Action Planning

So let me tell you how I got this random summer job:

I remember back in January 2013 I made a goal for myself and let me dear co-worker Nick know: by this summer I will have a job outside and none of this suit-wearing, action planning, staff/GSS meeting crap anymore.

I began plotting out my personal “action plan” and it’s funny because Nick and I would make fun of all these stupid action plan reports along with development plans and then SAGE made us put this all online so we had to upload our professional goals, profile (including a picture) and our action plans for GSS and Employee Satisfaction Goals. Ugh, say “action plan” one more time, I dare you!

Dear co-worker Nick and I snowshoeing to Mirror Lake on our day off

I wanted to give myself till August 2013 to quit and successfully be at my job and new promotion for exactly one year. I drew out an outline of things I could be doing to get myself any outdoor job and out of my current insane state. I have a deep passion that grew like a weed for the outdoors. Every morning killed me as I could see the top of Mt. Hood from my deck on St. Clair Avenue and the sunrise behind it then walk to work feeling the cool mist hit my face. I always had a backpack for extra clothes [and food] as it rained a lot and so I didn’t have to wear my suits while walking to and from work - that backpack made me just want to keep walking all the way to Mt. Hood, and I would imagine myself leading a group of people on a hike and I ran all the jokes I would tell along with information about the flora and fauna until I came to SW 5^th and Oak. I had to put a smile on and pretend to be excited to be at work. The fake good positive attitude grew to be very painful as time went on and I think I wasn’t able to hide it anymore and became bitter.

I felt like I wasn’t contributing to a good cause, hotels are wasteful, they are non resourceful and host annoying people that bitch about towel/sheet thread count, bottled water type and if there were 1 or not lotion bottles in the bathroom. The beds were too hard, the Internet was slow, and had to pay for parking in downtown Portland. It was up to me to write emails and make phone calls to charm them over to not rate us terribly on social media sites and reviews, then we got another report on how we handled the situation, if the problems were solved to satisfactory. If rated below average and even how it went well it was time for another you guessed it, an action plan!

On my days off, I would go hiking – one of my greatest moments was summiting South Sister outside of Bend. 

Summit of South Sister

I felt like a badass and also backpacked with everything I needed to survive “real world” on my back. It was so irritating to get back to the front desk and have someone want free this and that because they didn’t like the breakfast, the view was bad, or room service was too slow, the housekeeper didn’t come at 11am but at 3pm and threw away my almost finished soda bottle, they wanted to check in early on a fully occupied day. I began to become irritated; my empathy and service skills went out the door. I remember times where I would pump myself up and be great at my job then other times where I didn’t do shit. I would sit in my office all day on the computer to look up plane tickets for my next trip, Facebook, watch YouTube videos, chat with my friends on Google, take off for long walks, shop around City Center, go on a bike ride and always consistently applied for other jobs in Human Resource, oh and I also became an ordained minster at work. I often wondered if people even knew I was there or not and if it mattered then I started to think this was not challenging, I was bored, I wasn’t able to use any creativity because of my boss and you would think a job where you don’t do shit would be rad – not so much.

I thought it would be so awesome to get paid to do something more meaningful and share something I am passionate about and get people excited! I thought how can I get a job to hike outside or take people out of their elements and get back to our ‘human roots,’ what if we had a catastrophic event and money didn’t mean anything anymore? I don’t actually know what other trees there are other than Doug Fir and can I even depend on a Doug to keep me alive? How awesome would it be to actually identify plants and herbs along the trails? I thought with my interest, degree and studies in Psychology I should be doing something more in the field. I remember while searching for jobs I found a biography of a mountaineering guide and she earned a degree in Wilderness Therapy. I've always thought I made up the term but it exists and is a degree! I applied and got into the program, got in and needed to make greater steps of building a career I can get excited about. I have a big interest in relationship and marriage counseling and researching gender roles; I am happy about my recent ordination and want to build a summer camp but for adults - more like a wellness retreat center. This would be to work on couple's communication and relationship building - what better way to get to know your partner and yourself than the wilderness?! I think it would be a good test of true character when you need to depend on each other and stripped away from society and it's seeming luxuries. 

