The HIKE

As I packed up all of my gear I began thinking about what an amazing journey I had had with Team in Training. I trained 5 months for the hike I was about to embark on and as it turns out hiked more than 125 miles during that time. I discovered amazing State Parks that are within an hours distance from my home, which I probably never would have ventured to if not for Team in Training. Most importantly, I discovered what I was really in this for. It wasn't about the prestige of hiking half dome, as it was for some. For me, it was about the commitment to the cause. I joined a team to do something good for someone else. This was not about me, which is partly why I chose not to hike half dome.

While I know I could have hiked half dome, I felt it was best left for me to do on my own someday rather than potentially slow down a team of people who had worked so hard. That, and midway through the season my friend and hiking buddy, Chryssa, discovered she was pregnant! Excellent news, but her doctor did not want her climbing half dome! So, we ended up choosing Dewey Point, which is about 10 miles, with an elevation change of 1300 feet up and then 2000 feet down.

And now for the hike weekend itself!

Friday, June 19

Friday morning I gathered all of my gear and headed down the Peninsula via public transit to the now very familiar San Bruno BART Station, where Chryssa picked me up. After about a 4 hour drive in blazing heat and a few bathroom stops along a mostly deserted "highway," we arrived out our hotel, which was just outside of Yosemite. We got checked in and then decided to do a nice short hike near the hotel. We did the "nature" trail and then some, about 4 miles total. We definitely noticed the elevation difference, so we were glad we were not hiking Dewey Point on the day of our arrival. We definitely needed some time to acclimate.

After returning from our hike, we washed up and headed to Inspiration Dinner, where all the teams throughout the country gathered and we heard from some of our honorees. One story in particular brought me back to why we were all really there. The honoree told the story of how her sister had died from blood cancer when she was little and how several years later she herself was diagnosed with the exact same form of blood cancer. Frightening indeed, but it is amazing how far research has come. I'm proud to say that she had just finished up her 12th round of chemotherapy, graduated from college, and was actually doing a hike with the team!!

After dinner we met our hike guide, Colby, (who incidentally has the exact same first and middle name as my nephew, and looked like a grown up version of him), and the rest of our hike group, which consisted of 7 people – one of the smallest hike groups for the event, and the only one hiking Dewey Point.
Saturday, June 20

We awoke at around 4:45 am on Saturday, early, yes, but not 2 am early, which is the time the half dome group had to get up. Another sigh of relief for not doing half dome! We met our guide and group in the lobby at 5:45 am, piled in the van and an hour later arrived at the trailhead on Glacier Point Road. There were still some patches of snow on the ground, but fortunately we had great weather that day. It had been stormy for three weeks straight; our hike weekend was perfect weather mid-70's.

We set off at a brisk pace that quickly took us through meadows of wildflowers. The first mile or so was relatively flat and we breezed through it, but after that the trail began to quickly ascend into a more forested area. We followed rolling hills up for about three miles or so and as we went our guide told us stories about the early days of Yosemite and gave us a customary biology lesson. We were fortunate that our guide was a trained biologist and gave us great insight into the flowers and trees of Yosemite. Not only did he point out flowers such as the bright red snow flower, but he knew so much about the flower. We kept walking along through the forest for sometime then it seemed so suddenly that the forest gave way and we were standing on the edge of a cliff looking down at the entire Yosemite Valley. We had made it to Dewey Point, the first of three points.

As we looked out straight ahead of us we could see El Capitan, further to our right we could see Half Dome, so very small from where we stood. Bridalveil Falls cascaded below and snow capped mountains soared in the distance. The world seemed so very large and I felt so very small overlooking the Valley. After taking many photos and snaking on our guide's M&Ms, we moved onward and upward to Crocker Point. Crocker Point was just as amazing as Dewey Point and afforded us an even more amazing view of the falls. We stopped near Inspiration Point for lunch and discovered that Inspiration Point was far from inspiring, it had been overgrown for many years and there was little to see.

After lunch, the trail moved into a steep downhill grade. Some of my fellow hikers had a more difficult time with the downhill and we stopped a bit more to let their knees rest. In the last mile or so we could tell that we were nearing the end of our hike because we started to see people for the first time all day. We eventually worked our way down and ended our 10 mile hike in the parking lot next to the Wawona Tunnel at around 1:30 pm.
After the hike and the obligatory shoe change (yes, I carried flip-flops in my backpack the whole hike just so I could free my feet after hiking), we drove into the Valley to check in team in training, this is when we discovered we were the very first people to finish hiking that day. We also discovered that it was a good thing we hiked Dewey Point - the park was insane and the Valley was covered with people, as luck would have it this weekend the park was offering free admission, so all of the well known trails were far too crowded. Even our guide said he'd never seen that many people at Yosemite Lodge.
That evening, we had a Celebration Dinner at the hotel. We drank, we danced (yes, I looked like a fool out on the dance floor), we ate, and we reveled in the accomplishments of the day. The final Half Dome hikers returned to the hotel at 10:30 pm, they had been hiking for 16 hours (again a sigh of relief for not hiking half dome) as their vans drew near, the rest of the 89 team members lined up outside to cheer them on.

