Take me back.

I’ll never forget that night. Getting ready to summit. 7 travelers from all over the world with one goal.

We tried to nap around 8pm but your mind is racing. You are exhausted from 4 full days of trekking up to 12 hours per day at staggering elevations. Sleep is a luxury but desperately needed. You wear all your clothes at night trying to stay warm in temps reaching -20°F. You are adequately fed with rice, beans, porridge, noodles and popcorn. We were tested nightly for oxygen and heart rates.

The group has to be ready to leave at 12am sharp. I had 7 layers of clothing on my top & 4 layers on my legs (I was a little warm but couldn’t take any chances). Our water bottles were filled with boiling water (by the time you reach the summit they are almost frozen again). I put in my right pocket unwrapped lifesavers my mom had given me. In my left ear, I put in my headphone to play an upbeat music playlist I made prior to arrival. These were my 2 game changers that ultimately gave me that edge to power through.

I was #2 in line. Your only focus was to watch the persons’ ankles in front of you. One foot in front of the other for 5 straight hours. Pole pole (slow slow).

Occasionally you would look up and just see light trails traversing up a dark mountain in zig zag patterns from a few other groups. Thank goodness we couldn’t see those ledges because we later learned the drop offs were scary as hell.

We stopped briefly around 3am for some hot chocolate. The best I’ve ever had. But we had to resume moving quickly to reach the summit at sunrise.

It was so challenging. I remember one guy was falling asleep every few steps, which was one of the signs of oxygen deprivation. He was heartbreakingly turned around to head back to our base camp. Another was running out of water only 2 hours from summit and had to concede. 3 other females had to end their journey due to deep coughs and altitude sickness. So that left my tent-mate and myself with 1 porter to attack the final push. We had made a pact on night #1 that we were going to conquer this together at all costs.

I remember about 30 mins from Stella Point, the picture spot that signifies you are only 1 hour from summiting. That was the only time I seriously thought about quitting. It was a low point where all my insides were screaming. Legs were jello. Every piece of you is frozen and stiff. Your internal thoughts screwing with your sanity. But the moment passed, thankfully.

Stella point is that sign you needed to power through and that “you got this”. At this point, we start walking through snow and see this massive glacier guiding us on the left side. Twilight is breaking through and I get an extra pep in my step because it is going to happen. I start crying uncontrollably while continuing forward. My smile hurts because it is so big and can’t be controlled.

Summit is a blur of only 30 mins due to extreme cold and making it back to base camp with time to descend safely, but I’ll never forget seeing that sunrise above the clouds. Pure joy. Ethereal beauty. Mission accomplished. ✅ 🤯

May 9, 2013 is significant for 3 reasons:

My Disney hiring anniversary

My brother Scott making it home from a deployment

Summiting Kili

Sliding down the scree for the 2 descent days are another story…… 😱

UPDATE: I recently found some of my long lost pics, so included those below for some extra views into the rugged landscape involved in this monumental feat!

This is one of my favorite quotes. That guiding light when my courage is waning and resilience is tested.

To truly follow your heart is scary and a leap of faith. But you owe it to yourself to take care of you first. To commit.

What is your go to?

I have mixed emotions today. One of the greatest accomplishments of my life but also a very painful day. My travel obsession has euphoric highs and crushing lows. A sweet refuge for the soul as I reminisce.

I have only shared this video with seven people to date – my Titusville Y leadership team & parents. It is very raw and unlike me to show vulnerability, but I figured it was time to share this moment.

This was one of my biggest lessons in rising up during adversity and humbling myself to forces out of my control. Every obstacle can be overcome with an extra abundance of persistence and an unwavering heart.

“Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think. More talented than you know. And capable of more than you can imagine.” – Roy T Bennett

I absolutely love motivational quotes and have found a few that have profoundly changed my perspective about life. This is one of them…..

Really let this one sink in.

How about you?

On my US epic road trip, I looked forward to finding my daily hideout to enjoy lunch. Sometimes it was a the peak of a picturesque mountain, many hidden waterfalls gleaming in the sunlight, other times it was a picnic table hidden in the tree groves or possibly a secluded log overlooking the gorge.

The location truly didn’t matter, as I relished the serenity with just my thoughts. A moment to slow down. Off the map. No pictures. No social media posts to share. Just my reflection time to disconnect from everything and anything.

