TENACIOUS
13 Oct
Tenacious – adj – persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired.
Those close to me have used several words to describe me: strong willed, independent, and stubborn (I object!). I prefer tenacious. I’ve said before, the Gregory (my maiden name) clan is a tenacious bunch and we learned it from my father. We watched my father Steve weave home improvement projects into his overstuffed schedule. We had a table saw in our dining room for years and he would rev it up at 10:00pm to work on unfinished projects. The hour didn’t matter as we were all working toward achieving something instead of sleeping. He has also been known to drive in any weather conditions in pretty much any vehicle; he and my mom live at 10,000 feet in South Park, Colorado so the chance of a blizzard looms almost daily. My brother Shawn, persistent clone of my father, just finished riding the Colorado Trail race on his mountain bike in less than six days.
A bit of background, the Colorado Trail extends from Denver to Durango over five mountain ranges and spans 500 miles with 70,000 feet of elevation gain. He chose to forego a tent and sleeping bag because it would make him too comfortable for the hour and a half rest periods he had planned. He wound up sleeping in his bike helmet that served as a pillow (really?) wrapped in a silver emergency blanket (a.k.a. tarp). Dave and I did this same trail four years ago and our experience took a bit longer, 49 days.
What am I getting at? Tenacity is the quality that has allowed me to finish two extended backpacking trips in the wilderness. The first was the Colorado Trail four years ago and of course the second being the John Muir trail this past summer. I recall having a conversation on the trail where I said I think anyone could finish the trail if they had some descent gear, some tolerance for pain, a GI tract that can endure days of dehydrated food, and some determination. I want to add tenacity to the list of necessary criteria. Now John Muir didn’t have the high quality lightweight gear we had, but I think he had a double dose of tenacity and a profound love of the wilderness.
My point is, if you can get past the blisters, the occasional sunburn, a periodic explosion of something in your backpack (I’m sure Jason can’t forget the sunscreen debacle), postholing, sore muscles, chronic shortness of breath, and no bathroom, you can experience the overwhelming majesty of the Sierra wilderness. For example, the tough climb up the golden stairs brought Durand, Jen and I to jaw dropping peaks looming above Lower Palisade Lake. When we finally reached Dave up in the valley we all sat next to the alpine lake relishing the stunning scenery and our accomplishment of getting there. When Ric and Jason joined us we revised our earlier decision that Evolution Lake might not be the most beautiful spot on the trail. Little did we know that Mather Pass would prove an even more profound challenge and an even greater feeling of accomplishment and comradery.
I’m so grateful to my tenacious backpacker family, my husband Dave who constantly inspired me with his knowledge and strength, Jen who brought trail Yoga back to me, Ric who reminded me that every day was a day to relish life, Durand who made me laugh constantly, and Jason who’s generosity and logistical planning helped our trail family stay together. Thank you.