I decided to apply for anything outdoors, I didn’t care as long as I could learn something, gain experience on outdoor education and show people how to have an awesome time outside! I have taken people hiking however not enough on paper experience to list on a resume while applying for these jobs so I joined Meetup to well, meet people in the fields. I made goals and points to meet the right people and in a way made my own scavenger hunt to get experience and get a chance to work with people that also have the same passions. It was fun after a Meetup I could go to my checklist and cross things out at the end of the day. I also knew a big part with my finances would be a major issue so I decided to make an ‘action plan’ for my budget. I decided to not spend any money besides rent, bills and food unless it contributed to my cause. I stopped going out for Happy Hours, buying alcohol, going out to eat, and buckling down on actual gear I needed and not just wanted. I saved quite a bit in a short amount of time and by then Rachel talked me into becoming a raft guide and the timing was before August. By March, I was already done and checked out, I couldn’t focus on my job anymore and I was letting things go down the drain and it was a bad place for me and anyone working for me - I hated it with all my heart, my boss was a ferocious bull dyke and I had enough so I cut the plan short to last till the end of April.

Before raft guide school Tyler (the owner and instructor) explained raft guiding is not quite full time work and the river levels were severally slow so getting trips would be tough for a first timer. I then looked for jobs around the area and came across a Craigslist ad for Bear Valley Summer Day Camp under the education section. It was so beautifully written and fit the words “outdoor education” that I desperately Googled and applied for. I had a great talk with Steve the Director and didn’t really have anything else going on so when I followed up with an email after backpacking and almost losing Dorothy in Yosemite I literally laughed out loud as I read the words, “the job is yours if you want it.” I figured I should Google map where I will end up and it’s located outside Yosemite, high in the Sierras and there was a disc golf course – how could I say no?

I was supposed to come Saturday June 15 before training to assist my boss in paperwork and random things; he also requested things like driving him around. He let me know I could stay at his neighbor’s for a couple nights. My buddy Rachel ended up hooking a family friend up with 2 days of rafting the South Fork then the Middle Fork and I was invited so it would be silly to say no so I backed out of coming to Bear Valley on Saturday morning. Steve understood, as he is a raft guide as well and said for me to call when I get into town so he could let me in his neighbor’s. Not expecting anything great, it turns out the neighbor is selling his vacation home and is somewhere with no date to come back. It’s a lovely home that is furnished with a hot tub on a big beautiful deck. I took complete advantage and it was just what I needed after camping, rafting and sleeping on a rock hard bed for 2 weeks before.

I reported to work Monday morning and was surprised to see Bear freaking Valley, California. The one entrance to the “town” has a gas, fire/police station and a disc golf course. There’s a tiny shack of an awesome library (where I am writing this) and a General Store with a restaurant/bar.

I figured I’d be working with 18 – 23 year old's because that’s probably the age I should have been doing this and they are totally going to think I’m some weird old lady that moved to the middle of lame nowhere to be a camp counselor - especially after meeting the squirrely Director, bless his heart. Sure enough I think I was just about dead on, but as a determined silly woman I have been through a lot and don’t really worry about social pressures or care if I fit in or not, I’m on a personal vision quest that met my summer goal of working outside in outdoor education, which is a heck of a lot more progressive toward Wilderness Therapy than being angry in a stuffy office staring out at weird Portland having fun.

A few co-workers during training week. 

I remember back in my Christian days my mother would remind me as soon as I left the house, “remember you’re an example!” Meaning people were watching me so be good, set a positive role and be like Jesus – talk about pressure. I was heavily involved in church youth groups and did community service and would always have to work with younger children that were under privileged and felt like I could possibly be the only positive role model in their lives. I took that and ran however perhaps lost it while trying to be an adult. Now that I have decided to tackle another fear: working with kids, I figured it was time to be that example and have fun. So far I think I can say I’ve had an awesome life so far and I want to share with young people - I don’t want to push anything but be available. I’ve been through a lot of pain, relationships, troubles, like everyone else but to come out a fun, positive, upbeat woman that still loves love and fascinated by nature and wilderness survival, who doesn’t want a piece of that? Ok ok I think I am done tooting my own horn … or am I?

