I worked in the mountains for nine summers when my kids were young. What I remember most fondly is simply the act of breathing. It is the Plaza Hotel of air, compared to the Motel 6 miasma of NYC.
I was 16, spending my summer holiday at my grandparents, like every single school holiday of my life. I loved that place, all my childhood and teen friends were there.
We decided to make a few days trip in the mountains, which put my grandma in such a worried mode... what if you fall, what if you meet a bear, what if you get lost, what if you run out of food and so on.
The amazing part is that we didn't have to drive or take a train, the mountain was THERE. All we had to do was to wake up early, walk a few km on a forestry road and start climbing.
We were about 14 kids aged 15 to 17. It was fantastic! The whole trip! Just laughs, sharing food and clothes. Oh, and the best sleep I had so far in my life. The first night we stopped at a cabin, had a hot soup and went straight to bed. I don't know what was about that bed, I mean honestly, an old bed with an old mattress in the mountains... but I traveled so far deep inside me that night. Yeah, best sleep ever!
Next day the climbing was increasingly more difficult as we were aiming to reach the peak at 2544m altitude.
The weather changed so abruptly that we had to stop at the next cabin. It took 5 minutes for the temperature to drop from 25 C to 5 or something. Then icy rain. Then half an hour later an incredibly thick fog. I was thinking at my grandma with all her worries. If she'd see me now she wouldn't allow me to go again in the mountains.
But yeah, overall, the trip was amazing. Friendship is great at that age, those few days brought us so close together that it almost felt painful when we had to go back home.
I'm trying to picture this trip now. 14 grown ups aged 40 or so...
My, now, fiancé and I went to the Catskills for a weekend. It was right before I was scheduled to go back to work. We took a weekend and just enjoyed ourselves. We stayed in an Air BnB with barely anyone around. The place was empty.
It was more a time to just be together. We went and took hikes. Spent time in the woods and just talked. Considering we had stayed away from each other for about four months, this was an incredibly needed trip.
We didn’t do a lot of activities, because there was no where to go. However, it was beautiful and fun to just be in nature. I never wanted to leave. Him and I do best when we are cocooned away from society; so, this was truly about bonding.
He may have preferred the beach, but I felt so safe inside the embrace of the mountainside. It was away from all the bullshit during that time. It was a time to just be together and I am so grateful for it.
I forget the date, but remeber the place and the pain. The first time i was ever immersed in nature = Yellowstone National Forest. The camp was split into smaller groups made up of all people from all differents walks in life and backgrounds. It was for 3-4 days if i recall.
Day one . . . We arrive and get settled at the starting lodge. checkin . Get id cards and i forget how or where the gear for climbing came from, but yeah. Food and all that happened, so dont worry! We start in a large group warming up.. you dont realize, even as a kid, how humbling a full mountain trek with repelling = really scary off sheer cliff= the feeling . Nevertheless; we finished main warm up and moved to smaller groups to stretch. I wish younger people had better ability to store information. Or as an adult ability for better recall.
Eventually we moved out and started for the first camp site. I remember using a dunny bucket = a sitting pool chair that was light weight and could be folded up. A hole with a toilet seat zip tied and the bucket of course lol. Eventually we reach the rock area wear we will be camping. We then learn how to set camp in total. Eat our food in a bag etc,,, and much needed sleep for all.
Day 2 . . . I wake up and vomit. My metabolism was different and never changed back. They gave me an orange and granola with a canteen of mountain water; this became my new routine. We learn the in and outs of rapelling/ climbing rope, carabiners, harnesses, clips, everything that's important for climbing. We learn about belaying. And eventually strap in the gear, helmets and pads, climb up, and get to be belayed down. Switch to other peole in the group, each alternating being a climber or belayer. We learn some weight groups dont match lol. Food and all that. Sleep
Day 3 ... pain = you get over it eventually. It eventually hurts so much you forget about it. We climb up to the rapel point, using the knowledge gained the prior day. Who goes first?...?.? Lol, the boys said ladies first and then crying started. Someone went first. Then we alternated boy/girl. Being clipped into saftey lines all the way up. Group think goes both ways . If others in the group didnt encourage, no kid would have gone down the 300 ft face. True fear is real .. sigh. Leaning back or the initial step to Parallel the mountain, and trusting you have only so much power in situations slip and smack my helmet and body against the rock face. Trembling, the Group cheering us as well. Keeping the rope in the gear pressed to your hip, you dont fall. After the hardest part came fun with a view. After we all made it down we all wanted to go again ,but the sun set. Food dunny etc.. sleep
Day 4... The descent from our base Camp that we set up on the rocks. The only thing i truly remember about that day is eating a hamburger with French fries, potato chips, coleslaw, baked beans and a mountain dew. You forget what "real" sustenance is.
Notes
Discomfort Fun New = change = go climb a hill or rock if you dont have a mountain, to see how in shape you really are i mind body soul.
