Land of the Lost

What, exactly, is the definition of lost?

Thursday morning John and I headed to East Vail and the Gore Creek campground. The campground is located at the trailhead for the Gore Creek trail. This trail heads west out of East Vail towards Summit County. Eventually the trail goes over Red/Buffalo pass and down the Willow Creek trail into Silverthorne. John and I have been planning on doing this hike from Silverthorne to Vail for years, but the logistics never worked out. Needless to say, Thursday morning we were pretty excited to be finally heading out on this adventure!

Everything went fairly smoothly Thursday morning. We got a little later start than planned (as usual), so I was a little concerned about getting a campsite. We had to take 2 cars since this is a one way hike, so John went ahead an found us a great site while I ran errands in Frisco. We did a short hike up the Gore Creek trail Thursday evening just to get our muscles moving and then went to bed very early so we would be well rested for our long hike the next day.

We started up the trail in Silverthorne around 9 Friday morning. The weather was great and the wildflowers were off the charts! I don't think I've ever seen so many wildflowers in one day. That's saying something considering I've lived in the high country of Colorado for 11 years now and have definitely seen my share of wildflowers. But Friday was the best ever! Indian paintbrush, monkshood, showy aster, columbine, and lots of others that I don't know the name of!

Everything seemed to be going great.

After a few hours of hiking, we were above tree line and headed towards the pass. Both John and I had topo maps of the area in our packs, and the trail seemed really straightforward, so neither one of us was too worried about taking a wrong turn.

Around 1 in the afternoon we summited the pass, head a little lunch at the top, and started heading down the trail. We were excited to be just 7 miles of downhill away from our camp and some cold beers! Not long after we got off the pass, John started to notice that something wasn't right. We should have been heading almost due west into Vail, but instead were heading southeast towards Frisco. After 2 miles we realized we were on the wrong trail. We had actually summited the wrong pass!

Instead of being on top of Red/Buffalo pass like we thought, we had summited Eccles pass and were on Meadow Creek trail heading towards Frisco instead

of being on the Gore Creek trail heading towards Vail. I know this sounds like a really stupid mistake to have made. And in a lot of ways it was. But at the point of the trail where it branched off one way to go to Eccles and the other to go to Red/Buffalo it really looked like only one trail.

To make a long story short, we decided to go back over Eccles, find the correct trail over Red/Buffalo and still head down into Vail. It was going to be dark by the time we reached camp, but we had head lamps and plenty of food, so we weren't too worried. I do have to say that it makes you pause for a moment when, after 9 miles of hiking, you realize that instead of being 5 downhill miles from camp you are really 10 miles and 2 mountain passes away! It took a little convincing on John's part to get me to commit to this. I thought it would be better to just continue down Meadow Creek and go back to the car. Ultimately though I just put one foot in front of the other and headed back up Eccles.

Once over Eccles pass for the second time we saw where we thought our wrong turn had been made. Ironically it was near a spot we had stopped for a few minutes while I filtered more water! The trail up to Red/Buffalo pass is

apparently not very well used. There really was almost no trail to be seen, but we could see a bit of trail higher up, almost at the top of the pass. We headed in what we thought was the correct direction, but the trail started to head downhill not up. We still hadn't found the right trail!

At this point we decided to call it a day. Our much anticipated hike to Vail would have to wait for another day. We turned around and headed back the way we came. It was a sad moment when we realized we weren't going to accomplish the goal we had set for ourselves. But at least we had a beautiful day in the mountains with incredible wildflowers and good company. Kodi wasn't complaining! Over 9 hours and 15.31 miles later we were back at the car and driving over Vail pass back to our camp.

So what is the definition of lost? John and I always knew the way back to the car, even if we didn't know exactly where we were. And we didn't really mind being off course, except for the effort it took to get back on course. So I guess the term lost is relative to one's desire to know where you are. We knew we were playing in the mountains, which is our favorite thing to do. After that, what's a little lost among friends?

Back to the Land of my Youth

Whoever said "you can never go home again" was right.

I just got back from the midwest, which is where I grew up. After 9 years in Colorado it just doesn't look the same to me anymore. My parents sold the house I grew up in this spring, so I literally can't go to the home of my childhood. But this trip back everything seemed to look a little different. Not in a bad way. It simply didn't have a familiar feel to it anymore. Like a place I was visiting on vacation, not the place I was from.

Even if it didn't feel like home, it was a lovely place to go on vacation. My friends Stacy and Jeff have a

beautiful home outside of Lawrence, Kansas. Their place is becoming quite the little farm. Organic garden, chickens, horses, dogs, cats.... I was hoping for a fresh laid egg from one of their chickens, but the girls aren't giving them up yet!

