I grew up in a cement jungle (Richardson, Texas.. a suburb of Dallas). I used to say that I was allergic to the country. Now, I live in Meridian, Idaho. It's still a suburb, but it is NOTHING like Dallas or Richardson. I live in a valley where I can see Mountains all around me. It only takes a short drive to get to them. Even when we lived in Arizona, I found myself going to the mountains as often as possible. Somewhere along the line, my country lovin' husband has turned this city girl into a mountain running crazy person! And I'm okay with that!
Anyway, I have been stuck in the city and not getting up into the mountains near enough. The new knee has played a part in that; and so has taking care of my mom after her shoulder surgery. But last weekend, I had the incredible honor of traveling to one of my favorite places on earth to crew for one of my most favorite people as he did his first ultra marathon (The Gorge Waterfalls 50K) in the Columbia River Gorge. If you have never been to this part of the United States, you really need to make a point of going! By going, I don't mean just drive through. I mean, get out and hike! Get out and touch the moss growing on the trees. Climb over or under a tree. Get your feet wet in a water crossing. Stand on a bridge and feel the mist from a water fall bathe you. Smell the clean air. Feel the energy and be renewed. EXPERIENCE LIFE.. don't just drive by it!
On this amazing adventure this weekend, I got to do a little bit of hiking with Brandon, Megan, Jodi and Andy as we scouted out just one little part of the 50K trail. The pre-race reports they were getting told them that part of the trail had been washed out and there was a detour; Brandon wanted to check it out. Sure enough, the trail was completely washed out and the race director created a detour. That detour was treacherous and required a rope to help the runners navigate the upward climb. (I'm glad I wasn't the one running this race!)
On this hike, we got to walk through this forest in the mountains. The trees were covered with beautiful green moss. The path was packed with a soft bed of natural mulch from fallen leaves, dirt, pine needles as well as some slippery rocks just to keep you on your toes. We had to hike UP to the waterfall. I am so out of shape that I thought my heart would explode, but I made it. Once we made it up there, Andy did some filming for his YouTube channel and interviewed our two runners (Jodi and Brandon). It was fun to watch that happening in this beautiful setting. There was lots of laughter, and I got some great shots of that. My heart was also filled with the way that Megan supported Brandon and showed him love through this whole adventure. I got some great candid photos of that. It just warms my heart.
On the way down from that waterfall, again, everyone is so much faster than I am. But when I got to a clear section that wasn't so technical, I let my legs free and I let myself run (which I am not supposed to do). Man did it feel amazing. I miss running through the mountains. There is just something so freeing and magical about it!
Race day came and everyone was filled with jitters. Our racers were filled with nervous energy for what they would find on the course and how their bodies would handle the tests the trail would give them. As support crew, we knew what their goals were and we held our breath and watched the clock as we waited for them to come into the aid station (hopefully before cut off times). It was nerve wracking.
Once we started them off on their race, we decided we had a few minutes and wanted to meet them somewhere up on the course before the first aid station to cheer them on and so Andy could catch some video. This meant hiking up a very steep trail. Once again, my heart felt like it was going to explode. It is so pretty there, but time was of the essence. There was no time to really appreciate the beauty around me. As it was, Megan reached to the part of the trail where the racers were running through just 3 minutes before Brandon ran through. I arrived just before Jodi ran through. On the way down, we decided to take a different route down hoping it wouldn't be as sloppy and muddy. NOPE. At one point, I was slipping so much, I had to put my hands down to stop me from falling on my arse! I'm grateful that Megan helped me down that and I stayed in one piece. It was a gorgeous hike though!
Once they came into the aid station, everything was a flurry of action. Megan helped Brandon re-stuff his bag with nutrition. I refilled his water bottles. He was in and out of the first aid station in a little over a minute. When Jodi came running in, I was in charge of the video camera while Megan and Andy took care of her running pack and sending her on her way. Whew! That was nerve wracking.
The 2nd aid station was at the trail we had hiked the day before to check out the washed out trail. We arrived early enough to set out our aid station things and wait for our runners. We watched as time ticked by. Brandon made it through sooner than we had expected. We filled up his water, got him some coke, re-powdered his feet, changed his socks and shoes and sent hm on his way. He was in great spirits and feeling strong. Then we waited for Jodi. The cut off time had passed. As runner after runner came in and learned that they had missed the cut off time, we watched their disappointed faces. They had just finished some of the hardest 19 miles of their lives. They had just accomplished more than most people will ever dream of. Yet, they didn't get to finish their race, and that is heart breaking. And as support crew knowing we still had a runner up there, our hearts broke. As we waited she sent a message to Andy saying she thinks she missed the cut off. (And she had.) From what she said, it took everything she had to climb up that rope at the detour. She came running down the remainder of that trail and met the aid station workers who took her running bib from her. Her race was over. She handled it with such grace and dignity. I know she was disappointed, but she handled it like a champ and was excited to cheer on Brandon for the remainder of the race.
Brandon did finish the race in under the "cut off time" for the entire race. He made it in under 9 hours. I could not have been prouder of him. And the moment he shared with his beautiful wife was so touching. It made my heart sing.
I am so humbled by the strength and determination of my friends.
The other part to this weekend was the amount of joy I felt while being in the mountains. It renews my soul. I could have taken a million pictures, and none of them would have conveyed the way I felt up there. The energy in the Gorge is palpable. The waterfalls are majestic. The bed of moss is inviting. Everything about that area welcomes you into its beauty and tells you its secrets, all you have to do is be still and listen. It was exactly what my soul needed!
Oh.. and aside from the beautiful soul-feeding mountains, I had the incredible pleasure of meeting up with one of Nick's college mates, David. I had only met him once (at Nick's memorial) and it was such a beautiful experience to connect with him on this strip. He shared stories of Nick with me. It was so heart warming to see how much he admired my son and how much he missed him. I love hearing stories about Nick. I love seeing how much he was loved. And I loved getting to know this incredible young man on a more personal basis. I hope he comes to visit Boise soon!
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