Wild

My book club just read Wild by Cheryl Strayed and if I'm going to be punny here like I want to, I will tell you how wild I am about it.

Basic story: 20-something girl loses her mother, tears apart her marriage, gets into a habit of drugs and sex, then decides to change it all, drop everything and hike the Pacific Crest Trail.

It's so much more than that. Cheryl is a woman whose mother dies of cancer very suddenly (7 weeks from finding out to the end). After that, she is angry and broken and becomes self-destructive. She cheats on her husband, does heroin, and actively makes poor choices. One day, she sees a guide book to hiking the PCT in a book store, and the idea sticks with her.

She decides she will hike part of the roughly 2,500 mile-long treacherous trail that spans the West Coast from Mexico to Canada. Without any prior experience in hiking, she packs up a monstrous backpack and hits the trail. 

While she faces the very physical and immediate needs of being on the trail, she goes through a mental healing of sorts, though unaware of it at the time.

The book has funny anecdotes, face-offs with wild animals, lost toenails, friendly and shady encounters with other hikers, descriptions of nature and what it's like to hike for months, all the while interweaving heartbreaking stories of her self and past to form a cohesive, inspiring story of losing it all, then piecing it back together.

Cheryl uses beautiful imagery and stories of her trip to paint a greater picture of life and its meanings:

"This [Crater Lake] was once a mountain that stood nearly 12,000 feet tall and then had its heart removed. This was once a wasteland of lava and pumice and ash. This was once an empty bowl that took hundreds of years to fill. But hard as I tried, I couldn't see them in my mind's eye. Not the mountain or the wasteland or the empty bowl. They simply were not there anymore. There was only the stillness and silence of that water: what a mountain and a wasteland and an empty bowl turned into after the healing began."

A few years ago, I was at a very low point in my life, although I had not really lost much but a young love who was all wrong for me. I started doing yoga and it became my coping mechanism, although I wasn't totally aware of it at the time. Even though it wasn't a season-long journey that engrossed me 24/7, it was a moment of my unbearable day when the physical demands and immediate requirements coerced me into letting go of my mental mind games. Eventually, I pieced myself back together, one asana at a time.

I Was Dreaming of a White Christmas

Blink. The holidays are gone and as a result, I am Jennifer McMopester. This year was much different than before, as I spent the holiday up North with my boyfran’s family instead of my own. There were a few issues with this: not being with my family on a holiday I’ve never spent away from them, not being there for the baby nephew’s first Christmas, and not being in my own house for the holiday. But the family was divided this year and the boyfran’s family had big plans for up North and so kindly invited me, so I took the leap and agreed. It was one of the most magical Christmases ever because it felt oh-so-Minnesotan and I got to do so many fun things!

{The hunchback of Rush City}

Last Thursday, most of the group was already up North but I had a nice dinner with my family before the boyfran and I went to a little Ugly Christmas Sweater shindig at Bulldog St. Paul. It was pretty fun and afterwards I headed home to stay up until 3am packing. Three hours later, the boyfran and I were out the door and on the road to watch the beautiful sunset. We only made one stop in Rush City, to see the largest walleye in the world, of course. Paul Bunyan was the brave fisherman on this one. (So dorky!)

We were warmly welcomed at our beachfront property in Lutsen, MN on Friday morning. I had never seen waves crashing into a shoreline blanketed in snow before. Soon after, I got a massage at the WatersMeet Spa, took a trip to boyfran’s brother’s cozy cabin in Grand Marais, then headed out to the community center for ice skating and hockey. 

The boys raced and played tag, while I honed my stopping and backwards skating skills. I may have ran my head straight into a hockey net at one point, but all was cured with a Peppermint Patty at a local bar with an awesome bartender, Whiskey Dick. Seriously, his name was Dick Winzer, kind of like Windsor. Like Whiskey. Get it? We ended the night with dinner and Cribbage and all was well in the world.

On Saturday, we trucked out to Caribou Lake and hauled our stuff on the boyfran’s three-wheeler. We played catch, I learned to punt, and we drank ice cold beer to keep us warm. Hmm? Yeah. I even got enough courage to hang onto the back of the three-wheeler while being towed on a snowboard. I tumbled down three times, but those falls were worth the fun. The scenery on the lake was intensely beautiful. Woodsy cabins dotted the shoreline and tall pines and bare birches skirted the entire perimeter. It was the most beautiful football field I have ever played on! Every once in a while, I’d stop, take a breath, and stare at the shoreline in disbelief of its beauty. 