We did a week of training for the non-profit camp and will be taking kids ages 3 – 16 hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, wind surfing, sailing, rafting and play disc golf. Part of the funding comes from programs to where we will have to teach Character Counts - I totally remember this way back at Kirtland Elementary as a Unicorn (our mascot).  It’s non-religious and teaches valuable characteristics for basic human understanding of how to not be an asshole. Not quite sure how to all works but we’ll see. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked with children and it’s one of my things I think I need to work past and a skill I should master. You parents are probably laughing at me but I am terrified of them and this is like 2 random opposing subjects colliding 1. My passion of the outdoors 2. Working with kids.  Under tackling my fears, I am coming head on with this one. It’s going to be a great and interesting summer for sure. I am excited that things are very shifty and not really well organized, it really leaves room for creativity, spontaneity and also building my resume for outdoor leadership and education as I have taken on writing and preparing curriculum's for outdoor living skills, kayaking and rock climbing.

The week of training was great; the group of people I am working with is experienced and is super fun. I am really surprised on the maturity level of understanding the sacredness of the area they reside, the community project of taking kids out for a fun positive time and also just being genuine people. For being young they are smart, I look back when I was their age (oh God I sound like my father) I was not so grateful on the area I lived or came from and was not contributing to society in a meaningful way. It took me 28 years to figure this amazing beautiful Bear Valley and to get my hands dirty for a fun summer project.

On Thursday we had a group camp out and people brought some local wines, if you know me, wine is lovely – I’m a complete wino. In order to ease the “get to know you” part, I start drinking and to my surprise it’s quite tasty. I’ve been camping and my friends are usual participants in this activity however these kids are reserved, odd for a small town. My family knows this about me but I am like my Grandpa Elmer Brown, whenever there’s a quiet group of people, it’s like our stage for story telling and speech making. I rambled on about life and eventually gave my Alaska story and didn’t realize how much I spoke until everyone gathered the next morning with grins and asking about my sleep and remembered parts of things I’ve said. HA! Oh Erica, good thing I have no shame and it’s a great way to get to know who I really am at least. It was a good time. I am ready to meet more of the community and I joined a disc league, they BBQ every Friday and I was invited to the Summer Solstice party. I'm feeling good about this decision so far and glad I got paid to learn new skills.

Bear Valley, I didn’t know you existed 2 weeks ago now you have stolen my heart. The elevation and community are high, also genuine and kind. I enjoy that this was a place John Muir explored, loved, and protected. You remind me of a little Alaska with your huge bodacious scenery in the Sierra Nevada, everywhere my head turns there is always a scene to be photographed.  I love your changing climates and many regions; your lakes and rivers are pristine; your mountains, starry skies and trees are old and huge; I am romanced by the radiance of your alpenglow and abundant wildflowers; I am anxious to get to know your curvy ridges, history and geology. 

I read in a Naturalist’s Guide to the Sierra Nevada that this guy wrote on the cover:

I am …

As a kid, as now, I have loved the mountains and thought I knew “them.” Just a glance though this small book reveals to me how much I ignored. To love the mountains is simple; to know “them” is even more, and full of surprises and rewards!

Peter X mas ‘82

PS. We can have much fun up here; but, will have even more fun when we know “what’s going on.”

-P

From the Book.

View of the Dardenelle's and Bear Valley from Blood's Ridge on the Summer Solstice.

Fear the River Lords

I'm on a little mission of tackling on my fears. Ever since I was a kid I was terrified of water – pools, lakes, creeks, ponds, rivers, etc. It made learning how to swim difficult as I screamed my head off, kicked and clawed onto the instructors leaving bloody marks and scratches down their backs and necks. My poor sister that loved the water was so embarrassed. I think now that she has a baby she is taking the kid out to the pool at 4 months old to hopefully avoid her embarrassment of our summer days at the Kirtland public pool.

I eventually learned to swim around age 9 or 10. At 12 I joined a diving team at the Farmington Aquatic Center and was confident in my swimming abilities; I still never understood the fascination of swimming to lakes or jumping into ponds, or even putting your feet in moving water. If I could not see the bottom of any type of water there was a slim chance I’d even go near it. Considering there were no bodies of water where I grew up, I was in the clear of embarrassment.

