Pandemic Backpacking practice

 Around the beginning of the pandemic (possibly before), my sister convinced me to take time off the end of June with her and my nephews to do some camping, hiking, and possibly backpacking in the mountains of Colorado. My sister's middle son has expressed an interest in hiking the Colorado Trail maybe after he graduates High School next year, so I worked on a semi-easy route to show him the route and introduce him to a small part of the Colorado Trail. 

My plan was to do 10 mile days on the Colorado Trail from Twin Lakes to Monarch Pass/Fooses Creek. I figured it would be low enough to not have a problem with Snow, but still have some decent climbs to give my nephew an idea of what he would be getting in to. 

As the time approached, my sister started to bail out due to work, money, and safety concerns. She moved from backpacking to meeting up a little and doing some hiking, maybe camping. The pandemic anxiety that has hit many of us overtook my sister, thus removing her from the equation all together for the week I now had off from work. Well, I was not going to let it go to waste. I was going to test my backpacking gear on a daily basis as my husband supported me each night with campsites and food. 

So, we took off from home early Saturday morning to get to Twin Lakes Dam at a decent hour to make the 10 mile hike to Clear Creek reservoir. It was amazing how many people were camped along the edge of Twin Lakes not far from the Colorado/Continental Divide Trail there at the Dam. Social distancing was next to non-existent. For the first mile or so there were people camping, and it worried me that I would have this amount of population along the trail the whole time. Luckily, once the trail moved away from the lakes I saw fewer people.

 

The hike was pretty uneventful and I was feeling pretty good...no nausea/vomiting, and I was carrying my REI Flash UL 50 pack with my tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and some clothes as well as water. My husband's job was to find us a good shaded spot at Clear Creek Reservoir, where he would set up camp before he went to run. I could then come in to camp and be setup to wait and rest. Luckily, he found an amazing shaded spot despite the overpopulation of the free campground.

The next day, I woke up early and started out on my 18mile hike from Clear Creek reservoir to Silver Creek Trailhead near Buena Vista. In 2017, I started this section of the Colorado Trail and found myself puking up the first climb and bailing at the first valley, where I met a nice couple who drove me to Buena Vista to recover and lick my wounds. This time, I was feeling good despite the long tough climb. I had an apple and was carrying my running vest with everything I would need for the day. 

The trail was relatively empty, and I trekked along peacefully. On the second climb of the day, I started to remember how much I did NOT enjoy this section when I did the entire Colorado Trail in 2013. So, why was I out there doing it again? I finally made it to the top of the ridge and loved the views, but at that point it became my job to just get through the hike and meet up with my husband.

 

Along the route, I enjoyed remembering the fun times of the hike in 2013 and how it was done in a thunderstorm, which had made Liz and I nervous, but we kept going. The views from up high were beautiful, and I kept hoping I would somehow run into my husband. Unfortunately, I did not run into him. Jasper and I made the entire 18miles to the trailhead, and did not see my husband. So, we wandered to the start of the next section of the Colorado Trail, as that was the true trailhead where I agreed to meet my husband. He was not there either, so Jasper and I enjoyed the river and waited for my husband to arrive. A

After waiting for almost an hour, I decided to return to the other trailhead, where I ended up finding the car, but not my husband. I figured he had only made it up the trail a little way, but eventually my phone had enough signal to receive the text message from my husband, who had made it 4 miles up the trail looking for me. I told him to come back as I was at the trailhead. Once we were reunited, we made camp, had hotdogs and macaroni and cheese and headed to bed.

Upon waking the next morning, I decided I was done hiking sections of the Colorado Trail that I did not like when I hiked the whole trail in 2013, and I was going to rest for the day with the plan to start at Monarch Pass the following day and do the Collegiate West side of the loop. So, my husband went for a run while Jasper and I rested, checked out Cottonwood Pass, which I would be crossing in a couple of days, and waited for my husband to finish his run. 

Once my husband was done and had met up with us at the Avalanche Trailhead, we headed for Monarch Pass to find camping for the night. We attempted to take the road up to Boss Lake, but made it only a small distance before deciding we did not have the appropriate car for that route. From there, we moved to Old Monarch Pass Road, where we found an amazing campsite overlooking the highway leading up to Monarch Pass. Despite the sound of semi-trucks throughout the evening, we enjoyed the site and felt like we were mooning the traffic as we squatted in the woods.

