Hike Your Own Hike

Have you noticed how some people are either threatened or critical when others choose to do something differently from how they do it? It apparently matters not what the topic is; just look at any online forum for examples.

My mind keeps going back to a conversation I had in our local Starbucks last Friday. I was paying for our drinks, and the gal at the register asked if we had any plans for the weekend. I replied that we were going camping. Innocent, meaningless, but friendly chatter. The dude making the coffee asked what my "definition" of camping is. This probably should have been a sign. I explained that we are pretty varied campers, we like backpacking, but that we were taking our tent trailer out that weekend.

snort "If it has wheels, it's not camping. It has to be at least a tent." Perhaps a tad aggressive if he's wanting me to come back and spend more money at the Evil Empire, but whatever. I'm feeling good, and we're on our way out of town. The gal at the register asks if we're making s'mores "because you have to have s'mores!" I pass this test (for this trip, at least). Phew. But no, according to the dude, the essential item is dutch oven peach cobbler. I fail again.

This is a prime example of the pitfalls of thinking that our own way is the only way to do something. DH and I enjoy DO cooking. He has plenty of experience eating it from his packer days, and while I didn't grow up with it, I'm always willing to try something new. So some of the time we cook in dutch ovens while camping. We have only ever done this when camping with our PUP. That kind of trip, according to the coffee dude, isn't "camping," because although we're cooking in our DO, our shelter has wheels. The trips that might meet his definition based on shelter certainly wouldn't based on cooking method. I am dumbfounded that a backpacking trip using our Whisperlite couldn't be considered camping using his standard. Some, of course, might not consider our stove choice that of a "real" backpacker (and I freely admit I'm a wannabe!).

Luckily, my life doesn't grind to a halt due to lack of approval from the coffee dude. Mind your own business, do your own thing; hike your own hike.

We returned from our trip to Australia last July to find that 2700 acres of open space behind our house had burnt in a wildfire while we were away. The Hawken Fire was determined to be the result of a grinder being used on a construction site without water available on site. Our mountain view has been somewhat less scenic since then. I often walk in the hills behind our house in the evening, and have been thrilled recently to see the wildflowers blooming in the ashes.

According to an announcement this afternoon on the emergency alert system, we are expecting temperatures 20 degrees higher than normal this weekend. The kids are getting in the spirit of the warm weather!

We are heading out camping tomorrow. If I'm allowed to call it that...

Vicarious hiking

Each year for more than a decade I have been following the online journals of Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers. These days, of course, there are a lot more journals online. Some of them are even updated electronically from the trail, rather than written with pen and paper and mailed home to a transcriber from town stops (as all were when I first started reading them). Most thru-hikers start in the spring, hiking north from the Mexican border towards the Canadian border, but a few intrepid souls hike the opposite direction starting in the summer. After a few weeks I've usually narrowed my journal list down to a few favorites; hikers whose writing style really appeals to me. Some make it all the way, some don't, but it's always an honor to share their journeys.

I would love to thru-hike the PCT someday. At this point in my life it's not possible, as I have three young children and a husband with an irregular work schedule. Disappearing for several months to hike 2650 miles (and needing support along the way) just doesn't fit with my responsibilities. I do draw some comfort from the seemingly increasing numbers of "older" thru-hikers; perhaps it's not unrealistic to think that I might embark on this journey once my children are somewhat self-sufficient.

DH is not especially drawn to the idea of a PCT thru-hike. He did mention recently that he might consider a southbound hike, but otherwise is not interested. He has his own dreams, as he should.

I am not an especially hard-core nor experienced backpacker. I camped and bushwalked growing up, but did not have any opportunity to backpack. My first backpacking trip was in the summer of 1992, when my mother and I accompanied my brother's Boy Scout troop on a four day trip in Sequoia & King's Canyon National Park. I loved it.

My boyfriend (now DH) had worked for many years packing mule trains into the Sierras, and his impression of backpacking was not favorable; he thought they all looked miserable and very hungry! After I promised that he wouldn't go hungry, he agreed to go backpacking in Glacier National Park with me that September. We had a great time, although we carried far too much food. ;)

We unfortunately stopped backpacking when DS was born, but have covered many miles on day hikes, whether from a base camp or from home. DS spent almost every weekend of his first spring and summer in a child carrier hiking in the Cascades. We have hiked considerably less since we had three children, but are hoping for a good hiking summer this year now that DD2 is 3 and a good walker.

Since I am many years away from a PCT thru-hike, I have decided to start keeping track of my miles on the PCT. Starting today: 0 miles hiked, 2650 remaining!

We had a fun Mother's Day weekend Kamping. The kids made a nice friend in the first 5 minutes we were there. I think DH and I are about done with RV-ing style camping, as the kids seem to focus on the wrong things. We're looking forward to some trips to the National forests!

Better late than never

I've been thinking of making a blog entry on this topic for weeks now. April is Cancer Control month.

Cancer has been very present in my mind over the last few months. My FIL was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the end of last year, and has had ongoing skin cancer issues for years. Luckily there was no metastasis, so he didn't need any treatment after the prostatectomy.