I think it all may have began from a reoccurring dream I had as a child where I thought I actually knew I was going to die from drowning. Also as a child in swimming lessons I remember watching a video at the Kirtland Public Pool about some small kids swimming around messing in ditch and a kid got caught up in an under current and drowned. They never really went into detail but all I knew is even under steady water there could be some crazy currents down there that were looking to grab me and take me under! 

It all came to life one summer day in Utah around 2007-ish my friend Alanna and I decided to go tubing down the Provo River on a hot day. It seemed pretty safe as everyone seemed to be doing it. We picked up tubes from a tire shop and were on our way having a fun time, or at least I pretended. The water was pretty calm until we got to this bridge and my tube hit the side and I flipped. The water was going in all kinds of circular directions, I had my eyes closed and didn’t know which way was up or forward and I actually stayed calm and what seemed like minutes I thought, “this is it, this is my time and my dreams were right, this is really how I die.” I got caught under some branches that were above me and above the water. What I think happened was Alanna was behind me and able to swoop by and pull me up. I panicked as I surfaced and for some reason tried to stand in the moving water to gain composure. I grabbed onto Alanna’s tube almost flipping her and losing her shoes. My feet were getting tore up from grinding on the river floor. She got us to shore and I was in complete shock that I really felt it was my (first) near death experience. After that experience I was sure to never go near rivers again.

Actual photo from that trip down Provo River with Alanna.

In 2008 when I met Abby in Alaska we started backpacking. We learned all the tactics of wildlife, how to properly store food, I want to say backcountry navigation and eventually river crossing. I remember one trip we took with our friend, Josh. We came to Windy Creek and they wanted to cross but the fear of losing my footing and getting swept down in the cold glacier fed stream terrified me so we ended up sticking to one side and making the best of it. I felt sort of bad but I also didn’t want to die after getting lost for 7 days and after getting sucked down a river’s under current before.

Windy Creek

Well about 4 years later of avoiding water and still a fear of dying in a river, why not become a raft guide? I’ve been rafting maybe a total of 3 times, 2 of them were more float types with 1 class III+. I admire the adventurous spirits and witty jokes guides have. When I did do my floats I was scared of course and I wish raft guiding was something I wish I could do even just once. Losing my religion has sort of tugged at my adventurous side as I have described in my post “Vision Questing” and I have gradually been more open minded to attempt extreme sports.

I came to visit Rachel here in California at the end of March 2013 and the river is something that everyone grows up swimming in, rafting every weekend, everyone’s summer job and what keeps these small towns in business. I decided it was time to give up my fear and tackle it head on. It was no surprise that were group of friends decided to plan a trip with 2 rafts to take on The North Fork of the Yuba River to run the class 5 Maytag Rapid. I felt safe and surprised they had a serious safety talk with me. I was even more surprised to see the way the rafting culture worked. As pumped as they were to take on this rapid they were just as serious for everyone’s safety. I’m used to team sports however it depends on your own skill to contribute. While doing any other type of activity it comes down to individual success. 

Maytag

Rafting is very communal; everyone has an equal part that is just as important as the other from loading, unloading, strapping, and pumping the rafts, equipment, food, water, and communication. What was really awesome was that everyone watches out for everyone. They had this unspoken rule to not be too far away from each other and to watch each other go through rapids and if something went wrong everyone stopped to help each other out. 

Before hitting the big run we had a safety plan and it was even suggested that I get out to walk around. I shit my pants, I was terrified and literally shaking. The levels of adreneline were intense and I needed this. I needed to run this and run it safe to know I needed to face my fear. We ran it clean and I looked back and thought, “that was it?” All this planning, taking caution and suggestion to get out to walk around?! I did it and I did it well. It was the start of a new journey and I felt like a new woman. The energy levels were high everyone did well and the trip was awesome. This is what I needed, I need excitement in my life, I needed to know experienced rafters shit their pants too and they are terrified inside all the time.

I decided to go through with taking a raft-guiding course. It was very shocking to see my confidence level rise and form a respect for water, I think it was lacking before so I was scared of it. It was really awesome having control and knowing how to read and work with water instead of against; also it's great to know what to do if things go wrong. I think working in a place where crazy people make things stressful and as a manager I need to stay calm in stressful situations. I am thankful for that skill I picked up in the hotels, when things were intense it was very important and life saving to stay calm.

