falling in love with nature.

so true.

i never thought i would ever be a mountain woman.

i am a pisces, so naturally i am a water baby. (right, astrology folks?) i jump into the ocean/pool/river/waterfall without a second thought. when asked where i'd like to vacation, generally a place near water or with an ocean view always trumps for first pickings: Greece, Japan, Bali, the Maldives, the Galapagos.  it has been in the recent 3 years that i started to consider locales that involved a good hike or five. the last vacation i started planning involved a lot of correspondence with the China National Tourism Authority regarding ecotourism in Jiuzhaigou Valley and alot of pining over the amazement and adventures that await in Iceland.  needless to say i didn't end up going, but both are definitely on my BUCKET LIST. hiking has opened my mind to a different aspect of traveling, the ones that involved very little busy cityscape. because as much as human development amazes me (skyscrapers and plane takeoffs still do it for me..), mother nature's stunning beauty literally takes my breath away. oh and the strange pull of adventure and peace that comes with it: PRICELESS.

desertscape.

training for Mt. Whitney started with a goal to push myself towards my physical edge. it wasn't until the Mount Wilson hike that i realized it is more than that.. this is an internal journey.

like the sign post above says "may your search through nature lead you to yourself." i had the time and space to really be with my thoughts and start re-piecing myself together on these hikes. i have rediscovered my love for nature buried deep down and i will continue my love affair with it.

tram ride UP.

first junction.. hmmm. 

And it's as if these mountains knew that.. Because each peak, each grueling climb offers a better view, a better hike, a better experience than the last.  These mountains are TOTALLY one-upping one another!? Is that even possible? Or has my appreciation for nature simply grown? has my solidarity with myself opened my eyes, my mind, to new perspective? no matter the reason, all i want to do is trek on.

so green. such a lovely meadow.

the mount san jacinto training hike put me in a position to face yet another fear. do i trust my sense of direction and competence to do a full day's hike on my own? do i trust my instinct enough to recognize any signs of AMS and be humble enough to turn back if it did show up? my determination to train as much as i can for mt. whitney definitely made me a bit bold. since one of my training partners withdrew and the other was busy, i decided to take the palm springs aerial tramway up and do a shorter version of this hike via Mountain Station. i know, i know.. that's cheating, but it was still a 12 mile hike and it gave me some good elevation acclimation.

peak. second tallest in so cal. 

maybe a little too close to the edge.

 it was a VERY hot day and i was very happy i would be up at higher (and COOLER) elevations! you start off literally in the desert, walk through amazing meadows, up sub alpine forests and a bit of climbing up large granite boulders at the peak. and that view at summit, the best lunch view a girl can ask for. i quite agree at this point with naturalist John Muir, who said "The view from San Jacinto is the most sublime spectacle to be found anywhere on this earth!" this was back in 1887, i wonder how much has changed since then? On one side, you see the steep slope of granite and pine trees disintegrate into a neverending flat desert. The other side offers views of the rolling peaks of the San Bernardino mountains including San Gorgonio, the highest peak in southern california. i wish i could have that grand peacefulness and beauty in my life daily(and i do, just a different kind and on a much smaller scale). 

piles of rocks. the climb to the peak.

palm desert.

san bernardino mountains.

this wasnt a strenuous hike at all. it was pretty straight and to the point except for the higher altitude. i have come to realize that i dont have much of an issue with altitude but i hope that stays true to the biggest (for now) test at Mt. Whitney. to boost the high that came from summiting, i ran into a family of hikers that somehow got off track and looped themselves in the meadow several times while descending and i was somehow able to get all of us back to the tramway. funny thing was i met an older gentleman along the trail who was turning back bc the altitude was too much for him. i sat with him for about 10 minutes offering water/aspirin/sustenance/even company on the walk back (should he need it) before wishing him luck back to the tram on his own. it turns out the family i took back was his family that kept going to summit! what a crazy whirlwind day for them.. im happy to know that i had enough confidence in myself and that the family also trusted me to lead them. phew! good thing i didnt get them lost AGAIN... 

watching the sunset as i tram down.

this has been my ultimate favorite hike. at the end of each hike, i can't wait until the next one. i am falling more in love with nature. my first love will always be water but i am slowly becoming a mountain woman as well.

see the full album here.   

what is it that you've fallen in love with lately?