Last month my MIL was diagnosed with breast cancer. A lumpectomy removed the primary tumor, but there was metastasis to a lymph node. She is looking at a long sequence of treatment; chemotherapy, radiation and hormonal.

My father was diagnosed with Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia a few years ago. Unlike prostate or breast cancer, there is no surgical tumor removal possible for this rare cancer, but by making some significant lifestyle changes, he has managed to improve his blood tests extraordinarily.

Obviously, cancer is not completely understood, and there are risk factors outside our control. What can we do to prevent cancer? Here are a few major factors:

Maintain a healthy body weight. Cancer is yet another one of the health problems associated with being overweight. WeightWatchers is a great place to start.

Eliminate or reduce alcohol use. Women should drink no more than one drink per day, men no more than two. One study I came across linked consumption of 3 drinks per day to a breast cancer risk equal to that of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day or having a first-degree relative with breast cancer. 3 drinks a day sounds like a lot until you consider that for their purposes 4 oz of wine is considered one drink. There has been a lot of media attention lately on the health benefits of red wine, but it's much healthier overall to get those antioxidants from dark grapes or other food sources. AA has helped many people overcome drinking problems.

Don't smoke.

Avoid excessive sun exposure. Wear sunscreen and a hat, and avoid the midday sun.

Life happens

It's been a busy couple of weeks, and I seem to have gotten out of the habit of blogging!

DD1 got a place at Coral Academy of Science for next year. We are thrilled! Assuming everything works out (I'm a little gun-shy after our 1st grade fiasco with DS), it will be wonderful having the older two attending the same school. DD2 starts preschool three mornings a week next year, so I'll be sans children for 12 hours every week. Right now that seems like an eternity, but I'm sure the time will fly. I will probably do some coursework online so that I can go back to work at some point.

On April 17, DD2 turned 3. In our family the birthday person always gets to choose the menu for dinner. I always think it's interesting to see what the kids want. DD2 chose sugar snap peas, raw carrots, and homemade macaroni and cheese, accompanied by chocolate milk. Desert was baked pears with custard sauce.

Her "big" birthday present was a bicycle. Neither of the other two kids have had a bicycle this young, but DD2 is very coordinated and was having a difficult time keeping up with her siblings on the trike. She rides the new "big girl bike" very well.

DD1 had her school Spring Sing that Friday evening. Unfortunately I don't have any decent pictures, as the grandmas in front kept standing up. DD1 gave three performances -- singing with her Kindergarten class and Spanish class, and playing recorder with both Kindergarten classes combined. It's always a fun event.

My ILs were in town, so we had a birthday brunch for DD2 that Saturday. She chose the menu again; banana-blueberry mini-muffins (recipe from Cynthia Lair's "Feeding the Whole Family") and fresh berries. The rest of us also had omelette, but DD2 doesn't much care for eggs. For the second year in a row, we had a panda birthday cake (from the Cake and Flower Shoppe).

On April 22nd, DD1 had her first (pre-Primary level) RAD examination/presentation. She was very excited and had a fun time. We made a real occasion of it; DH bought her roses, and I took her out to lunch (at Josef's) afterwards.

We went camping this weekend. Most places around here are still closed, so we went down to Washoe Lake State Park again. No snow this time, and just a little wind. Lots of exploring, bike riding and general relaxation. Good times.

I came back to Reno on Saturday morning for the YMCA summer camp signups. DS went there for a few weeks last summer and had a great time, so we wanted to be sure he got into the camps he was interested in. I stopped by the house to grab a couple of things, and found that a picture had fallen during the M4.7 earthquake on Friday night. Not a big deal, except that the picture in question was hanging at the top of the stairs and fell all the way downstairs. There was glass all over the landing upstairs, all the way down the stairs, and all over downstairs. It certainly scatters well on a hardwood floor! The frame broke, but the picture is intact, so we'll be able to get it reframed.

We've had quite a lot of earthquakes in Reno in the last few weeks. I was in Safeway on Thursday afternoon when two (M4.1 and 4.2) hit a few minutes apart. I was in my freshman year at Stanford during the Loma Prieta earthquake(M7.1) of October '89, and this was nothing compared to that, but the jars and cans coming off the shelves was a bit nerve-wracking. I couldn't believe the number of people who just stood in the aisles with things falling around them! This morning we were woken by a M4.2. Current Reno earthquake info is available from the UNR Seismology lab.

Time flies

Last Saturday DS made his First Holy Communion. We had something of a gathering of the clan. My ILs, my parents, nephew (almost 10) and niece (7), my youngest sister, BIL and their two kids (almost 3 and 2+ months) all came into town for the occasion. After Mass we had a party at Brick's, one of our favorite restaurants here in Reno. It's only a couple of blocks from church, too. A good time was had by all. They let DH and me in the door on Tuesday night, so the kids can't have been too bad!