I’m a snacker so my indulgence was typically a wrap with canned tuna, chicken or salmon. Add in my “crack” chik-fil-a sauce (which is now sold in big bottles) with a side of Pringle’s, combos or peanut butter pretzels, I got my protein for the day. I tried to really wean off soda during this trip (which I was fairly successful actually) and my new addiction is Arnold Palmer tea.

In real life, we forget to make this time a priority. My goal weekly since I only lived 2 miles from work was to enjoy 1 day at home for a lunch break. And I rarely achieved this seemingly simple task. Such a shame.

Lesson learned.

It may not be a big deal to anyone else, but 25 has always been my favorite number so my 25th blog is a milestone for me.

Growing up my jersey number was always 25, which was unusual for the point guard, setter, lead off batter – the short girl usually got stuck with the larger outfits due to the higher number (they were pre-made & passed down for a decade unlike the 2000s). So I had to wear undershirts to cover the gaping tank top armpits. Silly story but a fun, random memory.

Also I collected basketball figurines, as “ball” was my entire life for 20 years. I probably have 125+ collecting dust. I was always fascinated to find so many cool collectibles with my number, especially Santa ones. Not until my upper 20s was I enlightened that it had nothing to do with my interests but one of the most celebrated days of the year….. I chalk that up to a blonde moment.

Lastly, I visited my 25th national park this week as well at Biscayne in south FL. Even though I’m only 3 hrs away and my brother’s family used to live here, I had never been. I booked a snorkeling adventure last minute since 95% of this park is actually underwater. We stopped at 2 spots along the 3rd largest barrier reef in the world – Anniversary Reef & a shipwreck the “Alicia” (a 300’ steam ship that sank in 1901). Fascinating stuff.

So to end, I will share 25 of my fav motivational words that guide many of my adventures:

• Grit
• Fearless
• Courage
• Relentless
• Dream
• Elevate
• Legacy
• Impact
• Resilience
• Thrive
• Spark
• Explore
• Adventure-seeker
• Goals
• Giveback
• Inspire
• Work-ethic
• Spontaneous
• Energy
• Trailblazer
• All-in
• No-regrets
• Commit
• Wanderlust
• Risk-taker

Onward to the next 25…..may they be bigger, bolder & uplifting!

Adventure is how you define it.

It is in that feeling…..the butterflies in your stomach letting you know you’ve found the edge of your limit. The high in letting go & pushing past your former breaking point.

Most people think I’m hanging off the side of ledges and jumping through fire when I go out on my crazy adventures. While it is amusing and maybe more realistic when I was back in my 30s, I just love being out in nature and exploring new destinations. So that could take me to the ledges of Mt Rainer or to the waterways of Lake Powell or the ape caves formed by the Mt St Helens volcano or the picturesque beaches of the PNW.

It doesn’t really matter in the end. It could be an all day hike or a simple one miler. The escape in nature is always worth it.

Try it. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed & just maybe get inspired to tackle even more than you expected.

Happy Friday! I was having a glorious morning driving the Washington west coast. I was singing at the top of my lungs to my iPod playlist 1461 songs in. I did it right years & years ago and only downloaded songs I truly enjoyed. From Jars of Clay, to UB40, Jim Brickman, Lincoln Park, what a great blast from the past and variety.

It’s funny how things can change in an instant. All of a sudden, my odometer showed 19 miles until I’m out of gas. Holy s&@$. There is nothing more nerve-racking than an odometer counting down mile by mile.

With only 8 miles left until empty tank, I had a fork in the road. I took a chance and went right thank goodness there was a small town only 4 miles away. In hindsight if I had gone left, I would be stranded on the road somewhere begging for a local to help this silly little Floridian out of her element in the desolate Olympic Peninsula.

We all have forks in the road ahead. How will you choose? Are you ready for the expected or more importantly…..the unexpected? Do you trust your own instincts?

So all is good in my world. And the adventure continues……

Last stop on my US National Park tour was a big one….. Yosemite.

Driving in through the south entrance at 7:15am and peering through Tunnel View, the first sight is the monstrous El Captain looming straight ahead. It smacks you in the face. Right away you know this valley is special.

It’s hard to choose which trails to conquer but they all lead up towards the towering peaks. My combo of choice was the popular Mist & John Muir trails leading to 2 iconic waterfalls – Vernal & Nevada. I thoroughly enjoyed my 10 miles here and looking up at Half Dome I know I have to return. It is another 6 miles to the peak but closed during winter months, as the cables that make the trek possible for the last .5 mile push are already gone. Someday……

Upon my return to the valley, I tally up 6 more miles by seeing Lower Yosemite Falls (which is dry currently but still picturesque), Cook’s Meadow Loop & the base of El Cap.

