Oh, how I love this. I could smell the high country resins and feel the trickles of sweat down my neck, the balance-defying weight of a pack on my back. I almost cried while reading the final few paragraphs, the sweet sorrow of someday losing physical access to high mountain beauty so lovingly described. Brava!
Thank you for your comment. I can tell that you hear the mountains calling too. I've told myself that sitting by an alpine lake will be enough when the time comes. I hope it is.
If you keep intending it to be enough, it will be. And the memory of how it feels to arrive there after a long day's climb will flood your body with exhilaration and your mind with contentment. So be it, for all of us!
How wonderful! Reminded me of many of my high sierra explorations, although I have never backpacked. They’ve all been day hikes. But the feeling is similar. :-)
There's something special about the Sierra Nevadas, geologically and in other ways. I'm enjoying The High Sierra: A Love Story by Kim Stanley Robinson. It brings back the thrill of being there.
Thank you for sharing this exquisite little piece. Right there with her, breathing in pines, sunning on granite, gobbling hard-earned trail food, forgetting for a few moments life as we typically live it.
I could see every tree, boulder, and blister! This was a beautiful tribute to life. My ashes will hopefully be spread at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, my touchstone. Thank you for your heartfelt words.
The challenges of hiking in the high mountains are many yet so different than those in my ordinary life, so concrete, if you know what I mean. I appreciate the difference.
I've asked my girls to scatter my ashes in the Tuolumne River.
Loved every word. And love that you, your daughter and her partner shared these two memorable trips, what a wonderful legacy to pass down; savoring nature in her grandeur.
I am turning 50 imminently and have not been back-country hiking in nearly ten years - but lately I have been feeling the call again, the need to condition myself for overland trips before it is too late. Thanks for this piece of writing, and the reminder that we can follow the path we set out for ourselves!
I skipped 11 years of visits to the high country when my children were little and then returned with them. The first few days on the trail are difficult, yet I never regret the effort. You won't either, I predict.
Thank you for this memoir of getting Outdoors. I do love the East side too, but at this point, in recovery from a heavy-duty osteoporosis-induced fracture, I suspect I won’t be backpacking again. But what an utter privilege to have done it. 
That was such a great retelling of your trip; I felt like I was there! As an aging athlete I can relate to the diminishing of strength, confidence, and balance, and as a fairly new Colorado resident, I know the landscape and altitude. Thank you for sharing a poignant story. Your daughter and her partner sound like great women, too!
Thank you for your comment. You sound like someone who will stay active. I plan to even when the high mountains are out of reach. And you're right about my daughter and her partner.
Oh Kathleen, I loved this and savored every word. As a lifelong hiker, backpacker, and wild outdoor adventurer who is about to turn 61, I don't get to read stories like this written by women very often. I have done similar hikes with my two sons in the Montana mountains when I was in my late 50s and they were early 20s. The contrast between what was so easy for them physically to what was so challenging for me is stark, but worth every step, especially in retrospect. Even when they reached the trailhead and our car an hour before I did and ate all the chocolate stashed in the car before I got back, haha. My sons, being young and very fit males, frequently asked if I was ok (they couldn't comprehend why I was so much slower). This post reminds me it's time to get out there again. Just go! And keep going until you can't.
The Montana mountains! My younger daughter lives in Missoula, and I've hiked many of the trails in the Bitterroot. The Yosemite-like Blodgett Canyon is another favorite hike. Like you, II plan to keep going until I can't. Happy trails.
Oh, Kathleen! This makes me so happy. I spent my entire childhood and young adulthood on the trail and had hoped my kids would inherit my affection for it, but despite their own childhoods up and down the Appalachian Trail, they aren't really fans. To be fair, though, I'm no longer a fan of sleeping on the ground. My bones and joints can't take it anymore. So, it's not likely we'd head off on trail adventures together these days anyway.
I admire your stamina and perseverance and how you have so clearly passed on this beautiful legacy.
Give your kids time. You've done your part by introducing them to trails. Well done. And who knows? Maybe they'll rediscover the pleasures of the outdoor life when they're older.
Thank you for this; I love the Sierras (especially Eastern Sierras) and totally share the idea of ancestral longings that certain places give us. The high Sierra for me are that in a way I’ve never experienced elsewhere, and going to the Bristlecones for me is spiritual bliss. What a wonderful trip for you, your daughter and her partner! Thank you for sharing.
I realize there are many of us who love the Sierras, who visit the Bristlecones and connect to these ancient survivors. Thank you for sharing your feelings for the trees and those special mountains.
Wow, so excellent. An inspiration! My partner and I still hike in the Catskills, but no camping overnight. We do have plans for a biking trip in Italy, for which I will need to train. Thanks for sharing this amazing experience.
Congratulations on your book. I'm already looking forward to my trip to the high mountains this coming summer.
Oh, how I love this. I could smell the high country resins and feel the trickles of sweat down my neck, the balance-defying weight of a pack on my back. I almost cried while reading the final few paragraphs, the sweet sorrow of someday losing physical access to high mountain beauty so lovingly described. Brava!