My parents, nephew and niece have only spent a couple of days with us in Reno since we moved here in 2003. We chose DS' First Communion date so that they could spend some time -- it fell at the end of their kids' spring break. We didn't do much in the way of sight-seeing, but we had a great time. The weather was beautiful, the kids played nicely, and we caught up with my parents.

Yesterday my MIL had a lumpectomy for breast cancer. Everything went well, but it's been a stressful couple of weeks since the diagnosis. My FIL had surgery for prostate cancer in December, so this is something of a one-two punch!

So far I've lost 20 pounds on Weight Watchers. Last week I earned my second "I lost 10 pounds" ribbon, and the week before that my 10% key chain. Rather than aiming for a long-term goal right away, when you join WW you're automatically aiming to lose 10% of your body weight. When you reach this goal, you're awarded a key chain in the shape of the number 10 (and you get to decide upon your long-term goal). Other milestones earn you a charm for the keychain. It might sound cheesy, but I get a good feeling every time I pick up my keys!

I had a weight-loss related victory today. Before Easter I bought a couple of new outfits at Chico's. I've lost enough weight recently that the skirt I bought was too big. Today I had a little time to myself, so I took it back to the store to exchange for a smaller one. In the meantime I received a $25 off coupon that I was able to apply towards the new skirt. Cha-ching!

We heard the results of the Coral Academy of Science lottery. DS made it in for 3rd grade, but DD1 didn't make it for 1st grade. Apparently they draw the youngest grades first, so by the time DS was in, it was too late for her to get sibling priority. Right now she's second on the waiting list, so hopefully she'll be in by the time school starts in the second week of August. If not, I guess I'll be homeschooling her!

Next school year has the potential for big changes for me. DD2 will be starting preschool three mornings a week, so if DD1 gets into Coral, I may have an "empty nest" for 12 hours per week. I'm having visions of aerobics classes, and some online coursework. (I'm so long out of the workforce that I'm basically unemployable at this point...) Time will tell.

Happy Spring!

We had a lovely Easter weekend. On Friday we travelled down to Mammoth Lakes, CA, where my ILs live. Friday was DH's birthday, and Monday my FIL's birthday, just to add to the festivities.

On Saturday we spent the afternoon at Keough's Hot Springs. This swimming pool is fed directly from a natural hot spring, and is a wonderful place to relax. We especially love to visit in the wintertime. It is definitely becoming more relaxing for DH and me now that the kids are becoming strong swimmers. My MIL was remarking how much they had progressed since we were all in Jamaica in December.

Good friends of ours own the Joseph House Inn in Bishop, CA, and have a Easter party/egg hunt there every year. It is a beautiful spot, with a large lawn and gorgeous gardens. This year was especially good fun, as it was decided to forgo candy and desserts. The egg hunt was still great fun with toys and stickers. The kids didn't get nearly as wild, and the parents all had a much better time!

Yesterday was exciting in a different way. DD2's swimming teacher noticed that she was holding her head strangely. By the end of the lesson DD2 had sprouted a huge lump on her neck! Our pediatrician was out for lunch for another 1 1/2 hours, so I took her to the surgery center where DH was working yesterday so that he could take a look at it between cases. A dear friend of ours who is a pediatric ENT was nearby and available, so we got her seen right away. A CT scan revealed that the lump was an abscess. (I was imagining all kinds of horrible scenarios, so this diagnosis was quite a relief!) The lump was getting bigger and DD2 sicker as time passed, poor baby. I can't say that she enjoyed having the abscess aspirated, but she's feeling much better now that's done and she's had a few doses of antibiotics. I hope that takes care of it.

This was the view from my window early this morning.

Finally!

We actually made it camping this weekend. DH was supposed to work late on Friday, so we planned a one-nighter close to home. Davis Creek looked cold and snowy, so we went a little further east to Washoe Lake State Park.

We last camped at Washoe Lake in August 2004, before we had the PUP. DD1 was almost two, and I was pregnant with DD2. I remember it as being very windy, with unrelenting sun. Picture here.

Since then, they've added a shelter over the picnic table at each site, and planted some trees. It was still windy, but we chose a site that put the PUP between the fire / picnic table and the weather, and it was just fine. The last of a series of storms was coming over the Sierras on Saturday evening, which made the scenery rather dramatic. We enjoyed the sound of snow falling on the roof overnight, but stayed warm and toasty thanks to our Popup Gizmos and Portable Buddy. I do think that some Reflectix under the mattresses could cut down our heater use.

Hardly anyone was camping on Saturday night (I wonder why?!?), so the campground was nice and quiet. We enjoyed strolling through the sand dunes to the beach and sitting around the campfire. Campfire-popped popcorn is the best! The kids got in plenty of bike-riding. Overnight we heard coyotes and an owl close to the camper.

This trip marked DD2's first night in her own sleeping bag. Prior to this, she's always slept between DH and me. We put her down on the couch, thinking that she would be less likely to fall climbing out of bed to come to us at 3am than if she were up in the bunk end with her siblings. It worked very well. She went to sleep quickly, didn't fall out of bed, and found us no problem.

All-in-all, a great start to the camping season!