Lessons from the Trail

Week two went more smoothly than the first week I spent as a TrailWalker! I've got the basic logistics of surviving out there in the wilderness down pretty well...I can make a shelter under which to sleep, talk the radio lingo with RidgeWalk, cook several recipes over open fire in my little stainless steel cup, drink 4-7 canteens of chlorine-dropped creek or pond water per day, and hike 20 miles of riverbed that alternates between cliffs and river-rock terrain over a period of 5 days! All while building relationships with the YoungWalkers and hanging around camp in our down time.

One of the guys saw a mountain lion several hundred yards from our camp one evening. That got everyone a little nervous, and as I was walking back to my shelter shortly after dusk to bring something back to the fire, I jumped about five feet in the air and gave a little shriek when someone sitting at his shelter just off the path said "Is that you, Eve?" Another of the guys said he woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of a growl from across the creek & could smell "wet cat", but we all survived nonetheless!

The most salient lesson learned this week by yours truly? Look before you sit! While coming down from a mesa at a steep incline, one of my trainers yelled back to me and the other TW to recommend that we stop & check in with Ridge before we went too far down into the canyon to get good radio reception. Since I was carrying the radio on my pack, and was grateful for the opportunity to rest for a moment, I promptly stepped off the trail and sat down on the rock that was just behind my feet at that moment. And just as promptly stood back up! There was a cluster of small fishhook barrel cacti growing out of the crack of the rock, and I had planted the left side of my rear right into them...So instead of sitting, resting & checking in, I left my pack and the radio to the other trailwalker while I found a tree to hang out behind while I pulled cactus spines from my butt and the seat of my hiking pants for the next 10 minutes or so. I'm pretty sure that's a lesson I'll not have to learn again!

I'm making a spoon from a length of Juniper branch, which I'm eager to finish next week! I've been using the blade of my knife as my cooking/eating utensil this week, so a spoon will be a welcome addition to my supplies, for sure!

My hiking is still slow, and I was far in the back of the band most of the time while traveling, but I'm definitely making progress and getting stronger...slowly but surely!

I was with a great group of people this week, and had some really good talks with the YoungWalkers. This program is so full of true principles and good learning opportunties, and a good part the YoungWalkers this week were interested in improving themselves and leaving behind the things that had helped them 'backwards walk' at home. We had an overall great week! And the stars were pretty amazing to lay under this week, too!