I’ve had many attempts to lose weight over the years. I’ve attempted many ways to get fit. Some I’ve accomplished. Some have crashed and burned (and only lasted a short period of time)! I will give myself a minor pass being that a lot of my non commitment was stress related but now that I’ve recently switched jobs (See.. a LOT has changed), I’m finding myself with more relax time as well as a calmer stress environment. Having discovered a joy for hiking two years ago while heavily stressed while taking on work and caretaker responsibilities, I went on two hikes and fell in love with the outdoors. I enjoyed mountain biking through trails as a kid and had every trail in my neighborhood mapped out. Retreating into those trails to find peace were an almost daily occurrence. Fast forward to being an adult… it reminds me of the story of Peter Pan in Hook. He grew older, forgot about Neverland…forgot about the adventure of it all in exchange for working, and becoming an adult minus the sense of wonder that I feel we all should keep…whether you’re 18 or 98 years old. I needed a challenge.
Challenge Proposed.
Well, the other day while I was at work, Tash messaged me a link that I might be interested in. And boy oh boy was I ever! May I introduce you to:
What exactly is it? Well, it all started…well, I’ll actually let THEM explain:
The original Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge was created as a part of a training regimen for a through-hike of the John Muir Trail. Since then, others have joined the challenge to help them prepare for Mt Whitney and other big adventures. Many others find it challenge enough on it’s own!
Completing the challenge in a single season is a feat that few can claim, and great for bragging rights and trail cred.
This challenge has expanded from California to Central Oregon, Colorado and New England. Somehow this is the first time I’ve heard of it. Regardless, I registered the other day and get my first walk in this weekend. I’m going to do a series of posts/videos/stories based on each of these hikes. You’ll need to subscribe so you can get notice of when these posts go up. The first trail head I will step foot on for this (hopefully) annual tradition will be Paulina Peak. I can see this peak from my neighborhood and is arguably the closest one to me. I’ve hiked this one in the past and it was awesome. I got lost on my way there the first time so I missed my timetable. The hike up took me about 3 1/2 – 4 hours to reach the top with a few stops along the way here and there and 1 1/2 hour hike back to the bottom. Some of this one is steep so i will be conditioning my shins/calves this week.
Challenge Accepted…
What I find interesting is how motives change. When I went out there the first time two years ago. It was almost as if I was trying to hike away from my depression. Oh did I forget to mention that I was suffering from severe depression 2 years ago & didn’t really start clawing my way out of it until about 2 months ago? Yeah it sucked. My soul felt like it was anchored to a breached warp core and it was trying to tell me “I have been… and always will be… your friend” (KAAAAHHHHHNNNNNN!!!!!!!). I first hiked up to Green Lakes and then a month or so later, I did Paulina Peak. I can’t tell which one was my favorite but I do know that I have been itching to go back to the summit of Paulina. There are some FANTASTIC views and a full on bed of obsidian just a few klicks from the summit that I failed to get a picture of last time but will rectify that this weekend.
Forward Momentum
Speaking of the depression for a moment. I can’t tell you whether I was either trying to go “find something” or run away from something out there. What I can tell you is that it was incredibly peaceful. I didn’t realize just how bad my moods had got until just recently. our family has been through the thick of it this last few years and I wasn’t coping well with extra work stresses… needless to say I was not the funnest Kenny you’d want to be around. I was miserable and it wasn’t until I started seeing a therapist and then had a major change of work scenery that there was a noticeable change. These hikes two years ago did speak to me though.
Want to help me Gear Up for this challenge? Check out my Amazon List: http://a.co/9jD9QP2
Want to sign up for Six Pack of Peaks? Go here to register: https://sixpackofpeaks.com/
Like Their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/CentralOregonSixPackOfPeaksChallenge/
Obviously I’m no fitness guru, but the nature therapy was phenomenal. I was able to listen to some good music, some good podcasts, and take some good pics but I am going to really go pic crazy and get them posted here. These shots are from August 2016. Until next time… late!
-z
What a great post! I appreciate you sharing your story and so glad you are connected with the Six Pack!