 

Upon waking the next morning, I again decided I did not want to backpack and was worried about the amount of snow in the area. So, we headed to Buena Vista for breakfast, WiFi, and to make new plans. While eating breakfast, I mentioned to a friend that we were headed to the Flat Top Mountains, and she suggested the Devil's Causeway. We took her suggestion and headed for the Flat Tops and the Devil's causeway. We found a wonderful pay campsite next to a waterfall that was spring fed, and spent 2 nights. The mosquitoes were awful, but the sound of the water all night was very relaxing. 

When we were headed out of the Flat Tops, my husband decided to run from one side of the flat tops to the other, and I picked him up from there.

 

My husband had decided that since we were sooo close to Dinosaur National Monument, we might as well go so that I would stop bugging him to go. So, we headed for the Northwest part of the state, where we checked out the Utah side of Dinosaur National Monument and then camped on BLM land near the Colorado side.

The following morning, we packed up camp and headed out to checkout the Colorado side of Dinosaur National Monument. At this point, I was only doing little hikes here and there. With nobody getting in our way at Dinosaur, we made quick time looking at everything we could with the dog before heading to Steamboat Springs area.

In Steamboat area, we found dispersed camping up a pass that is part of the Run Rabbit Run 100 course. It was a beautiful site, but we woke up the next morning with a desire to move on to something new. So, we packed up and headed towards Grand Lake/Granby area. Along that route, we found a spot for my husband to run and me to hike on the Continental Divide Trail. What an amazing spot! My hike was cut short due to hail and thunder while on a ridge, but my husband was able to complete his entire run.

Upon completing his run and learning that he had seen a Mama Moose and her baby, I was determined to see a moose. So, we headed to Rocky Mountain National Park. With the COVID restrictions of needing a reservation time during thedaytime, we were forced to wait out the time limit at Grand Lake, where the dog was allowed to swima little. 

In Rocky Mountain, the first thing we encountered was a field of Moose! So, I felt fulfilled. We then took trail ridge road over to Estes Park and made our way home. It was nice to revisit my favorite park, but did makefor a long day in the car. We were both happy to be home after that day. Overall, the trip, despite bailing on the Backpacking gear testing was a success. We simply kept moving away from the populated areas to find dispersed camping away from all people. The best spot was the Colorado side of Dinosaur national Monument. I think we may return someday, but will not be able to bring the dog, so it may be a long while.

Memorial Day Adventures in Backpack training

 With my North Country Trail trip postponed until next year, I have the chance to test out gear, get in shape, and figure out things like food, pace, and rest. The first adventure in practicing/testing all of this was Memorial Day weekend.

My husband and I left from work on Friday after work and headed to Lost Creek Wilderness area with the hopes of having decent trails and minimal snow. We chose a lower route again hoping for good trails. A good portion of the Lost Creek Wilderness consists of open valleys divided by groves of trees. It is a beautiful area that few people are aware of in the Metro Denver area. 

Upon arrival to the trailhead, after getting Wendy's for dinner, we found a place to setup camp just up the connector trail a little. It was a perfect place for the night. We were close enough to return to the car in the morning to fully pack up and get started, but far enough from the trailhead to not be bothered by people passing on the road.

The next morning, we got up, packed up our packs, and headed out on the Colorado Trail Segment 4 to do a lollipop loop of the Lost Creek Wilderness. The first day was planned to be on the Colorado Trail from Long Gulch Trailhead to the connection with the Brookside McCurdy Trail. Along the way, we decided to take a detour at Payne Creek trail as the trails appeared pretty dry and clear. This would lead us to do the Brookside McCurdy Payne loop instead of going past The Castle. We found a great spot to setup camp next to a stream, and got in at such a time to be able to relax, which was much needed as I had vomited at one point during the day and was having trouble wanting to put more food into my body. 

I'm not real sure what caused the vomit episode. I was trying to make sure I took plenty of breaks as I often power through things and then deal with the repercussions later. That has not helped in the past as I just perpetuate the problem. So, I had stopped to rest while my husband chatted with some runners he knew doing the Brookside McCurdy loop on a long run. Upon returning to our trek, I coughed a little, and then threw up. From there, my stomach was unsettled the rest of the day, and I was afraid of putting in more food. About 4 miles from the end of our day, I finally pooped, which I had been needing to do since the beginning but had trouble with because we kept leap frogging another duo in the woods with their dog. This helped my stomach a little and by the time I reached camp for the night, I was able to eat...after some rest.

After wonderful sleep for the first real night out on the trail, we got up, had breakfast, and headed out for our new route. Day 2 brought us across a section of the Payne Trail that my husband and I had hiked previously. It was nice to have the familiarity.

