile hike.

This was my second trip to Virgin Falls and I made the mistake of not eating or drinking enough. Letting myself get low on energy and water while doing an intense hike on a difficult trail was not one of my better judgments. Coming back from the falls I was hot, hungry and miserable. Every step of the 4 mile hike out was brutal. 

Daniel and Amy ended up going ahead of me to the car – Daniel (and I) knew that he couldn't push me any further and I would have to complete the hike myself. The best he could to do was get to the car, drop his backpack and come back and get my pack if necessary. 

I forced myself to finish the hike but I was in bad shape. Amy was worried and mentioned her concerns to Daniel when we stopped at a gas station after leaving the trail. Daniel (loving husband that he is) told Amy that I would feel better if I threw up. While they had this conversation, I was in the bathroom puking. He was right. I felt better after that. In all seriousness, my body was over exerted and under fueled. I think that getting sick helped my body to reset. After this I was able to sit in the cool car and drink water and eat and feel somewhat normal again.

It wasn't our best backpacking experience (especially since I got sick) but being that we were still newly married, I think it taught us that we could only encourage and push each other so far. Sometimes being a cheerleader isn't enough and you have to let your spouse go through hard experiences. Thankfully this hasn't stopped us from backpacking. 

If you are in the middle Tennessee area and looking for a good, tough hike with a waterfall at the end, I would recommend this trip. Just don't go if there has been a drought, you won't want to make the effort to go and see a drip of water. We have done this as a day trip and overnight.

Throwback Thursday: Camping

Back in the day we used to camp and hike. A lot. When we were first married, it was an every weekend affair. After we moved to Charlotte, we still did it but the regularity diminished – thank you house renovation. In recent years (besides living in a campground for 3 months), camping has become more of a yearly thing, if that. Case in point, our last camping trip was to the Sipsey Wilderness in 2011.

So I can't tell you how excited I am that we are doing a quick overnight camping trip this Friday. It will be a first for Jack – really for all of us since we have never camped with a baby before. I cannot wait.

I thought I would share a couple of our early camping experiences with you...

One of our very first camping trips (after we were married) was to the Virgin Falls Pocket Wilderness Area located south east of Sparta, TN. On this particular trip, Daniel's sister Amy came with us. It was July, 2003 and I believe we were celebrating Independence Day. The main thing I remember from this experience was getting severely dehydrated and getting sick once we got off the trail. We have been to Virgin Falls several times and as long I stay hydrated, it is a great camping trip (or a good hard day hike – it is about 8 miles round trip and all uphill at the end).

Another camping experience that was significant to us was celebrating our first anniversary and New Year's (January 2004) by hiking part of the Appalachian Trail in the Smoky Mountains. We took the Anthony Creek trail (out of Cades Cove) up to connect with the AT. Our second night on the trail was spent in an AT shelter with a group of Eagle Scouts. Happy Anniversary! I was the only girl. The Anthony Creek trail was a tough ascent up but once we were on the AT, we had some really incredible views.

After we moved to Charlotte, we fell in love with Mt. Rogers and the Grayson Highlands in Virginia. If you didn't know, Jack's middle name is Grayson because of our love of this area. Our first trip to Mt. Rogers was in March of 2005. There was a huge storm while we were on the mountain and we were not exactly prepared for the crazy weather. We loved the area, but after spending the night huddled in a shelter, we cut our trip short.

Our longest hike/backpacking trip to date was in the Jefferson Wilderness Area in Virginia. In July of 2005, we drove to Damascus, VA where we had a shuttle drop us off 40 miles from town. Over the course of 3 days, we made our way back to our car and civilization.

I have really missed backpacking and truly hope that as Jack gets older we can make more of these kinds of trips. If you are interested in some of our trips since I started blogging regularly, you can read about them here: Linville Gorge (2007), Gabes Mountain Trail (2007), Turkey Creek (2008), Carver's Gap (2009), Bob Bald (2010), Sipsey Wilderness (2011)

Thursday Things: Valentine's Day 2013

10 Things You May Not Know About Me and Daniel

1) We met on a caving trip in the spring of 2001 – shortly after Valentine's Day, I believe.

2) The only year we bought Valentine's gifts was the first year we were dating {I think we knew that we would get married}.

3) That gift {investment} was rapelling gear. 

4) We took my family rapelling at "B" Rock in Searcy to celebrate this day of love.

5) We ran into my parents on our first date – this was probably the biggest negative to going to college in the same town your parents live in. 

6) Daniel was the first {and only} person I ever dated, so I felt very awkward seeing my parents.

7) Our first date included dinner at Colton's Steakhouse; Taming of the Shrew at HU {where we saw my parents during intermission and Daniel may have called my Canadian mother "ma'am"}; followed by an epic amount of time talking and drinking coffee at Midnight Oil.

8) Daniel does not enjoy plays or musicals. Especially musicals. I think I manage to drag him to one every other year {if I'm lucky}. *He must have really liked me to take me to see a play on our first date!

9) Our favorite song when we were dating was "Stick Shifts & Safety Belts" by Cake.

10) Today our favorite song is "All I Want Is You," the Tristan Prettyman cover of a Barry Louis Polisar song.