Once, at about 13 years of age, circa early 1970’s, while traveling with my folks from one home to another, (being a military kid), I found myself standing on the sun soaked rim of the Grand Canyon in the early evening light. I was mesmerized by the shear majesty of the vision before me and had spent the entire day in and around the gift shop, ranger station and campground watching kids, just a bit older than myself, busying themselves with interesting tasks, asking questions, looking at maps, obtaining permits, arranging strange looking packs. I was a teen, with only a peripheral interest in these activities until that evening when I saw “them” ~ her long blond hair, brilliant in the golden sunlight, falling on tan, strong shoulders, hiking boots, a smile, as they brushed past me, excitement radiating off them like beams of joy. I watched, fascinated, as they hit the trailhead, turned and disappeared from sight, laughter rising up over the dusty canyon rim moments before they appeared again on the switchbacks below that dropped precariously beneath me. I was bereft. They were going “IN”! Everything in my world shifted a bit that day.
Eventually, I did go back and I did go “IN”, bringing my own 13 year old daughter along with me. It was everything I had imagined. The years have spun forward, much time has passed since that day I stood on the Grand Canyon rim as a teen or when I hiked to Phantom Ranch as a young Mom. The one thing that has not changed is my desire to go and my desire to share.
As the next phase of my life comes into view ~ one that sets the confines of an office career aside, and presents a bit more time and means for these exploring endeavors, I find unexpected challenges surprisingly presenting themselves. My now self has aches and pains, I wear glasses, take medications, and fear perhaps that I will soon require a Cpap machine at night for my snoring! Egads! I’m overweight, out of shape and the need for a good mattress and pillow can still even my most conservative exploring ambitions. I fear being too hot, too cold and now lack a sufficient inventory of friends with the desire to, or whom are free enough from, their own issues to join me. These are all just temporary roadblocks though. I need to adjust my mindset. Just challenges to overcome. Age cannot certainly be a barrier.
My goal is to do the research, planning and do some get up and going. Then share my experience ~ providing a few tips and tricks that make these adventures doable and worth considering for those of us who need a couple ibuprofen after a long walk, travel with our pillows, pills, miscellaneous apparatuses and struggle sleeping without air conditioning when it’s 110 degrees at night. I’m hopping I can inspire others, like myself to get up and get out there, one silly “Explore” at time.
I live in sunny Southern California with my husband and my two golden retrievers Bonnie, (the old girl) and Samantha. The Hubs prefers to recreate with large motorized vehicles; Harley’s, boats, and classic cars. He’ll hike under duress, but we are way past that now. I go. He waves. I’m an advocate for, and passionate about, making it happen for ourselves. Pursuing our dreams, sometimes long forgotten and unrealized. We all spend long sections of our lives doing the things we must and being the things that we need to be. Me? A mom, a wife, a step-mom, a sister, a friend, a bread-winner, a homeowner, a daughter and daughter-in-law, now to aging parents, I’m a grandmother too, All of these perfect, beautiful, rewarding things ~ and now ~ sometimes, I get to be JenniferExploring!