 

This day, I woke up feeling good, and had hardboiled eggs and some cheese for breakfast. These did not stay down long, and I found myself vomiting more than the day before. It was a really weird phenomenon as I felt fine otherwise, but just ended up puking everything I had in my system. Once I got it all out, then I was mostly alright except for the lack of energy as the day wore on. At one point, I discussed camping at the Payne Creek Trailhead and having my husband run to get the car in the morning to come get me. He talked me in to continuing. I was able to get a little bit of food into my system and keep it down, so I agreed to keep going. At this point, the thunderstorm rolled in.

We moved along the trail slowly, making many stops to rest. With our slow pace, my husband finally took some of the weight from my pack. That helped for a little while, until it didn't. He then took my pack for awhile and I took the dog. My husband had the task of finding us a camping spot and setting up camp as it was beginning to snow. We made it to a trail junction and I took my pack back, as I was warmer with it. This of course slowed me down along with the increasing nausea as we climbed to 11,000+ feet. At the top of the pass, the wind whipped up from the valley and nearly froze me. We found the first flat spot with a tree covering it and minimal snow, and set up camp. My husband moved quickly as I was shivering too much. I should have stopped to put on my warm layer, but just wanted to find camp. Lesson learned there. 

As soon as the tent was up, I was inside with my pack digging for warm, dry clothes, and getting in my sleeping bag. Thank you Wilderness First Responder course from March 2020. I was still having trouble warming up, and once my husband got himself settled, he draped himself over me to help warm me up. It was not long and I was finally not shivering and had warmed up enough to think clearly. At that point, I was very tired, but semi-hungry. My husband cooked us dinner after making hot chocolate (my favorite calories on ANY backpack trip) and I was able to put some calories in. 

In the morning, we woke to this beautiful winter scene     We got up, packed our packs for our final hike of the weekend...back to the car! I was actually feeling better despite having had a major episode of vomiting in the tent, where I brought up the acidic yellow contents of my stomach. I was still nervous about eating, but at least I was feeling good enough to get moving. 

The day was magical in the beginning with all the snow cover, although it was challenging finding the trail at times. Then it started warming up, and things got sloppy. It had not snowed enough to really cover the trail, but made it sloppy enough to be careful as we hiked along. After a rough night with our first winter camping experience, learning on the trail, we put on our packs and hiked with purpose to get back to the car. The trek to the car seemed longer than the whole weekend put together. We started to wonder if we somehow missed a turn. Once back at the car, it was nice to remove the muddy/wet shoes and put on flip flops. We had survived, and we were thankful for the experience.

Flexibility in Adventuring During a Pandemic

Well, this post is a little late. I wanted to post on the day I was supposed to start my thru-hike of the North Country Scenic Trail (22 Apr 2020); however, I was actually working that day. Yes, I was working. With the development of the Coronavirus/COVID19 pandemic, I watched as shelters on the Appalachian Trail closed down, and the Boston Marathon got delayed to September. With the change in date of the Boston Marathon and states closing across the nation, I flipped my itinerary plans to start in North Dakota vs Vermont. Then, I saw more closures of the big trails like the Pacific Crest Trail, and heard stories of thru-hikers being pulled off. This pandemic started to get a little more real, and watching the news told me this was not going to be my year for doing a Thru-hike. I could not in good conscience leave my fellow healthcare workers during a pandemic that looked like it was knocking them down daily.

So, a week prior to my stated last day at work (10 Apr 2020), I notified my boss I would stay on for another year. He got me put back on the payroll, and I was included into the 4 day rotation of research nurses in the office/clinic. As Good Friday (my proposed last day) came, followed by my birthday (the alternate start date in North Dakota), I worked on embracing the idea of "training" for the North Country Trail (NCT) this summer vs actually hiking the NCT. Thank goodness the North Country Trail Association created the virtual #hikefromhome allowance to their annual Hike 100 Challenge.

Each year, the North Country Trail Association encourages hikers and backpackers to enjoy 100miles of the NCT and receive a patch. Knowing I was going to be hiking the entire 4800miles of the trail, I signed up for the 100mile challenge the beginning of the year, and even posted on the facebook group page that I would be doing the 100mile challenge x48. Well, COVID had me wondering whether I will even get 100miles on the trail. That's when I got the notice that the NCT Association, for the month of April, was allowing any miles walked/hiked to count towards the 100mile challenge, all I had to do was post to the facebook group and add #hikefromhome, #hike100nct, and #northcountrytrail to my post. I was able to complete the 100miles in just 8 decent hikes all without having to drive anywhere.