I also got to see their beautiful daughter, Lilli. Lilli is 13 months now and it has been a year since I have seen her. She is great! My favorite thing about her is

when I see her mischievous look right before she does something she isn't supposed to do. I've seen this same expression on Stacy's face many times! Stacy's mom, Diana, thinks this is funny. Lilli is just as much of a handful as Stacy was at her age.

We had a great time taking Lilli swimming for the first time. We went out to Clinton reservoir and Lilli took to the water like a pro. She loved bouncing in the lake and playing with the sand. She's going to be quite the little fishy!

On this trip, I also had time for a girl's weekend with Stacy and our friend Perky. We all went to school together, all the way from elementary to high school. It's great getting to spend quality time with friends you've known a long time.

We went to Rocheport, Missouri. It's a charming little town just west of Columbia on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri river. The Katy trail bike path goes through Rocheport. It is the longest rails to trails bike path in the country. There is also Les Bourgeois winery, where we had an excellent dinner the first night. We also caught some great live Blues music at the General Store Friday night. Fun times.

On our second day we took canoes out on the Missouri river. This was a very cool experience! We went with Mighty Mo Canoe Trips, and our guide Brent was great.

He was very knowledgeable about the history and ecology of the river, which made the trip a fun learning experience. I was so nice to float down the big river on a hot day. At one point we stopped off on the shore to check out a spring, and Brent brought a watermelon that we all shared. I highly recommend both the Katy Trail B&B and canoeing for something different and fun to do in Missouri.

On my last full day in the midwest, I got to visit my Grandma and aunt Sherry in Sedalia, Missouri. We had a very nice visit. I hadn't seen where they are living before and it's a very nice place. It is an old school building that has been renovated into spacious apartments. Grandma is still going strong at 83!

Monday it was time to head towards Colorado and home again. Being technically homeless this summer I've really had a chance to think about the meaning of the word "home". I'm not sure I can yet define home for myself, but I do know Colorado feels like home to me. Maybe home is the place you feel most like yourself. Maybe it's simply where your stuff is. Whatever the definition, home is truly "where your heart is". It's good to be home.

Reiki, Taos and Coming Home

Reiki: a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing.

I had the wonderful opportunity to receive my Reiki master certification at Peace Place in Sedona. It was an incredible experience! My instructors, Laurelle and Michael, are so centered and in tune with the Reiki energy that the whole process of getting my Reiki master through them was a sacred experience.

As a Reiki practitioner, I am able to help others achieve higher levels of health and well-being. What an blessing to be able to share this with others! One of the best benefits of giving Reiki though, is that when I am giving a Reiki treatment, I also receive the benefits of the Reiki energy myself. Talk about a win win situation! Thanks and gratitude to Laurelle, Michael, my classmates and everyone at Peace Place. Thank you!

After 9 days in beautiful Sedona, it was time to point my wheels towards home. I took a different route home to Boulder, so I could go through Taos and visit with my friend Steph. Taos has been one of my favorite places to visit for years. I love the natural beauty and the thriving art scene. Steph and I had an excellent visit. Lots of girl talk and a chance to hang out in Taos wandering through art galleries! The weather couldn't have been more perfect. Sunshine, no humidity and about 75 degrees. A nice break from the 100 degree heat in Sedona.

Leaving Taos on Thursday, I finally made it back to Colorado. I ran into some beautiful thunderstorms along the way. Even a little hail, which is always a bit scary. I did do an excellent job of perfectly timing my drive so I could hit rush hour in both Colorado Springs and Denver! What was I thinking? I estimate I have spent 50 hours driving this month traveling from place to place, and most of it has been easy and painless. But by the time I got through the Denver traffic and stopped to see John at work, I definitely needed a glass of wine to calm my nerves. The last hour was brutal!

Being back in Boulder is wonderful!!! I've really come to enjoy this town over the last few months. I've spent the last few days taking Kodi on some wonderful hikes. On Saturday John and I even had a chance to wander (we definitely took the scenic route) up to Summit County. We had a fun day running errands, doing a bit of work and going on a chilly, rainy hike. Good times! It's pretty blissful in my world when I get to spend time with my best friend and my dog hanging out in the mountains!!!

Unfortunately I also found out some disturbing news recently. Apparently my ex has found it necessary to spread some pretty malicious lies about my friend John and I. It's really a sad moment when you find out someone you used to care for is really a bad person. After 5 years of supporting him, nursing him through illness, etc., he has chosen to behave in a shameful manner. I pity him and his need to make up stories to make himself feel better. I am just grateful to all my wonderful friends who are standing by my side through all of this. I love you all so much and cherish your presence in my life every day!

