Strength

Campsite before summiting Mt. Whitney--Hitchcock Lakes

Three of my girlfriends, Kindra, Julie and Sera, and I are prepping to backpack the Lost Coast. The Lost Coast is an 55 mile stretch (approximately) of hiking trail in northern California along the beach. The closest town would be Petrolia, CA. There's not much around but it is beautiful. It's known to be a trip to remember--a trip you will never regret.

Last year, Kindra, Julie, and another great friend Brenna, hiked from Onion Valley to Whitney Portal, summiting Mt. Whitney the 8th day of our 9 day trip. Julie was in great shape because she runs. That, and she's always been really fit. Kindra, Brenna, and I are all about the same level so starting out was pretty tough. By the end of the trip, we felt pretty unstoppable, but I remember distinctly on the first day, thinking we would never get away from the parking lot. It seemed like we could see it every time we looked back.

This year, I hope to be more prepared, not because I don't think I can do it, but because I want to be able to enjoy the trail more and not be so focused on my pace and breathing--I want it to be a more natural experience.

Brenna, Julie, Me, Kindra
At the end of our 9-day journey--Whitney Portal

So, Kindra and I have been doing one of those infamous 30-day-challenges. We chose the "Beach Body Challenge." We hate the name, but we picked it because it works a lot of different parts of the body. It seemed more holistic, which we like.

Today, we made it to day 12. We did the day 12 challenge yesterday because we both overused our wrists at work--go figure. So today, we tackled day 11: 25 pushups and 75 tricep dips. It was unpleasant--quite unpleasant. A lot of grunts and stifled curses floated through the house.

Today's challenge made me realize just how weak I really am. I cannot successfully complete a single pushup because I have a weak wrist. Okay, that's actually a cop-out. I can't successfully complete even one pushup because I have no arm strength.

I've always said I want to be strong, but I've never done anything about it. Now, I'm doing something. I want to keep it up and pick up the pace. I want to be ready to do things at a moment's notice.

Me at the top of Mt. Whitney.
The flag is a copy of a flag some of our friends used
in a music video for Walla Walla University