Afterwards was the same drill: Cribbage, drinks, laughter. Only this time, we got to open presents! In my family I had never opened presents before Christmas morning so this was a treeeeeeeeeeat. Boyfriend Zeb and I got each other snow shoes – I can’t wait to bust those out! (Snow, darn it!)

On Christmas morning, we had a yummy breakfast prepared by boyfran’s mama. We had a small photo sesh for the other blog, then geared up to go sledding. When we arrived at Lutsen Resort to pick up some sleds, boyfran’s brother Luke decided to take us on a mini hike. The hike was breathtaking and a little bit scary, as we scaled steep inclines covered in slippery snow. Again, the green conifers against the snow were so strikingly beautiful I was practically gaping at every new view. We saw otter tracks along the water too! So cuuuute! 

After our hike, we drove over to the golf course and found a hill to slide down. The hill itself wasn’t all that intimidating, but a river disguised by a bed of snow awaited us at the bottom. Once we got to the bottom of the hill, we quickly had to roll off before plunging into the depths of the river. We had a Christmas dinner at the lodge and slothily made our way home for more Cribbage, Sequence, and Reggae music.

On Monday, we found our water pressure had officially died and instead of enjoying a slow morning with yummy breakfast, we bolted out of the place like something that bolts out of a place fast. 

We made our way slowly back to the cities, stopping at Beaver Bay for the giant Adirondack chairs, Split Rock Lighthouse for a view of the lake, and Duluth for a meal at Fitger’s Brewhouse and some shopping. I have a new quest to go see all of the odd statues and such in Minnesota, and everywhere.

I know this post is ridiculously long, but it’s basically a journal, so deal with it! Trips in confined quarters inevitably make you closer to the people you share them with. I feel closer to the boyfran’s family, if that was even possible, and I am happier for it. Sure, they are a quirky, sometimes gross (three boys, c’mon) bunch, but they’re pretty awesome and extremely welcoming. They got it from their mama!

So now I have all these amazing memories, items checked off of my winter to-do list, and a slew of photos I can’t even begin to sift through. It’s great to recognize the beauty in life, but when you take photos of each of those moments, well, you have hundreds of photos. Oh well, better than none! Okay, now back to our regularly-scheduled programming.

  

Into the Wild [Round 2]

I'm back from my second round of camping, and the only reason I'm happy to be back is because I desperately needed a shower. The best parts of fall camping are definitely the view (vista) and weather. I was chilly the first night of sleep, but quickly learned that a few more layers and covering my entire face would do the trick. The second morning I woke up toasty and happy.

The weekend was amazing because it was filled with friends, family, exercise, trying new things, and finding optimism. 


Friends:

On Friday we met up with the boyf’s friends from Duluth at Fitger’s Brewhouse, one of my favorite establishments.

Family:

We also met up with the brother-in-law’s brother at the Brewhouse.

The other days we met up with the boyf’s brother, whom we don’t get to see very often.

Plus, the whole weekend was with sister and brother-in-law too.

Exercise:

On Saturday we went for a 7-mile hike that was easy in some parts and a little bit scary in others, with heart-pumping hill climbs. The scenes and sights were beautiful though.

On Sunday we went for a 2.5-mile kayak excursion in tandem kayaks. It was really fun and the view from the lake was much different than the view from the forest. It was nice to get to see both. (Kayaking is more work than it appears to be!)

Trying new things:

I’ve never kayaked before and although it has always sounded fun to me, it has also sounded a bit scary. Being that close to the water, in a very cold, big, deep lake, freaked me out a bit.

Finding optimism:

7 miles can be grueling after a few hours of hiking up and down on raised roots and rocks and steep hills. Having new hiking shoes also intensifies the foot pain associated with a long hike, so I had to think happy thoughts and remind myself that there are a lot of people who aren’t physically able to hike like this. So I was lucky.