Besides a couple granola bars on the trail, I hadn’t eaten much else of substance all day because I wanted to squeeze in as many hikes as possible prior to the early sunsets now with daylight savings. So I packed up my “go to” meal of tuna on tortilla wraps plus Pringle’s and figured I would have time to eat while watching a few late day climbers attacking El Cap.

The short .4 mile trip seemed easy enough and I still had twilight to get back to the car. Standing at the base of this giant just made you think. I laid down just so I could look up without craning my neck. Just wow.

Needless to say, daylight was fading quickly so I decided it would be best to start heading back even though my tummy was still growling. (It still amazes me that I don’t weigh like 100 lbs). I’m making good time then I stop dead in my tracks and see 3 sets of beady eyes staring at me from about 25 yards. Ummm….. the bear spray I bought is sitting in my niece’s room near San Diego because I can’t take it on the plane home. I am fortunate they were all babies and just playing, as they kept on moving on their original path.

Crisis #1 averted.

So I continue back to my car with a little extra pep in my step. Then…… I see big brother bear staring at me in the middle of the path. He is walking slowly towards me at the trail crossroads, so I continue walking toward my car route. My heart almost lept out of my body. What do I have that I can use to defend myself? A big rock maybe? I didn’t have any granola bars left to throw at him.

But I tried to play it cool and started walking a little faster and turning my head every 5 secs to see where my new friend was. Luckily, he was moving slower than my pace and as soon as I hit a bend in the trail and he was out of my sight……I ran like hell back to the car!!!

Crisis #2 also averted.

My last thought……. what if I had opened that tuna package??!!??

There is just something special about Zion National Park. It’s a feeling. A zone. It’s Utah’s most visited NP for a reason. Most places in this world I would be happy to see just once, but my much awaited return to Zion consumed me for years.

Early October I knew would be the perfect mix of chilly mornings & scorching day hiking. Just the way I like it. The key was to figure out the new post COVID shuttle ticket game and get early starts. I had 2 days allotted in my packed itinerary and I was going to capitalize. And I purposely waited for weekdays to explore & have some reprieve from the swarms of tourists. The timing did help but this year many people had the same idea that I did for an extended roadtrip to return to some type of normalcy.

I arrived in the town of Springdale to scope out my plan on a Sunday night. Since lodging close by was way out of my price range, I found a cozy spot to car camp for my 2 nights & go unnoticed, while still feeling safe with phone reception, street lighting & next door to some amazing local treats. (If you want to know my hideout, pm me)

I was at the Zion visitor center by 7am each day since it fills up ridiculously early & you don’t want to extend your long hiking days by hoofing it from town too. The shuttle was seamless & I was beaming ear to ear once I stepped onto the trail for 2.5 miles gaining 1488’ in elevation. And I had almost forgotten that only a mere .3 mile on the sandy, flat trail leading to the behemoth climb ahead, I fell flat on my face. Yep. For no reason. My left shin is bleeding and not even a rock in my path. WTF? Only me. Nevertheless, I resumed.

The switchbacks were tough but easily doable with a slow & steady pace. Half the hikers had masks on during the tight corners & most were friendly and encouraging. The path to Scouts Lookout flew by & I was so happy just trudging along in this picturesque playground. Most people took a pit stop to enjoy the views but I had a higher goal in mind. The chain ropes leading to Angels Landing had just opened the week prior & I was very fortunate to have this opportunity to fulfill a dream.

I left my hiking poles in the bushes & reached for the precarious chains to take me to the “top of the world” while there was a break in the crowds. Two way traffic doesn’t work so well on the cliff of a mountain. For once, I focused on one foot in front of the other with precision and care. No mess ups on this route. Sweat on my brow beaded up quickly from both the temperature & sheer fear. Exhilarating to say the least. Encouragements were given & received freely, while we slowly scoured over rocks & conquered our fears head on.

That last step upon reaching the summit was surreal. Truly a feat for the highlight reel. Baby steps along the ledge led to a flat rock where I could simply sit for an hour to enjoy the serenity, feel the fresh breeze, basque in the magnificent views & dig into my lunch of hummus & crackers.

The trek back down I felt like I was walking on the clouds. Light as a feather. Refreshed in every sense of the word…..and I almost turned around to conquer it again!

#onceinalifetime #dreamsdocometrue #earnedit #sayyestoadventure