In this time of severe isolation, which I don’t always hate, I am fortunate enough to have an amazing neighbor in my building who is also a mother of three living here full time.  What began as a circumstantial friendship has grown into something much deeper.

 

Both desperate for connection and committed to stay safe during “Pandemia,” we began meeting for weekly hikes out of our building back door. This hiking routine began as our children were beginning their Fall terms at new schools and a new town, so we never ran short on conversation. We were also both coming from the East Coast and loving the dramatic change of culture Park City was bringing our way.

 

She had an incredible sense of direction on the mountain and I always followed her lead. And because we were there to get a workout, we always headed pretty much straight up. There are tons of small trails, some hiking, some mountain biking and some multipurpose. I never had any clue which trail we were on but it didn’t matter because she was the compass and she never failed us! I always missed her when I’d venture out for a solo hike and find myself beholden to my Trailforks App no matter how many times I’d been there before.

 

Initially our hikes were “variations of a theme.” Red Cloud Trail to the summit and wind ourselves back down. These hikes averaged an hour and half, around 4mi with an elevation gain of just over 1K feet. At the end, we’d say our goodbye’s and carry on with the business of running our young families.

 

One day she suggested we mix things up a bit and instead of heading out the back door, meet on the range just near our building to. As I was deep into my “try all the new things!” mentality, I was there for it. We met up in the trailhead parking lot after dropping the kids off at school. I’d never done this particular hike and she, once again, was my fearless leader and we headed out. Then up. And up. And up.

 

We climbed so high. At one point we looked down towards the direction we started, and I could see the ski lift that we have a view of at our breakfast table. From the bagel and coffee vantage point, the lift pretty high up. And now here I am, looking at it– way down low! And we weren’t done yet- we kept hiking…you guessed it, up! There were moments we scaled a bit and moments I was walking very slowly to steady myself. And then finally, huffing and puffing, we reached the top! In a moment of exultation, I shouted, “we did it!” And my fearless leader did the unthinkable. She pointed up and said, “it’s actually just beyond that little shed up there.” What?! Oh boy. Is there a bigger let down? But I could see the shed and I always tell myself that I cannot quit if the finish line is in view. I took a deep breath, and regrouped. And then we kept going up. And up. And up.

 

And sure enough we passed the little shed and found ourselves downhill of a very tiny, very vertical little trail with shale rocks surrounding our feet. Shale equals zero traction. To further complicate things, my fear of heights kicked in leaving me with shaky knees. But I kept going, kept huffing and puffing. And finally, we made it! I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt this was indeed the top this time because a.) there was no more “up” to go and b.) also there were flags!! Flags! Like a party to celebrate our victory! I really appreciated those colorful flags, like really, really appreciated.  The view was breathtaking. The town, so far below us almost looked like another planet. That same ski lift I see at my breakfast table was a mere speck below our feet. We were higher than the highest ski peaks and had the most amazing panoramic views as we were surrounded by several other ranges. It was pure exhilaration. We took a moment to get our breath back and soak in the feeling of being at the peak (for which there are truly no words). We snapped some pics and headed back down.

 

The conversation that day was equally awesome. She shared some incredible, and I mean it- truly incredible stories about her family history that I will never forget! She is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met and most giving. She is strong and sensible. And she is so incredibly kind and wise. And she’s bravely and boldly foraging a new life for her Manhattan based family here in Utah. Our lives would have never crossed paths without the circumstances leading us both here. Life is funny that way.

 

We made our way back down the mountain to the parking lot. Even though we took the same trial down, nothing looked the same as I was still carrying the high from the summit. We said our goodbye’s and carried on with the business of raising our young families. I went home, cooked myself a healthy lunch, took care of laundry, groceries and picked up the kids from school. Just like a regular day. Only is wasn’t.

 

That afternoon, I learned that our summit was named Jupiter Peak and it reached 10K feet in elevation. Wow. I did that! Regular ole me! You know, just a couple of moms going for a walk after drop off! That experience was super do-able. I mean, I carried on with life afterwards and didn’t need to take to my bed or soak my body aches. It stirred something in me. What else could I hike? And that’s where my total obsession with Mt. Timpanogos began.