{Fall Colors}

{So addicted to cribbage}

{I was searching for Candy Mountain, but this will do}

{Odd growths}

{A cute little fisher; unless you can better identify it}

{Flowers at Lutsen Resort}

Merry Monday (Elements Edition)

Last night I got home so late from being up North* that I didn't even have time to experience my usual 'Sunday Blues.' (Yay to that!) Instead I ate my really late dinner and watched the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy that I missed last week. Then I stayed up too late. Then I woke up too late. Then I didn't feel like being at work and attributed it to the fact that it's a Monday (and not to the fact that I stayed up late).

I stay cheerful by thinking of:

1. Earth. I mean this in the dirt/ground sort of way. Hiking through the woods allowed me to see various trees with roots that tangled through the ground. It was also splendid to see the moss and mushrooms and everything thriving in the forest. It felt a little bit like a Disney movie.
2. Water. Drinking it, kayaking in it, watching it flow, and being surrounded by it. Water is mysterious and magical and I’m not even kidding when I say that. (Lake Superior is SO COOL).
3. Fire. With it being so cold this weekend, the fire kept us warm and happy. It’s pretty astonishing how it fades and grows with slight adjustments, and how it allows us to cook food and boil water too.

I feel as though having a great weekend makes the most out of the time off of work, but it also makes the return to work that much harder. Oh well. Work hard, play hard. 

*Trip details to follow.

The grass is greener on the other side.

Sometimes I feel disgruntled about where I live. I want to live in either Minneapolis or St. Paul, right in the middle of the action. I would be closer to most of my friends. I would be closer to good restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and stores. I would be in a central location where any of the suburbs were only a short distance away.

I could bike on bike paths that span cities. I could run around big lakes. I could run across the Stone Arch Bridge like I used to when I was in college. I could stay out and not have to sleep at a friend's place, but in the comfort of my own bed.

But then, at my house in the Northern 'Burbs, I look out the window, and this is what I see:

Notice the cute bird.

                       

Then my coordinates don't seem so bad after all. One day, I'll get to the city. Until then, I'm going to appreciate the beautiful colors of the sky; the grass is pretty green on my side.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I took the one that led me to my campsite.

Sorry Robert Frost, I'm just not that poetic.

I went camping this past weekend for a day with some friends and family at Lake Maria State Park in Monticello, Minnesota. Even though the park wasn't far out of the cities, once we arrived, I felt like I was in a whole new world.

We hiked up to our camp site which a little less than a mile in. It was raining and we weren't sure what to do, but we sucked it up and set up camp. I have a hard time not doing a whole lot, which is what we started off doing. I like to be busy, writing, reading, watching, doing. So when I had to sit and not do anything, it was a little stressful. We had to make a second trip to the car and even though it entailed hiking through a mosquito-infested forest, I was relieved. I wonder what this says about me?

After all was good in the parking lot world, we headed back in and began to practice our skills on the slackline. There are some weird notions of slacklining (that it's pretentious, for hippies, etc.) but to me, it was just challenging and really fun. I started off being able to take a few steps, but as the night went on I progressively got worse. No, I do not attribute this to drinking wine.

We enjoyed some beer and wine, bagged macaroni and cheese and brats. I was intrigued by all of the camping gear I saw and I immediately wanted to own a 7075-T6 hard anodized fork too. The shopaholic in me (hey, at least I admit it) was excited to go to REI and procure some camping goods. Now I know I need a headlamp, sleeping pad, bowl and utensil, hammock...the list could go on and on. At least I'll be able to take advantage of my membership benefits that I got sucked into last year.

I was miserable for parts of the day. I wasn't excited about the mosquitoes. I thought it was too hot. Then it was too cold. Then I had to sleep on the hard ground. But the parts that made all of that worth it were: (Here she goes making a list again...)

Spending time with family and friends

Making s'mores around the fire

Sitting in a hammock

Attempting to balance on the slackline

Hiking in the woods

Spotting a firefly wonderland in the meadow

Nature truly is moving, especially when it is still. I saw one, lone yellow leaf in a vast arrangement of green and it struck me as beautiful. I tried to find where it came from, to see if there were other yellow leaves anywhere, but there were not. In a way, I felt like that yellow leaf: that I somehow belonged there, but didn't at the same time.

One of my favorite parts of the trip, and it happened in the very last hour we were there, was my brother-in-law singing, "There's a skeeter on my peter, whack it off." (Imagine it to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands" or "She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes").

As we trudged out of the camp site, batting mosquitoes, we were all humming that little tune in our heads.