Let’s go hike San Gorgonio! I said that to Chris on Saturday, thinking it was such a great idea and not realizing that the last time I hiked a mountain was in March 2017. We had hiked Mount Wilson with our friends, Marisa and Carlos, and I forgot what a grueling adventure that was! And I was in better shape back then! Chris quickly agrees and maps out the route, getting excited. We make our Target run for snacks, wine (for the after party), and a beanie and gloves for me, since it was going to be freezing at the top. I was getting excited too, thinking about all the beautiful photos I was going to take, including a picture of me at the summit, proudly basking in my achievement. Unfortunately, that’s not exactly what happened.
10mg of Melatonin knocked me out at 7pm Saturday night so I could wake up at 2am Sunday morning. The plan was to leave by 3am to get to the South Fork Trailhead by 5am. Chris set up his SPOT device on Saturday to deliver timely messages to my mom, dad, and brother, Kevin, so they would know we were ok. This was mostly for my mom who would be in a panic all day with us up on a mountain. We ended up leaving at 3:30am and got to the trailhead at around 5:30am. Not too bad. We were only 30 minutes behind our original plan.
It was so beautiful at the trailhead. Obviously, my little phone camera could not capture all the different hues that were displayed so vividly. I was so enthralled by the colors that it became a complete shock to me when I stepped out into the bitter cold. My senses were at odds with one another. Yep, time to put on the beanie and gloves and nursing jacket!
Afterwards, I put on my monstrous backpack that I used with Mount Whitney that was stuffed with first aid paraphernalia: Band-Aid’s, blister-guards, Neosporin, instant cold compress, wound treatment, saline, etc. I was set for any kind of emergency. Chris just shook his head and lets me be me. I also brought enough food for a week. You know, in case we get stranded or something. 2L of water and all my first aid and food made my pack heavier than I originally planned, but I wasn’t going to complain. This was our first outdoors adventure in awhile. It was going to be great! Just one sip of water and…ugg! Obviously, I did not do such a thorough job at cleaning my bladder. The water tasted like soap. Nice! I would be drinking dishwasher soap all day! At least my mouth would be clean!
The South Fork Trail is at 6,900 feet. The plan was to reach the summit of San Gorgonio at 11,503 feet that day. I honestly did not know what I was thinking! Mount Wilson was hard enough and I did that almost 2 years ago when I was running more. Obviously I wasn’t thinking when I came up with the plan. I realized I was in trouble by the time we got to Horse Meadow, which was just a few miles in. I was already tired, weighted down by my enormous pack and soapy drinking water. Chris offered to trade packs with me. He was the smarter of the two of us, carrying a lighter pack with the bare essentials. I stubbornly refused until I could not take it anymore, which was probably about 10 minutes later.
The Dollar Lake trail was rocky and the majority of the scenery was not as magnificent as I was hoping it would be due to the past wildfire. Too many burnt up trees. The websites refer to it as a moderate uphill, but to me it was strenuous. The trail got rockier as the incline got steeper. We had been averaging about 2 miles an hour, but at that point, it seemed like we were only doing one mile an hour. The rocks made it difficult to climb and the elevation made it harder to breathe. I turned on my iPod as a distraction, but as the minutes ticked away I got quieter and quieter. Chris tried to make small talk, but even talking became a chore. We were both tired. All I wanted to do was nap on a log and I was starting to get a minor headache. The air was getting to be chilly again. We found a patch of ice on the way up.
“Let’s turn back,” I said to Chris. “I can’t go any further.” We had been hiking for almost 6 miles and I couldn’t imagine going another 4 miles to reach the summit. He pointed to a spot and said we would decide our course then.
By the time we reached Dollar Lake Saddle at 10,000 feet I knew I was done. We sat down on a log and ate our pretzels in silence. It was cold, windy, and my whole body hurt! We stayed for about 15 or 20 minutes and decided to head back down, forgoing the summit plan until next time. I was a little disappointed in myself, but I knew my limits. Hiking to the top of San Gorgonio would require some training hikes like I did with Mount Whitney.
Heading back down the mountain was not as easy as I thought it would be either. The rocks made it difficult to hike fast and I found myself prudently watching my footing or else I would trip or twist an ankle or something and tripping on a trail is a Kendra trademark. I wanted to get down fast, but falling off a mountain is probably not the best action plan. Chris and I played pass the gigantic pack again. I started carrying my pack back down, but Chris quickly switched packs when he saw what a tough time I was having. I really am lucky to have him. He could have told me to carry it myself since I packed it that way, but he didn’t chastise me at all. He was a total gentleman. He did tell me at the end, though, that my pack was a little ridiculous and I’m inclined to agree now.
It took longer than we had planned to get back down to the car. I kept thinking about how bad my feet hurt and how much I wanted a glass of wine. We ran into a couple of hunters and Chris warned me to be nice, animal lover that I am. The man asked us if we saw any of his deer out there. We said no, but we did see a beautiful yellow and black butterfly that Chris was enthralled with but unable to snap a picture of. Like I would tell you if I saw a deer! We wished them a good day, though, and continued on our way.
On our way down to the car, I kept thinking about this blog. I had started this blog to inspire people towards health and wellness through trail running and hiking. So far, I keep talking about how hard my journey has been. How are people going to get inspired if I keep complaining about it all the time? I mentioned in my last post that the best moments in life must be worked for. I still believe this is true. Yes, I wanted to summit San Gorgonio, but my body is not capable yet. It is a lofty goal that I set out to do unprepared. When I am properly trained, I will set out for San Gorgonio again. Trail running and hiking are not easy. I have had good days and bad days and will continue to have unpredictable days. However, I trust in the training and I know, while it has been a difficult journey, it will be all be worth it when I conquer my goals. And that is what I hope inspires you.
We finally made it to the car after what felt like an eternity! And I did get that glass of wine at home! It helped me start writing the paper I have to write for school.