The sense of community as we yelled and cheered was astounding. I'm sure the other hotel patrons wished we would quite down, but there was too much excitement and energy to let the accomplishments of the day pass without proper applause. We continued to dance and dance until midnight, and then crashed until the next morning when we returned to reality.

Nearing the end - only one week left to donate

I admit it, I've been delinquent in updating my blog. So, where to begin? Last weekend I was back out hiking after a small break for Memorial weekend (when I was too sick to actually hike). Things are kicking into gear as we near our hike date, the training hikes are becoming increasingly more difficult. Saturday we hiked Purisma creek - another decent/ascent hike with a total of around 12 miles or so.

The weather was fabulous for hiking, cool and foggy, and the area was beautiful. Overall a great hike, but after not hiking the week before I was definitely a bit sore on Sunday.

I'm happy to say that we've chosen our hike for Yosemite, there were a few choices other than half dome. Chryssa (my hiking partner) and I decided early on that we would not do half dome since there are so many people that do want to do it and only a limited number eligible. Instead we are doing a relatively moderate hike called Dewey Point. It is apparently a bit off the beaten path and has some amazing views of the valley.

As for fundraising, I am up to $1810 and while that seems like a lot of money I'm still far behind the required minimum which is $3200 with only a week left to donate. So, if you have been meaning to donate now is the time and believe me even $10 helps.

To donate go to:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/Yosemit109/mthompscsp

I thank you all for your help in this - it has been a great experience to know I'm doing something that is saving people's lives.

Melissa

Saratoga Gap - Team Hike

Saturday, was an interesting one. After staying up until 1:30 am I awoke at 5:00 am. Got dressed and rushed out the door, only to find that my bus was running 20 min late. Fortunately, I was able to still make it to BART and to San Bruno in time for Chryssa to pick me up. Of course there is now verifiable proof via text message that I get cranky when Muni is not on time.

After braving that battle with public transit, we headed to Saratoga. For some reason the normal group we hike with was not able to hike with us that day and we were paired up with a faster team. Needless to say, they left us in the dust so it ended up being just four of us in our group. It made for a much more interesting time as we actually talked rather than just hiked in silence as the bigger groups tend to do.

The hike itself was beautiful, mostly hiking in trees. Although, it was an interesting day. The trails were muddy and slick from the rain; we had one person on our team fall. Fortunately, he was OK. The hike seemed to go on and on and on we did 7 hours of hiking and what we think was 11-12 miles. It is possible that we got lost in there somewhere, the maps were difficult to read and we kind of just had to go with our gut on whether or not we were in the right place, but we made it back to the parking lot and that is really all that mattered.

We did the usual stop for Starbucks after the hike and I BARTed back home. I have to say that my muscles felt great after such a long hike, but I may be dealing with a bit of sciatica this week which should prove interesting for our hike on Saturday. Fortunately, it is not a team hike so I am not beholden to hike at anyone's speed other than my own.

The fundraising has seemed to slow a bit. I'm currently at $1410 with another donation and matching funds on their way, but still short of the $3200 goal. Reminders of my journey and the need for donations are going out again this week.

As always, if you have donated, I'm forever grateful. If you haven't yet, there is still a little bit of time, but the hourglass is nearing empty.

To donate:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/Yosemit109/mthompscsp

Melissa

Stinson Beach to Steep Ravine

Again, this weekend was a mentor led hike, which meant I opted for sleeping in on Saturday and going hiking on Sunday. Chryssa, Mike, Byron and I headed to Marin for a little hiking. We tried out a hike we'd never done before a 7.3 mile loop starting in Stinson beach, climbing up to Pantoll station on Mt. Tam and then hiking back down Steep Ravine to the Dip Sea trail. A fantastic hike, mostly shaded and with a lot of stairs.



It is really becoming apparent that the stair climber at the gym is paying off. I managed to not feel exhausted by this hike, but then again we were going at our own pace rather than with a large group. Although, we did finish the hike in the timeline suggested by the BayArea hiking book.



Next week we are hiking with the team again at Saratoga Gap. Only three team hikes left until we leave for Yosemite.