I am meeting guides that were ‘born with paddles in their hands’ that are often scared of the same rivers they run constantly. It makes me feel normal and also reminds me of when I was little, I didn’t get why I needed to “fear” the Lord and my mother would say, fear = respect.  I have a new found fear for Mother Nature’s bodies of water. I know now how to work with it, see how it moves, know how it works, what to do, understand the joys and troubles it can bring, it can bring life and death and it’s not to be messed around with but respected. Also NEVER stand up in a river no matter how deep or shallow the water is. I was very lucky that day on the Provo River everything I did was completely wrong yet it was my natural reaction.

Getting over my fear and guiding a class 4 was a check off my badassary bucket list. I am looking forward to taking people out of their elements to pull that adventurous spirit out and to understand the awesome powers of Mother Nature.

First time river guiding.

Free Dorothy!

Since the first time I ever heard about this place called Yosemite, I have been dying to go! You cannot hear about Yosemite and not hear about John Muir either. I developed a deep connection with Mr. Muir – he had a natural flair for inventing things, he felt a connection to nature and believed that mankind is just one part of an interconnected natural world, not its master, and (at one time) God is revealed through nature, he was a man that greatly indulged in his wanderlust. His activism helped preserve Yosemite.

After watching The National Parks: America’s Best Idea my excitement grew and my eyes were set on climbing Half Dome. I didn’t know you needed a permit to hike pretty much anywhere in Yosemite, so I applied for one and got it the day before while I was in Mammoth, CA. As I was driving through the Tioga Pass entrance I picked up a hitchhiker that just completed 3 days off the John Muir trail. He was from Israel and completed his 2-year army enlistment and was on a US vacation backpacking Yosemite, Grand Canyon, then to Mexico, up to Canada, over to New York. He was super helpful as the Yosemite Village is a bit difficult to navigate through so he helped me locate offices, find permits and let me know about a backpacker camp that was only $5 that he was staying at. We parted ways and I let him know I’ll be over at camp shortly.

As I went to get my permit, the ranger was sort of bitchy. Something I really wasn’t expecting but she wouldn’t give me a backpacker permit. She said it was only for people that were going backpacking, so I told her I was going. She didn’t believe me and told me I needed to give her my itinerary, which seemed odd because no one else in the busy office was being asked for theirs. I got out of line to check out maps and locations so I went up to a different girl and let her know I would be heading out that afternoon to just underneath Half Dome to hike tomorrow. She gladly gave me a permit but let me know the backpacker camp was full, so I actually needed to backpack at least 7 miles on a high elevation gain beginning at 4pm. I got my pack ready and noticed another person next to me either packing or unpacking. We closed our cars at the same time and headed out. I lost him for 2 miles then all of a sudden he popped up randomly. We both looked at each other in bewilderment and asked, “Hey! Where did you come from?” We laughed and hiked on confused. He asked me what my itinerary was and I shared I would be hiking at least ½ mile past Little Yosemite Valley to backcountry camp, hike up Half Dome tomorrow then camp at the same place to explore perhaps Merced Lake. He had a pretty extensive itinerary but after a couple miles we decided to stick together as this was his first solo-backpacking trip.

He was a cool guy from Lehi, Utah that was around the same age so I asked him if he new a few people and threw out my Lehi crew’s names – he said sounds familiar but it’s also been 10 years. I told him I was just there to “marry Michelle,” this led him to think all weekend I just married a woman, Michelle, and left her behind to backpack in Yosemite alone, I laughed pretty hard the last day as we packed up to head out.

Friday finally came and we hiked the last 2 miles for Half Dome – whew! That was scary and steep! I had my Indiana Jones moment when the time we got off the cables my new Lehi friend asked a guy, “Do they sell beer up here?” The guy said, “here do you want one?” I said, “YES!” It was an awesome moment of a lifetime bucket list halfway complete (still need to get down) and I was offered a micro brew to enjoy the fascinating view. Barely holding it together, I felt so accomplished and proud. We hung out, took pictures, and just sat in silence taking it all in. We got back down the cables and packed up camp and headed past Little Yosemite Valley towards Echo Valley and came across this awesome waterfall that appeared to be a previously used campground. We set up and a couple came up behind us and set up as well. The guy said they come to this spot every year and there is never anyone else, he told us there were more great waterfalls to explore if we keep hiking. After we set up we set off for an exploratory day hike to find all these falls.