This new knowledge got me motivated to get started, and I headed out on my first hike from home adventure in training for my now NCT Thru-hike2021. Colorado was shelter in place except for essential activities and luckily, exercise is considered essential in Colorado. I left my home about midday and headed out with my trusty dog, Jasper (who won't be able to join on the true NCT due to animal restrictions in certain areas along the trail).

The first adventure I recorded was to Green Mountain and back home. An adventure that took me 9.39miles and made me realize how many people use the trails at Hayden Green Mountain Park to recreate. So, I peeled off the main trails on to the animal trails to maintain social distancing guidelines. Then followed the C-470 bike path to the neighborhoods, past the shelter where we got Jasper, and back home after a stop at the water ditch for Jasper to swim a little and cool off.




The second adventure was longer than the Green Mountain adventure, and I made sure there was plenty of water involved for the dog. Jasper and I took off from home and headed to Crown Hill Park, 3miles northeast of my home. We ventured through neighborhoods to get there, and then wandered the entire perimeter prior to moving towards the lake in the middle and thus allowing Jasper to swim and cool off. We enjoyed taking in the adornments of people's yards. On the return home, we stopped to say a little prayer at the outdoor statue of Our Lady of Fatima, enjoyed some time in a water ditch, and met up with my husband with whom we shared our day's adventures. Eleven miles completed for this hike and to get us to 20miles of the 100 goal.

On to the third adventure. For this adventure, Jasper and I took off from home again heading towards downtown Denver, namely Sloan's Lake. My husband warned me it was going to be busy at Sloan's Lake, but I was not aware just HOW busy it was going to be, and I was glad I had my thicker buff to use as my mask. A lot of my loop around Sloan's Lake consisted of walking not on the concrete path but through the grassy yard areas. Occasionally, Jasper & I would duck in to the lake to cool off the dog. Then, it was a matter of completing the loop as quickly as possible and returning home. I had hoped to stop by Joyride Brewing to pick up some crowlers and support one of my favorite beer joints. Unfortunately, they were not open at the time of my return. On the way to Sloan's Lake, I forgot to mention walking a little of the 40 West Artline. It is such a neat little artistic walk along the Lakewood Gulch bike path that then goes up and past Casa Bonita north of Colfax Avenue. I revisited this path on my birthday hike from home. This one got us 14miles.

Adventure #4 was to the west and in to Golden, CO. This one was a little more adventurous as the snow had started. The day before was the above mentioned trip to Sloan's Lake where it was beautiful and sunny. My what a night can bring. So, Jasper and I bundled up, and headed to Golden, CO on foot. It is amazing what snow does for recreation and social distancing. I have to say, it reconfirmed my love of snowy weather. The whole 14miles, I saw maybe 5 people, a far cry from the 30-50 people I saw the day before. Also, my sunburn from the day before turned into frostbite for this adventure day. We were planning on doing a loop, until I lost Adventure Jane and had to retrace my steps to find her. Luckily, nobody was on the paths, so I had no problem finding her. Another 14miles brought me to 48miles of the 100mile goal.

The next adventure, #5, was my birthday adventure where I met my 2 favorite coworkers/good friends at Casa Bonita and took them on a tour of the 40 West Artline. We had so much fun touring in the snow (a little worse than the day before). There were so many fun interactive things along the art path that we decided we would need to revisit in better weather and after quarantine. This day, I wore my unicorn onesie for warmth and my friend brought me birthday decorations that I wore on the walk of the artline as well as all the way home. It was probably my favorite hike of all of them, and covered 12miles.


Adventure #6 was to take some presents to a friend who lives 5 miles north of me. I was planning on dropping it on her front porch and then notifying her I had left them. Fortunately, she passed me along the road as I was nearing her home. So, she sat on her porch swing and I stood by the road while her kids played in the yard, and we had a great time catching up. After leaving her place, I had the pleasure of revisiting some enjoyable neighborhoods I had not toured for a long time. There were lots of tulips and hyacinth out to remind me of "wildflowers." We were nearing the end of our 100miles. This adventure brought the total to 70miles after having completed 10miles.

Almost finished...
Adventure #7 took me and Jasper south from home with our eye on hitting Bear Creek as a watering hole and cooling off spot. The creek it self was pretty busy, but we stayed near the creek and were able to do pretty well at social distancing. It was a fun adventure covering locations I had not visited for a while. Jasper enjoyed the creek, and we both were happy to see my husband at 2miles to go on the 14.5miles.