On the fundraising side, I'm up to $1350 still a ways from the $3200 I need to raise. I have about a month of fundraising time lefts, so it still isn't too late to donate if you are interested.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/Yosemit109/mthompscsp

Windy Hill - not so windy

There wasn't a team hike this weekend, which meant that Chryssa and I opted to hike on Sunday instead of on, as Chryssa likes to put it, OMG it's early Saturday. We hiked up through the trees to the top of the ridgeline, had a great lunch in the sun and then headed back down.

Total we did about 7.5 miles - half of it uphill. The sun was a scorcher though, thank goodness for my camelbak and my SPF 75 sunscreen.

I'd highly recommend this hike, it was absolutely beautiful, and given that it was a clear sunny day, we could see all the way to Treasure Island.

Yesterday we were back at the gym for stair climbing and incline walking. The weather was in the upper 80's and our gym has no A/C. Not a fun day yesterday, but we got an hour workout in nonetheless.

This Sunday we'll be hiking Mt. Tam - another on your own hike.

Only 3 more team hikes left until Yosemite!!

Now I call these HIKES

Saturday we finally had another team hike. It was nice to be out with the team again. It is funny that we really only have 3 team hikes left before the big day. The rest are on your own hikes or mentor lead hikes, which Chryssa and I usually do on our own instead so that I don't have to get up at 5am to be there.

An update on the hike:

We started out bright and early, yet again, and as we drove up the hill to the park entrance the snowflake light came on in Chryssa's prius - which means we were hiking in a balmy 36 degrees. We started out the hike at the top of one very large hill and hiked several hours down, ate a small lunch and then hiked back up. Our pace was faster than anticipated, which meant we were able to do an extra 1.4 mile extension. Total we probably did about a 7 or 7.5 mile hike. The hard part was going back up the hill! The Peterson Trail at Sanborn is a butt burner to say the least, but we made it and did very well. This weekend we are doing Windy Hill, since Chryssa and I both missed that team hike.

On the fundraising side:

We had another bake sale yesterday and raised about $400 - which means I'm up to $1250!! I still have a long way to go, but I'm at 39% of the required amount I have to fundraise.

Of course you can still donate: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/Yosemit109/mthompscsp

or send a check made out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and send it to:

Melissa Thompson
579 Texas Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

Also, if you could please send the link on to anyone you know that may want to contribute to this cause I'd be very grateful.

Thanks for all of your support -

Melissa

And the hiking continues

It has been awhile since I've updated my blog, but I'm still here and still training.

Two weekends ago I spent a lovely extended weekend in Sonoma county and wasn't able to participate in the Team hike at Windy Hill, but I still got out there (even after a day of wine tasting). Byron, my boyfriend, and I hiked in Jack London State Park. We did about a 6 mile hike that day up a ridge overlooking wine country. The trail was mostly wooded and at one point came to a beautiful overgrown lake and then moved on to an old orchard. I highly recommend checking out this park if you are ever up in Sonoma County and are looking for something to do other than wine tasting.

This weekend was a do-it-yourself hike. So, instead of getting up to be on the trail at 8am on Saturday, Chryssa and I opted to hike on Sunday instead. That a very happy Melissa did make. I was actually able to squeeze in two pilates classes on Saturday, another part of my personal training.

Sunday was quite the adventure, we opted to hike in Marin since Chryssa and her husband, Mike, had never really been hiking there. We chose a hike in the Marin headlands that none of us had ever done and due to our inability to read the map properly ended up doing what we think was a 7 mile hike. We turned left where we should have turned right, which made for a longer hike, but the bonus was that we discovered a lovely little place to have lunch with an amazing view of the bay.

This week, I continue my gym and pilates schedule and then we hike Sanburn on Saturday as a team. So, back to the 8am hike time. Fundraising is going well. I'm officially up to $765 in donations and have another bake sale scheduled for April 13th (my birthday).

Well that's all on the hiking front. Here's hoping that you can make a donation to this great cause.

You can follow the link http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/Yosemit109/mthompscsp or send a check made out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to:

Melissa Thompson
579 Texas Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

Hike #3 and yet another fundraiser

So, we did Castle Rock on Saturday. I 100% recommend this hike it is absolutely beautiful and really not too strenuous. There is a pretty steady mile or two of uphill, but I felt really good about my pace. The hikers have been broken into three groups, fast, medium, and slow. Chryssa and I are currently in the medium group and I feel really good about our abilities to keep up.

Tomorrow we have a fundraiser at our local bar, Kitty's in Emeryville. Everyone who mentions Team-in-Training between 4-7 pm will have 15% of their tab donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. So, if you are in the east bay come on out to 6702 Hollis St! How often do you get to drink for a good cause?