On a much happier note; tomorrow John and I are planning a fun bike ride in Boulder and then Wednesday I'm off to visit my best girlfriend Stacy, her husband Jeff and daughter, Lilli in Lawrence, Kansas. After the heat of Mesquite and Sedona I'm actually feeling pretty fearless about facing Kansas weather in July. At least a long as I don't think about the humidity!

I'm really looking forward to some more great girl time with Stacy and our friend Perky. We're going to be canoeing on the Missouri River and then biking back to a winery! Yeah! I also can't wait to see Stacy's beautiful daughter, Lilli. Yet another little girl who's parents honor me with the title "Auntie Kim". I was able to visit Stacy and Jeff last summer when Lilli was about 13 weeks. I'm sure Lillii is much changed now that she is a little over 1! I apologize if I sound too much like a grown up right now, but they really do grow up too fast!

For now though It's time to do a little Reiki on myself. In the course of my training, I realized my heart needs a lot of TLC right now. Reiki has been incredibly helpful in this difficult healing process. So have all of my dear friends, especially John who shows me every day how to be more kind and loving. I'm counting my blessings, and they are infinite.

High Camp-A week in Sedona

I've found the secret to happiness in the desert... stay near water. Yesterday I spent a blissful afternoon at Red Rock Crossing in Sedona. Laying on the red rock in the sun, and just when I was so hot I couldn't stand it any longer, jumping into the cold waters of Oak Creek. I don't think I've had so much fun swimming since I was a kid! I can see how someone could spend day after day doing just that sort of thing, just watching the summer clouds pass by.

My week in Sedona has been a wonderful experience so far. I've seen ancient ruins, visited vortexes, forded a river to explore caves, and lounged by Oak Creek. Of course there is always the special beauty of Sedona all around me.

My decision to try camping up on Schnebly Hill Road has saved me! I think I would be suffering with the heat if I was still sleeping in it every night. Instead at the end of the day I get to go up a couple of thousand feet and camp in the cool pine forest. What a relief. I've started thinking of this area as "High Camp" and recommend it to anyone wanting to camp in Sedona. There aren't any campgrounds up there, just great places to pull off and do what I call "primitive" car camping. I laugh a little at the term primitive though,

as I spent one night editing photos on my laptop!

The next few days bring me to the highlight of this leg of my journey. Tomorrow I start my Reiki master class! I am very excited to take this next step on my journey as a healer.

There is something very important I must do before by class starts tomorrow morning. In fact this is so important, I think I'll do it within the hour. SHOWER!!! I have to admit, I've been camping for 6 nights straight and I haven't showered for a week! I did fill up my sun shower Wednesday night and washed my hair, but I don't think this really counts as a shower. I have a great room in Sedona that I found on VRBO for the next three nights, and the shower looks absolutely blissful.

Like I said, the key to happiness in the desert is to stay near water. Even if that water comes out of a shower head!

Taylor's Mural

This is going to be a little back track.

Before I left on my journeys this summer, I had an opportunity to do a fun project for a friend of mine. My friend Taylor just turned 2 in May. For her birthday this year her "Auntie" decided to make

a mural for her.

After discussing ideas with her parents, Robin and Brad, we chose

Colorado wildflowers. We are certainly blessed with an abundance of summer wildflowers in the high country, so we picked these for Taylor's mural.

Starting from an assortment of photographs, I made a black and white sketch to use as a reference for the mural. After taping the area off, I painted a border and then used a faux finish for the mural's background. Thanks to my friend Randy for teaching me this particular finish! From there I sketched the flowers in freehand, then painted them in by building up layers of color.

I think the end result turned out great! There are still a few more details to add (hummingbirds and dragonflies), but I probably won't get to these until fall. Taylor loves her new bedroom, and Mom and Dad are pretty happy too!

Cedar Mesa and Points Beyond

The west is certainly a beautiful and varied place.

After the brutal heat of Nevada, cooling off for a couple of days in the mountains felt wonderful. Kodi especially enjoyed hiking up by Buffalo mountain on Saturday. There was water, cool air, warm sunshine and squirrels! Needless to say he thought he was in doggie nirvana.

Sunday morning I left Kodi with his buddies John and Uncle Mike in Boulder and headed for Sedona. I love making the drive on I-70 from the foothills all the way west into Utah. Driving this route always gives me an appreciation of how beautiful the variations of topogr

aphy are just in Colorado. From foothills to snow-capped peaks to the beautiful orchards and wineries of Palisade all the way to the desert by the time you reach Utah. This is really just a small picture of the west in general. Beautiful mountains, harsh deserts, bucolic farmland, we've got it all out here.

Since it takes around 13 hours to drive from Boulder to Sedona, I decided to make this leg of my journey in 2 days. The destination for my first day was an area called Cedar Mesa, just south of Natural Bridges and north of Valley of the Gods in southeast Utah. This area is one of my favorite places to camp anywhere. I try to go there every year in either the spring or fall for a week or so, but the past couple of years have slipped by without me making it.