It was nice to have some company and we enjoyed discussing religion, Utah, our careers, life, relationships, and backpacking. He just got engaged and his fiancé was in Denver so was unable to come. It felt like a genuine human experience to just come across people like that and feel an instant friendship.

Saturday came around and we took our time eating breakfast and packing up. It got super hot as we hiked down and my toes were getting mangled, the crowd grew and just people everywhere – it was a mess. I finally got a little irritated and had hot food cravings and wanted a cold beer and mashed potatoes. I started to run down to the car and I ended up losing my buddy but found a creek to soak my feet. He was wandering trying to find the parking lot and we ended up losing our bearings for a minute, actually it was me, no one should ever listen to me trying to navigate – don’t you know this by now? We found the parking lot and he found his car and I could not…I walked around for a good 20 minutes and thought maybe he wasn’t the one packing next to me, maybe I parked some place else and I bet it’s miles away. Maybe I got my car stolen and everything – my ID, credit cards, car title, all I owned – was in the car. As I did a final walk around I saw a car with a yellow paper on the windshield. It was a warning because they had food on their car seat and in order to protect the bears they were warned for not using the bear food storages. On the warning there was a checkbox for: You were towed and call this number, which didn’t make sense for my case. I walked around and sure enough I missed a big sign that said to lock all food up in the bins in the parking lot or I could risk getting towed. I didn’t quite get service so good thing good guy Lehi was around and let me use his phone. We found out it was towed into a garage for improper food storage as I did just go grocery shopping for this trip and left it all out, however had I covered it with a blanket I would have been ok.

I get to the garage, exhausted, hot and slightly sunburned and they said I needed to pay but since my payment was in the car I had to walk to the impound get in payment and walk back to pay then walk back to retrieve my car. As I complete the steps and on my way to get Dorothy the Park Ranger checks my license and cannot release my car because it was suspended in Nevada 5 years ago. By this time it’s 4pm on a Saturday Memorial Day weekend and no DMV or place will be open till Tuesday. I’m completely lost in what to do so I look the ranger standing behind the counter in the eye and let him know I was stealing his pen and clicked it in his face and walked away. I was worried that I would miss guide school that starts on Monday and everything just seemed like a wreck. The office said all campgrounds are full so I couldn’t really stay in the park either. I said just because I didn’t cover up my food from the Rangers I am stuck. He quickly came back with, “Well I hate to break it to you but I could ticket you for the bear thing, no insurance, not registering your car within the allotted California time, driving with a suspended license. I’m just trying to help you get your life back in order.” Trying to help me get my life back together? Hmm… thanks but excuse me, I think you could use a bit of my therapy and did you not get the memo on my recent revolutionary vision quest? I packed a bag full of the beer I had in my car he said I won’t release your car if you finish all of those I told him I would see him next Tuesday.

My eyes moistened and called my parents. They just gave me this supportive pep talk the morning I left for Yosemite and when they heard the news they jumped into action by finding me phone numbers, hours of weekend DMV’s and my mother even was ready to hop in the car to help me. I needed a minute, I didn’t quite gather myself and I immediately lost control of myself. I hung up the phone, opened a beer and laughed my ass off. Seriously, Erica, what did you just get yourself into now? Really 5 years ago? I was “stuck” in Yosemite, what better place to be stuck in? It was gorgeous; I could live here and thought about just packing up and heading back to the wilderness again. Before I left Vegas I met a guy that I really enjoyed talking with. I called him up and it was nice to chat and calm down it was sweet that he was even ready to drive out to help. 

I decided to have pizza and another beer then camp a night at the backpacker’s campground. I called the Park Ranger to get into my car to get stuff to camp the night. The officer just got on duty and wasn’t aware so I gladly updated him, he interrupted and asked if I was Navajo. Odd, people don’t always get my nationality and stare at me, ask if I am Pilipino or start speaking Spanish to me. He used to work on the Navajo Nation and recognized my features. He told me he wished he could help me out but I only needed to find a person with a valid license and that would get my car out and I could be on my way. He suggested having a great night, having more beer, making friends and enjoying the park. I did just that. I set up camp, had lots of beer and made friends.

