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Yosemite Trailhead
I’m happy when I’m hiking…

I’m happy when I’m hiking…

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It started so many years ago in Yosemite. My brother Bill, his wife Diane, two of their friends, and I were going on a day hike from the Yosemite Valley floor up to the top of Half Dome and back down again (approx. 14-16 miles round trip). For those of you that are familiar with Yosemite that is one crazy feat! Not for the faint hearted or those that are less than in great shape. I think I fell into the latter category.

Half Dome!
I’m happy when I’m hiking!

It was a glorious, early morning in late May. We stayed the night in a small motel outside of Yosemite, then after coffee (mega coffee in those days!) and a little breakfast, we drove the 45 minutes to the parking lot inside Yosemite Park. We met one of the friends, Jim, who was going to take the hike with us. Up the first mile we go, happy, light-footed, and energized! All along I’m singing, “I’m happy when I’m hiking, pack upon my back…”

Mile 2 — still going up. The singing is not so vigorous, but still happy. We continue on and already I’m slowing down. Are we ever going to  get to the flat part?” I ask. Ha! What do you think, Willow? We’re going “up” to the top of the mountain, and unless there’s a helicopter nearby to take you there, it’s not going to be a “flat” walk. HMMMM… Maybe I didn’t think this one through. (If you’ve ever watched the movie, “Same Time, Next Year”, that is something that Alan Alda’s character, George, says with regularity). Perhaps I should have stayed home and watched the movie again!

Mile 3 – 4, etc, etc. At this point, who’s counting? The lyrics have now changed. I’m no longer happy when I’m hiking. In fact it sounded more like, “I hate it when I’m hiking, pack upon my back. I hate it when I’m hiking, up and up this path…” You get the idea.

It was a glorious day, the waterfalls were breathtaking, and so was the altitude. I loved being there, I loved the mountains, the trees, everything… except the hiking! LOL! About 5 miles up we reached Little Yosemite Valley. The Merced River runs through it before making it’s way over the edge and becoming one of the waterfalls. There, after lunch, we all agreed that I would turn around and go back down the trail while they would continue to the top. It was a unanimous decision… if they went at my pace we wouldn’t even reach the top by nightfall! I turned around, eased my way back down the trail, to the car and while they went the rest of the way up and down, I took a nap!

From then on, every time we’re together for a walk or hike, I’ll always sing at least one chorus of, “I’m Happy When I’m Hiking!’ And you can be sure I’ll be singing it everyday on the Camino!

Buen Camino, Willow

 

Lyrics to the song as I remember and sing them:

Tramp, tramp, tramp, tramp, tramp, tramp, tramp, tramp.

I’m happy when I’m hiking, pack upon my back.
I’m happy when I’m hiking, off the beaten track.
Out in the open country, that’s the place for me
With a right good friend to the journeys end,
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty miles a day.

Tramp, tramp, tramp …

The Decision to Go

The Decision to Go

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How did the decision to walk the Camino come about for me? It started more than 15 years ago when I bought Shirley MacLaine’s book, “The Camino.” I’ve always been a fan of Shirley MacLaine,  both in her movies and her books. This was her latest book at the time and so I thought I’d give it a read. I’d never heard of the Camino, but was fascinated by the idea of a spiritual journey in another country.  Even though I’ve done camping and backpacking when I was younger, the thought of walking every day and sleeping out in fields or being chased by wild animals wasn’t something I was interested in doing… not at 50 years old! So I put the book back on the shelf and let the idea pass… Until 10-12 years ago (maybe a little longer) I told my friend Kate Armstrong about the book and the Camino and told her I thought she should do it. A year later she did! Kate walked the entire 500+ miles and she was 60+!

Then, five years ago my brother Bill and his wife Diane came to visit for Thanksgiving. They live in the Bay Area in California and live a very active lifestyle; running, cycling, swimming, diving and sailing… the works! I told them about the Camino (they’d never heard of it), and once again I suggested to someone else that they needed to walk the Camino. We watched the movie, “The Way” written by Emilio Estevez and starring his dad, Martin Sheen. It’s the story of a son (Emilio) who goes to Spain to walk the Camino and on the first night out he has an accident and is killed (no it doesn’t give away the story, only creates the “why.”) Martin goes to claim the body and decides to walk the Camino for his son (and really for himself). It’s the story of his walk, the people he meets, and the lessons he learns. Anyways, Bill and Diane were intrigued but noncommital.

A month later, they called and said they watched the movie, “The Way” again. A month after that they called back and said they were going and wanted me to join them! They were committed and were planning their adventure for September 2014. Due to many reasons (one being the death of our Mom in 2014), I wasn’t able to join them, but they did the entire 500+ miles. You can read about their journey here, http://www.caminodewirewalker.com.

But the story doesn’t stop there! Fast forward to November 2015 and again Bill and Diane are visiting for Thanksgiving and they announce to everyone that they are again going back to Spain to walk the Camino and this time I am going… no excuses! And of course, I said “YES!” Not yes to the entire 500+ miles, but to a smaller portion of it. The journey began at that point and even though I am not scheduled to leave Tucson until Friday September 23, 2016, I am indeed on the Camino. My journey, my pilgrimage, my life. I hope you will join me as I say to you, “I think you need to do this!” Follow me, it’s going to be a trip!  Buen Camino, mis amigos!