Back in February, I headed down to SoCal to hang out with some very, very rad ladies: Kam Altar, Oshie Magturo and Shawnté Salabert. I think it was my first real ladies’ trip. No dude friends, no boyfriends, no men. I’ll come out and say it: female friendship is something that’s very new and different for me. When I talk about “ladies’ weekends,” my long time (male) friends mock me and ask “What girlfriends?”
A few years ago I celebrated my 25th birthday in the Eastern Sierra. I had four whole days dedicated to fun, some driving to and from the Bay Area, but no agenda. I’d been to the East Side before, to tackle Mt. Whitney and some ice climbing, but had never driven the length of 395. I’m always stuck with the dilemma of trying to see something of everything, or sticking to just one spot. For my 25th trip around the sun, I was going to try to see a bit of it all.
After a long day of climbing or hiking, cooking is usually the last thing on my mind. I’ve been known to scarf down a backpacking meal or heat up a Fishpeople Seafood pouch to avoid the hassle of prepping and cleaning. Great Grub Camp Food makes gourmet camp food easy, without the hassle. Each entree has the convenience of a freeze dried meal with a little extra that’s more than just boiling hot water.
No joke, when I think of perfect, outdoor puffy blankets. I think of Rumpl. I think of fog swirling in the trees. Maybe an artfully framed railroad. Beautifully draped over a beautiful person. They’ve got that image on lock. Then I think of the price of that blanket. I think about how my aesthetic is frantically digging poo holes, ripping holes in clothing, and not showering. Then I realize that maybe the Rumpl is not for me. Thankfully Therm-a-Rest introduced their affordable line of tech blankets for 2016.
I was too slow. I was too fat. Maybe my pack was too heavy. I shouldn’t have gone to the gym yesterday. Did I really need to bring my DSLR and tripod? Why couldn’t I keep up? What if he didn’t want to ever go on climbing adventures with me again? My trekking pole got stuck in a crevice. I yanked it out and subsequently knocked the handle into my eye. That was the final straw that broke the frustrated camel’s back. I tried to stop it, but one sniffle led to another. Then I was suddenly bawling on the last half mile section to our campsite for the night.