There was a camp of 4 men that left their wives back for a backpacking trip. It was interesting hanging out with them because their normal activity is canoeing and to hike up 2000ft in 2 miles seemed a bit ridiculous to them and asked what it was about it that attracted people. I stood on my soapbox and proudly announced it’s a sense of accomplishment and feeling empowered as a woman that I am capable of physically and mentally performing these activates, when I get back into a work setting I feel a lot more confident heading towards other goals that seem so simple, it also keeps me emotionally stable – it’s that “do you know what I just did this weekend and you’re complaining about not having coffee stir sticks in the break room? Or “I’m sorry your room didn’t have any lotion but I just climbed Half Dome and thought I was going to die.” I shared my vision of my couples wellness resort and they were pumped about it and thought their wives could use a weekend with me. A camp over there were 2 other guys that were from Reno, totally chill dudes that discovered a Tupperware full of a vegan rice mixture in the bear container and were eating it over a few Fat Tires.

In the morning I regrouped with the 2 guys from Reno and the night before told them my bummer Dorothy story and they offered to help me. They said if I were in that situation it would be nice to have someone help out. I cried and jumped up and down, packed and we headed to Free Dorothy. Stupid me, I lost my payment receipt to show I paid the day before, the new Park Ranger lady was a beast, I did not want to get on her bad side. I think I just looked pathetic enough she released the car to my new friends. I hugged and thanked them and got their contact information and Dorothy and I tried to high tail it out of there before we caused any more mischief as I was “that Erica Nelson stuck for the holiday weekend.” 

I ended up hitting a fork in the road and realized I had no road map I saw a group of 5 men pilling out of a car with big cameras so I stopped to see if they had one or could tell me where the hell I was. I introduced myself and one guy said, “Are you Miss Navajo Nation?” Another recognition. Weird. LOL! "Oh," I told him, "I’m sorry I get that a lot but unfortunately no." That was a lovely thing to hear after not showering for 4 days and completely smelly and disheveled. They ended up being all natives, 1 Navajo from Arizona, they invited me for their hike and picture session; however I let them know I needed to head out from a crazy night in Yosemite. They told me I shouldn’t be traveling alone but gave a quick story and awed them - they sent me on my way with directions and hugs.

Dear Yosemite, you have seen the best of me and the worst of me. Leave it to a vast beautiful wilderness to play with my emotions like that. 2 old gals back on the road, I made it to Folsom, CA and an email with a full time summer job offer. 

My new buddy Riley, the one that thought I married Michelle.

There Dorothy is, locked up! So sad. 

The part of Yosemite I wasn't expecting to see.

Small Dose of Wilderness Therapy in Havasupai

These last few weeks have been amazing! I have always wanted to go to Havasupai Falls but it seemed so far out of reach for some reason. It seemed complicated with permits, location, navigation, etc. I am one that always looks for the easy way to do things – I use logic. I met a man on the Vegas backpacking trip that was heading out to Havasupai so I hit him up for a ride and on my way for 3 days. He had 2 other men with him and we all piled in and began our journey. 

We got there around midnight and I had an awful nights sleep in the front seat of a Ford Excursion. We woke up around 4am and started to head out for the trailhead. It was so beautiful and refreshing being back in the Grand Canyon - I missed working and watching the sunrise and sunsets daily. We hiked down into Supai Village; I had no idea there would be a village in the Grand Canyon. Huh. It reminded me of Shiprock with the shacks of houses and food stands with fry bread, “Indian tacos,” rez dogs all over the place and chizzy kids running about without their shoes, holes in their clothes and runny noses with dirt in their fingernails. I was home.

