Summit Sisters

Summit Sisters how did they come about? It all started on White Blazes a Hiking Forum mainly for the Appalachian hikers. I have been reading the forum for a couple of years. Years of experienced hikers are active on there and helped me out a lot when I was getting ready for my hike on the Appalachian Trail.

There is a women group and Connie saw a need to form a club or a group for older women that were interested in hiking and most are first timers. As she befriended each one of the women from White Blazes Forum it evolved into a group of wonderful, independent women all ages and hiking experiences.

One of the group members, Donna opened a Facebook page for all of us. And then all hell broke lose. It was the best think that happened to all of us. We are now a group of 35 hikers. All wanting to hike Long Distances. We all have become great friends and talk almost daily. Start dates are all different and we have some on the west coast hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and most doing the A.T. Even thought we all wont be starting the same date we all have made a pack to meet at Trail Days.We then will all meet in person. Looking forward to that day.

One chat we were having on Facebook it was suggested that we have a name for our group. Well I personally like to have the trail name me (which it did). I thought the trail would come up with a name. Then I said we should have a mark on us a ribbon or something so in case we happen to meet on the trail we would know. Shes part of this group I have been talking to for  6 months on line. Didn't quite work like that.

April one of our members took it upon herself to not only name our group but to make a logo with our group name and the year we hiked. 2013. And another member Susan took it upon herself to find out were to get the logo made into a patch. All with no asking input from other members.

It ended up being the best name and the best patch. So when you see a Summit Sister Patch you can think to yourself. How wonderful the internet brought all these great women together for one purpose.To tru- hike the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. I am proud of our group of women. You will be hearing from all of us.

Perfect

There comes a time when you must stand alone, feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams.. You must be willing to make sacrifices, be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities so that your final goal can be achieved..
There are times when familiarity and comfort need to be challenged, where you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities.
Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better. Be confident enough that you won't settle for a compromise just to get by. Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life...
Do not stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way. ♥ Take one step at a time and keep moving forward ♥ :')

My Fear

Holidays are not my thing. Any of them even Birthdays. What do I like? Thats a good question. I have worked since I was 15 years old. If you want to count all the Babysitting I did well it would be 12.

Sometimes it would be 20 years before I even got a day off. Now in my twilight years I have found Long Distance Backpacking. 

Long Distance Backpacking you say. On one of my most cherished Facebook Page is a group of women all having the same dream. ( I cant say its a dream for me. ) We call ourselves The Sumit Sisters. A few have met. Some have dropped out some have moved to another trail. Some will hike, some wont, some will make it some wont. But on a recent post about the fear of not even trying came to hit me in a way that made me think about my life.

Since I have retired. I have a fear of not having anything to do. Oh yea I have cleaned out my cabinets, etc. But the hiking. Its not even hiking its Backpacking. Everything I will need on my back for months on end. When I come back from a backpacking trip I always think I don't need this or that.

People who have never done Backpacking don't understand and most don't even care. They don't even know how to talk to me. Thats ok  not to much of a people person. 

The wilderness. I crave it I want to be out in it ,to live there. It can be harsh at times and is not to forgiving. But the freedom you get is the most rewarding life you will ever have. Its not the views from the tops. Unless you are in the west. Its not the life long friends you make along the way. But they are nice to have. Its not the fact that you can live on the trail eating and drinking the same thing everyday.

For me. its the inner peace I get from being out in the Wilderness. My fear is not being able to ever do that again.

You now what they say. You carry your fears in your pack.  Well  I must think I going to starve. I always have extra food when I get into town for resupply. I start out with 4 days of food and then I put another day in just in case.

In case of what you ask?

I could be really hungry from hiking all day and eat more then I allotted for that day.


I could have to stay in a shelter for a day because of weather or I'm sore and need a day of rest. So I would eat my 5th day of food then.

I could come across a backpacker that has lost all his food to a bear and I would have plenty to share.


I could come across another backpacker that has simply  ran out of food because they didn't pack enough.

So I want to make sure. I pack food. 4 days of food and one extra day.

Appalachain Trail 2013 4 days of food.

So many trails so little time.

As I prepare for my upcoming hike on the Appalachian Trail and have met some wonderful tru hikers some many times. I just want to go hike. My problem I am having I want to hike them all. I know I am on the down hill side of my life . Of all the hikes which ones do I want to do. I keep going back to them all. The west pulls me everyday. And the hikes there go through places I have lived. So that would be fun to hike into Pie Town on the CDT or hike into Skykomish Washington from the PCT. But hiking the Appalachian Trail I can hike into Washington DC were I was born. I really don't need to go there through.

So where to go were to go. I m thinking I can park at one end to to the hike to the end. Get a shuttle/plane. Get in my truck drive to the next rail and do it again, Every state has trails. I think about the children and adults that never get out of their boxes and explore the Great American Trail systems that people have made for us. People have spent a lot of personal time and as you know when you are volunteering money out of your own pocket.

The first is the thought. Then contacting the government whether is city, county, state or  federal. Somebody had to go speak to the fathers that be. Then the land owners. Years it takes to make a trail. For who. US. We get to enjoy the outdoors. It is ongoing. There are Associations that still fight in city hall all the way to Washington. For US.

I have volunteered my whole life. Millions of miles on my vehicles. Millions of hours in my life. It was all very rewarding and I still keep volunteering but now its for the Trails that I love. I encourage everyone that has the same passion to Join the clubs that help keep the trails open for us.

 I want to walk them all get to know each one for their own legacy that they have. The history, wildlife, plants that I see that I don't know what they are. The challenges that are unique to each one. The remoteness, mountains, rivers, were to get water.  I want to feel it all.

The Trail Family that I have  well its hard to explain if you have never had one. People always ask why? I say because its there, because I have learned you can carry everything on your back for months. You don't have to answer to anyone but yourself. Which I always did what I wanted to do so that's not much different. But why does the Trail pull me in? Is there a big magnet that is not seen by the naked eye? Yes there is. And if you have never had that pull on you. IM sorry its your loss.

I was hoping if I wrote I would be able to decide what Trail to do now. I am packed so I could just walk out the door. Maybe I will.

Sweet Spot

Time of year

It has to be something in the Autumn air that makes me want to go out into the wilderness. Here I am again looking at trails, upgrading equipment, dehydrating food. My tent, I have either been using my sons or my friends one man tent. Unless my husband goes with me in which we take the 2 person Kelty that I love. So this year since I have decided this long distance hiking is not going away. I have bought a Tarp Tent Notch. I got the one with tall sides to help the sand and snow out when I hike the PCT and the CDT. I haven't used it yet but I have high hopes for it. The next new equipment is my backpack. I got a Hyperlite Mountain Backpack its water proof so no more rain cover to deal with.  It is very lite so this should ease up on my pain.

I am thinking about hiking this year starting Jan 1st at Key West.
I will keep you posted.

Sweet Spot