It was almost 9pm by the time I pulled into my campsite on Cedar Mesa so I didn't really get to do much more than spend the night. The sunset was incredible as I made my way down to where I pull off. I've been blessed to see a lot of beautiful sunsets from this area. I found a great spot to park under what might be the biggest juniper tree I have ever seen. What a beautiful place to camp! Not another human being for miles! I was surrounded by cedar, juniper and a variety of cacti and desert flowers (just past their peak). I made myself a small fire with dead cedar branches I gathered from around my campsite, relaxed and spent a couple of hours enjoying the beautiful silence of this remote place. Let me tell you, one of the greatest smells on earth has to be a campfire made of cedar logs!

It was an interesting feeling camping totally alone like this. For the past 7 years Kodi has been my camping buddy on almost all of my trips. The only time I have camped without him, I was in a campsite with other people. Being totally alone in the middle of nowhere was unique. At first it was a little uncomfortable, but then I started to relax into the feeling of aloneness, noticed the beautiful silence and enjoyed myself.

Monday morning I headed out of Cedar Mesa bound for Sedona. Yet another wonderful drive. I started off going down the Moki dugway. This is about a 1 mile section of gravel switchbacks that drops from the top of Cedar Mesa, about 2000 vertical feet down into Valley of the Gods! Fun times. Once I hit Arizona, I was in the Navajo Nation and going through Monument Valley, then Flagstaff with it's beautiful Ponderosa Pine forests. Driving south on I-17 you drop down from evergreen forests to the desert south of Sedona.

I camped for 2 nights at Beaver Creek campground in the Coconino National Forest. This campsite wasn't really that great. There was a little swimming hole, which you needed because this area is HOT. A little too hot for me. Tonight I am going to try camping up above Sedona off of Schnebly Hill road. The road goes up pretty high, into Ponderosa pine forest, so it's nice and cool. No campgrounds, just primitive car camping. Perfect!

That's the west for you though. Desert, evergreen forest, whatever pleases you, all within a small area. Beautiful.

The Grand Canyon and a Slight Detour

I've been told the native Havasupi in the Four Corners region called the Grand Canyon the "navel of Mother Earth". I can see why they would give this place such an awe inspired name. This is my second visit to the North

Rim of the Canyon and I am just as overwhelmed by its beauty as the first time.

Unfortunately my family seems a little less impressed. They definitely enjoy the Grand Canyon, but they also just seem in a hurry to head back. It's OK though, I've learned a lot about my relationship with my family on this trip. I love them, but we a very different. We simply don't enjoy doing the same things, which make visits a little strained. But if everyone had the same interests the world would be a boring place indeed. So I'm very happy for them and their new house in Nevada, and it's time for me to continue my travels.

Nevada didn't suit Kodi at all. It was just too hot for a big dog. He kept looking at me like "why did you bring me here"? Even with regular walks in the heat and chasing lizards, he wasn't a happy guy. My original plan was to head to Sedona from Mesquite and have my parents watch him for a couple of weeks. It was really nice of them to offer to do this for me. It's just too hot this time of year in Sedona to camp with a dog. But ultimately I decided he would be happier in Boulder. So yesterday I loaded up all my gear and spent 12 hours driving him back to Colorado. That means I have a 2 day trip starting Sunday to get down to Sedona, but Kodi is so happy to be in Colorado it's worth it.

I have to send out a huge THANK YOU to John and Uncle Mike for taking care of my best buddy while I'm off getting my Reiki Master in Sedona. They are my heroes! They say it takes a village to raise a child. Apparently it takes a village to raise a Kodi also. Thank goodness for the village!

It's nice for me also to be in a cooler climate for a couple of days. Tomorrow John and I are going to do a fun hike up to Red/Buffalo pass in Summit county. This will be just the first part of a long hike we want to do later in the summer from Silverthorne to Vail. It will be nice to be up high in the mountains. Of all the wonderful places I am fortunate enough to travel to, nothing beats the high country of Colorado for me.

Beautiful places. My life is filled with beautiful places. I am very grateful.

Next, Sedona, an amazingly beautiful and special place. The energy of Sedona is unique and it has been held as a sacred place since humans first came there. Just as the Havasupi held the Grand Canyon to be sacred.

I think the energy of these ancient, sacred places is just as important to mankind today as it was to ancient peoples. Possibly even more so. With our lives of smart phones and Wii games, sometimes we lose connection to the rhythm of Mother Nature. Spending time in the sacred beauty of nature restores this connection.

That is what I am hoping for this summer. To get back in touch with the rhythm of nature, and ultimately the rhythm of my life.