We stopped at the café to get some breakfast – homemade tortilla with potatoes and sausage, best meal ever. Now this is funny because I don’t get embarrassed easily and I am not ashamed of other people’s actions for making asses of themselves; however one bilagaana (white person) I was with stood up to the counter scrutinize the menu and ask why they didn’t have many options for “gluten intolerant” options. The tranny cashier looked at him like, “bitch, please, this is what we got on the rez.” He/she patiently waited to write down his order as he went over and over the menu asking, “What is in your ___? Can I get this without wheat? How come there aren’t many options for gluten intolerant people? What’s in your salad? I can’t have that.” Normally coming from Portland, a very diet diverse city, I am ok with these questions, but bitch please you be on da rez ‘dey got what ‘dey gots and ‘dey get it here by helicopter or asses.

We finally ate and watched the helicopter fly back and forth from the top to the pad within a total of 10 minutes. I watch the rez kids not be shy in touching my pack or just hanging around the tourist/backpackers. We head down 2 miles into the camp and are greeted by another fry bread stand that also has frozen Gatorade. I ask how much the fry bread is and he tells me $5, the bilagaana asks, “What’s fry bread? It is gluten free?”  The guy rolls up a piece of dough and says, “You see this? I pay 10 cents for this flour to fry it up and charge you $5.” They girl next to him says “Ayyee!” He looks at me, squints and asks if I am Navajo, then says, “Ok for you, $3 and you know Natives get into Supai for free.” Say whaaat? I just paid $90 for the camping, etc and to hike 11 miles down with broken toes I camp for free and I could have helicopter in for $35?!  That whole doing things easier needs some practice.

We carry on and set up camp and enjoy a relaxing fun time exploring all the falls – Opera, Lil Navajo, Havasu, and Beaver Falls. During our movement and exploring falls, we run into a cute young lady named Tommi hiking without her shoes. We catch up to her and the guys and her start jumping off Lil Navajo Falls. We take pictures and start walking and began conversing. She came down by herself because none of her friends or family was able to and she’s always wanted to come. She just graduated grad school and was on a weeklong road trip to here and Southern Utah. I understood her adventurous spirit and we ended up camping and spending the next 3 days exploring the Canyon.

Tommi was a breath of fresh air. It was awesome to meet another girl not afraid of getting after what she wants. She had a passion for her degree, life and anyone she came across. She was fresh out of a 3-year relationship and lost it to traveling abroad to study and was only in the states for a short time. She made the best of it to go to Havasupai and explore Southern Utah, and then needed to get back to Texas to fly out to Australia. “Ugh I hate that stupid cute couple,” she said as we passed a couple being affectionate, I couldn’t agree with her more. It was obnoxiously adorable and at times I think it would be nice to share these sunsets, rises, mountains, canyons, rivers and experiences with someone special but I’ve also even thought it would be nice to create some type of lightweight, solar powered sanitation device for dildos.

Anyway, speaking of stinking cute couples, backpacking can take a relationship to a whole new level and it is interesting to see how couples interact while away from society and it’s seemingly luxurious items. From what I have seen there are 2 different types of couples: one is the obvious boyfriend dragging the girlfriend. That’s always a mess that could even break it up.

I like to think the other types are two smart, focused people that can communicate well, have long physical stamina, plan, coordinate, work together and most importantly remain positive in all circumstances. At least that's it what I would love to get paid to facilitate. 

Finding a good person to backpack with can be difficult, you’re taking someone away from small comforts such as a stable temperature controlled rooms into natural settings. There are no bathrooms, phone chargers, toilet paper (if there is you pack it out used next to your food), you walk into the unexpected and into animal territory where you live in harmony with the insects.

Everyone needs to experience it, even if you’re dragged. It’ll give you a glimpse of who you really are outside of society. You don’t need all those shoes in your closet, money, you will not want to carry hair products, extra clothes or that favorite purse – it’s all weight that will kill your shoulders and back. You’ll have a lot more respect for the things you do have and look at people differently. There is a community of people taking care of people no matter if you know each other or not. You understand the reality of right and wrong and gain a respect of the unforgiving wilderness. It is a humbling experience to sleep away from light pollution and under the stars, falling asleep to the sound of the river, waking up to natural light, not knowing the time but understanding it. You walk away with a deeper respect within yourself and environment. I find it is quite the indescribable accomplishment I can walk away with; I get emotional at the end of my trips knowing you caught a glimpse of what it was like living like my ancestors.

These kids got engaged