Saturday we will be hiking Alum Rock in San Jose. I am not looking forward to going to San Jose (an hour drive from my house), but the hike should be beautiful and I do love the hiking part of it all.

Hike #2 and My First Bake Sale

Well, I have to say we have lucked out with the weather. Once again rain was forecasted for Saturday and we survived without any rain at all. We had a pole clinic, which was fantastic. I have to thank Chryssa for making me go to the clinic because it was so very informational. Check out http://www.adventurebuddies.net/ if you want to know more about hiking poles and how to use them. Jayah Paley was an amazing instructor and I would highly recommend going to one of her seminars. She often has them at REI. I only wish I had learned how to properly use hiking poles before I hiked the Inca Trail. Oh well, at least I now know. I do wish that we had been able to actually do more than 20 min of hiking though. The pole clinic lasted much, much longer than I anticipated, but it was well worth the time.

Today was our first community fundraiser. We held a bake sale at work. We thought it would go over well with all of our hungry students, but we were overwhelmed by the response we had. Nine coworkers and one student either baked or brought us baked goods to sell. We figured we would make maybe $200 total. I'm pleased to say that we raised over $400.

We did learn a few things. Bring plastic bags so that those who want to stock up easily can and so that you can sell the broken ones.

Anyway, I'm feeling much more confident in our fundraising efforts and I'm becoming more and more excited about the whole process from the hike to the fundraising.

Thanks everyone for supporting me!!

Hike #1 Edgewood

Our first real hike was last Saturday in a little park called Edgwood, not far from the Filoli gardens (say that out loud, it's fun to say - FI LO LI). Anyway, I got up at 5:30 am, headed to get something to nosh on before the big hike and found out that Peet's coffee opens before Noah's bagels. Boo to that, but at least I got some good coffee before my hike.

The hike was very pretty and the rain held out for us. So far we have been very lucky in that respect. The trail was mostly flat and really very easy. We hiked for about 2 hours or so, unfortunately I don't know the distance. The funny thing I'm finding about Team-in-Training Hike is that they have us hike by time not by distance. I find this funny because it really doesn't matter how long it takes you on a hike, you have to finish no matter how far it is. What are you going to do after 2 hours say "I'm done, no more hiking for me," when you are stuck in the middle of a trail? Strange, but it is what it is. Hopefully I can find a map with mileage on it for the area.

Tomorrow starts another day of adventure for us. We were supposed to hike at Huddart park, but were denied the permit so we are hiking at Sanborn County Park. Wish me luck.

Training Day 1

Yesterday was the first official day of training. I got up early and fought the down pour to make it to Chryssa's and then we headed down to Foothill college.

It amazingly did not rain during our workout - how that happened I do not know, but that made me happier. I'll admit it I was a bit of a cranky pants - getting up early and doing the workout with a cold was not the most fun I've ever had. The plus side is I got to meet some pretty interesting people.


I have to say I expected the training to kick my butt. I guess they are starting off easy and will build up to more difficult work outs. We did some stairs and a few laps around the track. Honestly, I kept wanting to run around, but they made me walk. Someone said that if I want to run I should do the half-marathon event. Well maybe next year!

Next Saturday is our first hike; I am so looking forward to getting out there in nature and not on astro-turf.

I want to thank everyone that has donated so far. You are all what is going to make this happen.

Until next time -

Melissa

Plugging along on the fundraising

So, I'd like to thank Ruth Greenfield and Becca Romeo for their donations to my fundraising efforts. I truly appreciate your help. Additionally, I've had friends and family willing to donate their services, talents, items, etc. which will also be of great help in raising money for this cause. Thanks go out to Vanessa Verlee and my sister, Shaunna Thompson.

I'd love to ask any of you to pass my link on to any of your friends that you think might be interested in donating. I've already had friends of friends share their stories about loved ones that have blood cancers. I'd also love to hear any stories that you have - so feel free to post your own here.

My first real training is this Saturday, not yet a hike, but it looks like we'll be running bleachers!! I've got a bit of a cold right now, so wish me luck for Saturday.


Until then, thanks for your support.

Melissa

Here starts my adventure

I start my first real training on Saturday. So far I have been busy setting up my personal webpage, figuring out how to blog and the like. So, who knew that trying to figure out how to get a blog to publish on facebook would be a part of training for a hike? Let's hope this works. I am not a technology person, but I thought it would be helpful to blog about my experiences while I train for Yosemite.



So here goes blog number one. Boring I know, but we'll get there.