Day 3: Hikes

I got these from my mom, who got them from a lady in my home ward that I've never met, who was simply moving and needed to get rid of a few things. I didn't own any kind of running shoes, so when offered I took them.

I'm actually quite a fan of them. And to be perfectly honest, almost the only times I wear them are when I'm doing some sort of physical activity. I wore them when I forced myself to go with Marie to the gym. I wore them when I went to Zumba last night for the first time. And I wear them every time I go hiking.

Two times stand out in my mind. The first is a snow hike that I went on with Marie. It was towards the end of this past winter semester, and I was getting antsy. It was finally looking beautiful and springy outside, so I suggested to Marie that we go on a hike. We drove to Rock Canyon and found that although mostly clear, not all of the snow had melted. But we continued on. It was a rough hike up. But on the way down, I had not had that much fun in a long time. It was slippery and so I pranced down. The walls of the canyon were packed in snow, so Marie and I, dressed in shorts, decided to ascend the snow wall. However, we weren't ready for the snow to cave in underneath us and send us hip deep into the ice. I had scratches all up and down my legs, but it was so much fun.

The other time I specifically remember is climbing Bridal Veil. I went with Marie and MegP, and it was definitely that time of the month. But would that stop me? No. Or at least I thought. We started the climb and I was fine. But about a quarter of the way up I started getting unbearable cramps. I needed a break because they were killing me. Literally, I was getting light headed and thought I was going to pass out. Was I out of breath? No. It was my stupid uterus. So we found a log to sit on in the middle of the falls and I straddled it. That's right. One leg on each side, belly on log, I laid down. I would have curled into a fetal position, but it wasn't really an option at the time. But there I lay for quite a few minutes, until the pain became dull enough that I could start climbing again. It was a holiday, so there were lots of people there. MegP and Marie still laugh about how I sat there straddling a log while people hiked up around me. But eventually I got up again and continued to where I wanted to be: right at the top of the falls, feeling like I was drowning in the mist.

These shoes make me feel like the woman. Every time I put them on an adventure is about to commence. And one day I plan to hike Mt. Timp in these shoes. These shoes give me the ability to make my body move. To stretch, run, explore and dance. When I wear them I am capable. I can climb a mountain. I can move my hips to the rhythm and not look like a dang fool while doing Zumba (even though I did...). In these shoes I am the woman that I don't expect to see in a mirror: strong, active, adventurous.