Happy Birthday Annette!
Dianne, Ginger and I hiked from the South Lake trail head to Dusy Basin to meet Annette and her gang of trekkers on her birthday. Being new to backpacking and backcountry trails, I (mostly) enjoyed the physical challenge of hiking the trail with my not so light pack and I absolutely felt privileged to view the amazing landscape. Ginger, an experienced backpacker trekked along at a steady and confident pace, smiling most of the way. Dianne, after experiencing altitude sickness on a previous leg of the journey, started the ascent a bit nervously, worried about the climb but moving steadily forward toward the eventual 11, 972 foot peak.
After a steady, then steep, then craggy and switchbakcy climb (we did it!), we descended into Dusy Basin. During our ascent, we ran into Lori, Ms. Yosemite Ranger Extraordinaire (aka The Permit Connection) and her friend Debbie, who quickly surpassed us and were waiting for us, sketching and soaking in the scenery, on the other side of the pass. After a brief rest and rehydration, the five of us set off to find Annette and the crew.
It was getting late in the afternoon, my tummy was getting grumbly and my mood was getting grumpy, as we continued to hike way past what my anticipated achieved destination was. Then a cowboy on a horse appeared, asking if we were Annette's friends, and if so, "Stop lollygagging and hurry up!" Not long after that, we saw Annette herself, who seemed to suddenly appear from the brush, as if she were an apparition.
Annette looked utterly happy and in her element. We all greeted each other with hugs and set off to take a dip in the lake and find a campsite for the night. We soon met Jack, Lisa, Sierra, Denali and Peter. Peter was especially happy to see us all as he and Annette had just run out of food and we brought bear cans stuffed with dehydrated yumminess. After a perfectly perfect meal of rice, beans and veggies, we presented Annette with her birthday "cake:" a tower of chocolate bars, complete with sparkly candle on top. We all enjoyed the chocolaty treats and soon after, I retired to my tent, tired from the day's adventure. I drifted off to sleep that night, listening to coyotes in the distance, thinking to myself what a gift Annette has given all of us: to rise to our personal challenges, to behold beautiful, pristine landscape, and to take part in such an inspiring journey.
Happy Birthday, Annette.
Nancy G
Dianne, Ginger and I hiked from the South Lake trail head to Dusy Basin to meet Annette and her gang of trekkers on her birthday. Being new to backpacking and backcountry trails, I (mostly) enjoyed the physical challenge of hiking the trail with my not so light pack and I absolutely felt privileged to view the amazing landscape. Ginger, an experienced backpacker trekked along at a steady and confident pace, smiling most of the way. Dianne, after experiencing altitude sickness on a previous leg of the journey, started the ascent a bit nervously, worried about the climb but moving steadily forward toward the eventual 11, 972 foot peak.
After a steady, then steep, then craggy and switchbakcy climb (we did it!), we descended into Dusy Basin. During our ascent, we ran into Lori, Ms. Yosemite Ranger Extraordinaire (aka The Permit Connection) and her friend Debbie, who quickly surpassed us and were waiting for us, sketching and soaking in the scenery, on the other side of the pass. After a brief rest and rehydration, the five of us set off to find Annette and the crew.
It was getting late in the afternoon, my tummy was getting grumbly and my mood was getting grumpy, as we continued to hike way past what my anticipated achieved destination was. Then a cowboy on a horse appeared, asking if we were Annette's friends, and if so, "Stop lollygagging and hurry up!" Not long after that, we saw Annette herself, who seemed to suddenly appear from the brush, as if she were an apparition.
Annette looked utterly happy and in her element. We all greeted each other with hugs and set off to take a dip in the lake and find a campsite for the night. We soon met Jack, Lisa, Sierra, Denali and Peter. Peter was especially happy to see us all as he and Annette had just run out of food and we brought bear cans stuffed with dehydrated yumminess. After a perfectly perfect meal of rice, beans and veggies, we presented Annette with her birthday "cake:" a tower of chocolate bars, complete with sparkly candle on top. We all enjoyed the chocolaty treats and soon after, I retired to my tent, tired from the day's adventure. I drifted off to sleep that night, listening to coyotes in the distance, thinking to myself what a gift Annette has given all of us: to rise to our personal challenges, to behold beautiful, pristine landscape, and to take part in such an inspiring journey.
Happy Birthday, Annette.
Nancy G
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