The final adventure was back to Golden, only this time we went all the way to Clear Creek and back home over South Table Mountain for a total of 16.75miles. This adventure was the longest one and completed the 100mile challenge. It was a beautiful sunshine day and there were many people out. Luckily, my paths were in neighborhoods where I could cross the road or walk down the middle of the road as needed to keep 6ft from everyone. On South Table, there was enough wind to fly my backpacking pocket kite, and enough water for Jasper to keep hydrated without the water in my backpack.


It was good to complete the miles, but none of these compare to the adventures of the NCT. These adventures are routes I have run, walked, or biked so many times I could have done it blindfolded, and were completed between stressful days of work, either from home or in the clinic. The joy of a thru-hike of any long trail is to reconnect to people and see how communities across the nation interact. It is also a joy to be able to remove yourself from overpopulation and technology to view the beauty of the woods and again how the community interacts with nature. Being able to count on yourself and remember how to take care of yourself using the minimal items available or relying on strangers/strange communities, adds to the adventure of a long distance hike, as well. I will continue to adventure close to home until I can finally head out on the NCT in April of 2021. These mini-adventures have re-ignited my love of touring on foot even in the places I have visited so many times. There are always new things to see, find, and do even in the known places of your neighborhood.

Part of Preparing is Leaving

The itinerary is completed (although, tweaking of it is still occurring). Important people have been notified of the adventure (i.e., family, close friends, some support people). Gear has been reviewed (some testing will need to occur). Food is being mentally planned. Now, it’s time to tell my job and patients I am departing. 😬

Wow, I never knew how hard that last part was when you love your job & coworkers, & you’re not sure if you are returning to the job. When I headed out on the Appalachian Trail (AT), I was employed by REI (Recreational Equipment Incorporated, for those who don’t already know about REI), and I planned on returning there after my trek. With the Colorado Trail (CT), I was done with REI, but knew my REI family would always be with me. As I prepare for this journey, I am uncertain of my future. This time, I am leaving my job solely to repair and possibly rethink my desire and drive to be a nurse. 

In 2013, I left my job at REI because I had done/learned everything I cared to about retail. I was beginning to miss “my crazies,” as I referred to my residents from the mental health group home. That’s when I knew it was time to pursue something new, possibly in the realm of caring for people. I have had some form of Wilderness Medicine certification off and on since 1993. My favorite has been the Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification. As I was leaving REI, the outdoor school had just come to the Denver store, & I looked to work with them using my wilderness medicine knowledge. Unfortunately, I was also burnt out on the retail sector of my life. So, a position with the outdoor school never came to fruition. This passion for medicine/first responder along with the book, Three Cups of Tea, conversations with one of my instructors from my WFR course, and an application attempt to be an instructor for Wilderness Medical Institute being rejected, I realized nursing was the way to go.

I have now been a nurse for 4 years. My first job was working overnights in a level 1 trauma hospital on a medical/surgical floor specializing in trauma and oncology cases. As I mentioned in another post, I worked that job for a little over a year before moving to my current clinic. July of 2017, I started with the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute (CBCI) in an outpatient clinic setting where I worked with hematology/oncology patients. It didn’t take long to fall in love with the patients, coworkers, doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, coordinators, administrative people, and research nurses. After a year and a half, I was helping out in the infusion center, with which we had merged, as a charge nurse recommended by my coworkers. When that started to get boring, and I was beginning to feel a little burnt out, I was approached by a coworker about joining the research team. So, in the hopes of refueling my love of nursing and the job, I signed on with the research team, and met a whole new group of wonderful people. Unfortunately, that did not help rejuvenate me in my profession. I found myself starting to become mechanical/businesslike with my patients. They deserve better than that, and thus my rational for heading out on my journey to recover and reconnect to the caring, loving nurse I know is inside me. 

So, I guess that is why this journey’s departure is a little harder than the AT or CT. This time, I am certain of my relationship with my husband, but uncertain of my relationship to the profession of nursing. I spent so many years preparing for this career as a nurse, and I know there are many directions in which I can venture. At this time, I just need to step back, reconnect to my heart, mind, and soul, and hope for the answers that will provide me the best joy and be of the greatest service to the people with whom I interact. That is why it is so hard to say goodbye to my CBCI family, but who knows, I may very well return to the clinic a better nurse. So, stay tuned to stories/entries from the trail, as I work through the many ideas I have regarding what/who I want to be when/if I ever grow up!