I worked in the mountains for nine summers when my kids were young. What I remember most fondly is simply the act of breathing. It is the Plaza Hotel of air, compared to the Motel 6 miasma of NYC.
July 2001, Carpathians, Transylvania
I was 16, spending my summer holiday at my grandparents, like every single school holiday of my life. I loved that place, all my childhood and teen friends were there.
We decided to make a few days trip in the mountains, which put my grandma in such a worried mode... what if you fall, what if you meet a bear, what if you get lost, what if you run out of food and so on.
The amazing part is that we didn't have to drive or take a train, the mountain was THERE. All we had to do was to wake up early, walk a few km on a forestry road and start climbing.
We were about 14 kids aged 15 to 17. It was fantastic! The whole trip! Just laughs, sharing food and clothes. Oh, and the best sleep I had so far in my life. The first night we stopped at a cabin, had a hot soup and went straight to bed. I don't know what was about that bed, I mean honestly, an old bed with an old mattress in the mountains... but I traveled so far deep inside me that night. Yeah, best sleep ever!
Next day the climbing was increasingly more difficult as we were aiming to reach the peak at 2544m altitude.
The weather changed so abruptly that we had to stop at the next cabin. It took 5 minutes for the temperature to drop from 25 C to 5 or something. Then icy rain. Then half an hour later an incredibly thick fog. I was thinking at my grandma with all her worries. If she'd see me now she wouldn't allow me to go again in the mountains.
But yeah, overall, the trip was amazing. Friendship is great at that age, those few days brought us so close together that it almost felt painful when we had to go back home.
I'm trying to picture this trip now. 14 grown ups aged 40 or so...
August 2020.
My, now, fiancé and I went to the Catskills for a weekend. It was right before I was scheduled to go back to work. We took a weekend and just enjoyed ourselves. We stayed in an Air BnB with barely anyone around. The place was empty.
It was more a time to just be together. We went and took hikes. Spent time in the woods and just talked. Considering we had stayed away from each other for about four months, this was an incredibly needed trip.
We didn’t do a lot of activities, because there was no where to go. However, it was beautiful and fun to just be in nature. I never wanted to leave. Him and I do best when we are cocooned away from society; so, this was truly about bonding.
He may have preferred the beach, but I felt so safe inside the embrace of the mountainside. It was away from all the bullshit during that time. It was a time to just be together and I am so grateful for it.
I forget the date, but remeber the place and the pain. The first time i was ever immersed in nature = Yellowstone National Forest. The camp was split into smaller groups made up of all people from all differents walks in life and backgrounds. It was for 3-4 days if i recall.
Day one . . . We arrive and get settled at the starting lodge. checkin . Get id cards and i forget how or where the gear for climbing came from, but yeah. Food and all that happened, so dont worry! We start in a large group warming up.. you dont realize, even as a kid, how humbling a full mountain trek with repelling = really scary off sheer cliff= the feeling . Nevertheless; we finished main warm up and moved to smaller groups to stretch. I wish younger people had better ability to store information. Or as an adult ability for better recall.
Eventually we moved out and started for the first camp site. I remember using a dunny bucket = a sitting pool chair that was light weight and could be folded up. A hole with a toilet seat zip tied and the bucket of course lol. Eventually we reach the rock area wear we will be camping. We then learn how to set camp in total. Eat our food in a bag etc,,, and much needed sleep for all.
Day 2 . . . I wake up and vomit. My metabolism was different and never changed back. They gave me an orange and granola with a canteen of mountain water; this became my new routine. We learn the in and outs of rapelling/ climbing rope, carabiners, harnesses, clips, everything that's important for climbing. We learn about belaying. And eventually strap in the gear, helmets and pads, climb up, and get to be belayed down. Switch to other peole in the group, each alternating being a climber or belayer. We learn some weight groups dont match lol. Food and all that. Sleep
Day 3 ... pain = you get over it eventually. It eventually hurts so much you forget about it. We climb up to the rapel point, using the knowledge gained the prior day. Who goes first?...?.? Lol, the boys said ladies first and then crying started. Someone went first. Then we alternated boy/girl. Being clipped into saftey lines all the way up. Group think goes both ways . If others in the group didnt encourage, no kid would have gone down the 300 ft face. True fear is real .. sigh. Leaning back or the initial step to Parallel the mountain, and trusting you have only so much power in situations slip and smack my helmet and body against the rock face. Trembling, the Group cheering us as well. Keeping the rope in the gear pressed to your hip, you dont fall. After the hardest part came fun with a view. After we all made it down we all wanted to go again ,but the sun set. Food dunny etc.. sleep
Day 4... The descent from our base Camp that we set up on the rocks. The only thing i truly remember about that day is eating a hamburger with French fries, potato chips, coleslaw, baked beans and a mountain dew. You forget what "real" sustenance is.
Notes
Discomfort Fun New = change = go climb a hill or rock if you dont have a mountain, to see how in shape you really are i mind body soul.
I hate spell check
I tried to active proof
And this is my style until it develops
Take it or leave it. ✌️