Thank you for your comment. I can tell that you hear the mountains calling too. I've told myself that sitting by an alpine lake will be enough when the time comes. I hope it is.
If you keep intending it to be enough, it will be. And the memory of how it feels to arrive there after a long day's climb will flood your body with exhilaration and your mind with contentment. So be it, for all of us!
How wonderful! Reminded me of many of my high sierra explorations, although I have never backpacked. They’ve all been day hikes. But the feeling is similar. :-)
There's something special about the Sierra Nevadas, geologically and in other ways. I'm enjoying The High Sierra: A Love Story by Kim Stanley Robinson. It brings back the thrill of being there.
Thank you for reminding me "DON'T WAIT" to walk the wild places.
Yes! Get out there! I'm planning to go in late summer. If my girls can't get away, I'll go with a friend.
Thank you for sharing this exquisite little piece. Right there with her, breathing in pines, sunning on granite, gobbling hard-earned trail food, forgetting for a few moments life as we typically live it.
Being in the high mountains reminds me of my place in the world, and it is small. Thank you for your comment.
WOW
Glad you enjoyed the story.
I could see every tree, boulder, and blister! This was a beautiful tribute to life. My ashes will hopefully be spread at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, my touchstone. Thank you for your heartfelt words.
The challenges of hiking in the high mountains are many yet so different than those in my ordinary life, so concrete, if you know what I mean. I appreciate the difference.
I've asked my girls to scatter my ashes in the Tuolumne River.
Loved every word. And love that you, your daughter and her partner shared these two memorable trips, what a wonderful legacy to pass down; savoring nature in her grandeur.
I can only imagine! Honestly for me, all nature provides perspective. I look forward to a day I can glimpse what you have!
I am turning 50 imminently and have not been back-country hiking in nearly ten years - but lately I have been feeling the call again, the need to condition myself for overland trips before it is too late. Thanks for this piece of writing, and the reminder that we can follow the path we set out for ourselves!
I skipped 11 years of visits to the high country when my children were little and then returned with them. The first few days on the trail are difficult, yet I never regret the effort. You won't either, I predict.
Thank you for this memoir of getting Outdoors. I do love the East side too, but at this point, in recovery from a heavy-duty osteoporosis-induced fracture, I suspect I won’t be backpacking again. But what an utter privilege to have done it. 
Yes, an utter privilege. I agree.
That was such a great retelling of your trip; I felt like I was there! As an aging athlete I can relate to the diminishing of strength, confidence, and balance, and as a fairly new Colorado resident, I know the landscape and altitude. Thank you for sharing a poignant story. Your daughter and her partner sound like great women, too!
Thank you for your comment. You sound like someone who will stay active. I plan to even when the high mountains are out of reach. And you're right about my daughter and her partner.
Oh Kathleen, I loved this and savored every word. As a lifelong hiker, backpacker, and wild outdoor adventurer who is about to turn 61, I don't get to read stories like this written by women very often. I have done similar hikes with my two sons in the Montana mountains when I was in my late 50s and they were early 20s. The contrast between what was so easy for them physically to what was so challenging for me is stark, but worth every step, especially in retrospect. Even when they reached the trailhead and our car an hour before I did and ate all the chocolate stashed in the car before I got back, haha. My sons, being young and very fit males, frequently asked if I was ok (they couldn't comprehend why I was so much slower). This post reminds me it's time to get out there again. Just go! And keep going until you can't.
May they live long enough to discover for themselves why you were slower!
Yes!
The Montana mountains! My younger daughter lives in Missoula, and I've hiked many of the trails in the Bitterroot. The Yosemite-like Blodgett Canyon is another favorite hike. Like you, II plan to keep going until I can't. Happy trails.
Oh, Kathleen! This makes me so happy. I spent my entire childhood and young adulthood on the trail and had hoped my kids would inherit my affection for it, but despite their own childhoods up and down the Appalachian Trail, they aren't really fans. To be fair, though, I'm no longer a fan of sleeping on the ground. My bones and joints can't take it anymore. So, it's not likely we'd head off on trail adventures together these days anyway.
I admire your stamina and perseverance and how you have so clearly passed on this beautiful legacy.
Give your kids time. You've done your part by introducing them to trails. Well done. And who knows? Maybe they'll rediscover the pleasures of the outdoor life when they're older.
Thank you for this; I love the Sierras (especially Eastern Sierras) and totally share the idea of ancestral longings that certain places give us. The high Sierra for me are that in a way I’ve never experienced elsewhere, and going to the Bristlecones for me is spiritual bliss. What a wonderful trip for you, your daughter and her partner! Thank you for sharing.
I realize there are many of us who love the Sierras, who visit the Bristlecones and connect to these ancient survivors. Thank you for sharing your feelings for the trees and those special mountains.
Wow, so excellent. An inspiration! My partner and I still hike in the Catskills, but no camping overnight. We do have plans for a biking trip in Italy, for which I will need to train. Thanks for sharing this amazing experience.
I would love to hike in Italy and have dreamed about a trip in the Dolomites. Enjoy your bike adventure!