Anticipation

 It has been a relatively quiet and uneventful week. My Workout last weekend consisted of painting my back door and side lights inside and out. It was way overdue. It did take several hours on both Saturday and Sunday. I am so glad to have that done. I still have some interior trim that needs painting and hopefully once I've completed that I can put the paintbrushes away for a few years. I did get on the stair-stepper on Sunday and completed 1000 steps. I repeated it again yesterday morning. I was off work for an eye exam in the morning and a dentist appointment in the afternoon. Both went well with no major issues. I did need an updated eyeglass prescription, I knew to expect that as I do not see clearly out of my current ones. 

My new ones I ordered with the knowledge that they are the ones I will be wearing to Nepal. I had already decided that I would get RayBans as I have had the best luck with their frames being durable, comfortable and suit my nerdy nature. My vision is crap both near and far, so progressive lenses are a must, I also went with transition lenses so I don't have to worry about carrying a pair of prescription sunglasses. I also need to UV protection that they provide when hiking at higher altitudes. Anti-glare and anti-scratch coatings completed the package. I hopefully will have them by the end of next week. It was a bit exciting knowing that I was getting these with the trip to Nepal in mind. They will also be great for my upcoming hiking trips too. 

We finally have rain and cooler temperatures on the forecast. It will most likely be too wet to go hiking so I think it will be time to renew my gym membership. I am going to do it for a full year this time. I can't get lazy anymore. Big Bend, Rocky Mountain National Park, Inca trail in Peru and then Nepal and EBC. I've some big challenges ahead. I do get nervous about it at times, but I know the sense of accomplishment will be the most amazing reward. I think the biggest reward though will just come from the eight weeks I will spend teaching in Salleri. Oh the anticipation. 

Wait and Weight

 Since returning from Colorado I have been a bit lazy. I knew I was going to take the month off from the gym, but I had planned on working out at home and returning to the trails at Mother Neff State Park. Well the weather has not cooperated, we are still having record highs and for the month of October we are nine degrees Fahrenheit above average. I have been getting on my stair-stepper some, but maybe only two to three times a week for a quick workout.  I am thinking I might head back to the gym this weekend, at the very latest it will be next weekend.  I needed the break as I have lost weight ( now five pounds) since going to Colorado. I am now two pounds below where I had set my lowest target weight. I really want to stay above 120 lbs., preferably around 122-124 lbs. The women in my family as we age tend to lose weight. I also know that with all the trekking I have planned and international travel I will lose weight during those trips. I need to maintain my weight in the mid 120's to have a bit of a buffer to allow for safe weight loss. I guess I need to start treating myself to some high calorie desserts. 

My excitement about committing to teaching in Nepal hasn't diminished. I have a wish list on Amazon of things I want and need for the trip. I did go ahead and purchase a Khumbu region National Geographic map that has roads and trails on it. Salleri is located right at the bottom of the map, but the trails to Pikey Peak, EBC and many others are on it so it will be very useful. I am studying harder on my Nepali Language App and have nearly mastered the first two modules. I will have to pay to continue the course as only the first two were free. I don't expect that I will ever be fully conversational, but hopefully at least I can communicate the basics. I have been looking at TEFL courses. Most of them only give you six months access to the course material. I have found one that has twelve month access. While I expect to complete the course in just a few months, I would like to have access to review things up until I leave for Nepal. So with the twelve month access I can start the classes in September 2025. 

So life is going pretty well right now. I just wish the weather would cool down so I will feel like hiking again. November is just a week away, so hopefully Autumn will arrive soon.

One step closer...

 I did it.... I sent my confirmation fee to the non-profit in Nepal to confirm my position to teach English at the Monastery in Salleri. The trip is just a little over 22 months away, but I feel I will need it to get prepared. I will be there for three months, teaching for eight weeks. My first week will be in Kathmandu attending orientation and Nepalese language classes. I'll then travel to Salleri a 12 hour jeep trip and will teach for eight weeks. Weather permitting I am going to trek to Pikey Peak during the Dashain festival which will be at the halfway point. This should be just a four to five day trek. At the end of the eight weeks I will start my Everest Base Camp Trek from Salleri. During my stay in Salleri I will most likely be staying at the monastery. I will spend most of my time there but will also teach some classes at the nearby public school. I will also assist the young monks with their homework in the afternoons and evenings. I think they currently only have about a dozen students of varying ages. I will also get the opportunity to study with the monks and learn more about Buddhism. I will also eat my meals at the monastery. 

I really need to get back to the gym and get on the treadmill. I can't slack off any longer... I'm going to Nepal! I am going to go see Mount Everest! I get to spend three months in the Himalayas. I get to teach! 

So much to do besides get fit. Learn Nepalese - I have already started  online lessons on the Ling app. Next year I will do an online course to get TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) certified. Clothing and gear for the trip will be a challenge as when I arrive in early September it will still be very warm in Kathmandu and mild in Salleri, it will also still be the monsoon season. By late October in Salleri the lows are dipping into the 40's at night and 50-60's in the afternoon. The real challenge will be on the EBC trek in late November as I will be dealing with sub-freezing temperatures for a week or more of the hike. It's going to be interesting for sure. 

View of Mountains from Salleri.

Limbo

 I am finally settling back in at work. My mind still often wanders to the mountains and wishing I were still there. I am starting to plan my trip to Big Bend next year. Campsite has been reserved for several months now, and I've been doing a bit more Alltrails research on the hikes I want to do. The two big hikes are really close to the campground. There are a number of trails in that area, but I think a few of them may be too challenging or too long. My daughter had planned on going with me but it is looking like she won't be able to make it as her lease is up just a few weeks after the trip and she really wants to move somewhere new. She works remote so as long as she has reliable fast internet she can go just about anywhere. I am also looking at options for Colorado next Autumn. As much as I loved where we camped this year I would like to explore new areas. I'd love to go to Rocky Mountain National Park, but by late September there aren't many options for camping. I may see if I can get something, if not I will have some other options on the table. 

I have stepped back my work-out schedule for the month. Just easy home workouts and of course my morning yoga. I am still waiting for cooler weather to get out on the local trails, but summer does not want to loosen it's grip on the weather. I am so tired of it getting into the 90's every day. We may get some relief in another week, I'll just need it to stick around through a weekend. 

I also need to get my volunteer position confirmed for Nepal. I just need to get a few questions answered so I can confirm my timeline to be there. The Visa is issued for 90 days max, but an extension can be acquired after arrival. I can probably keep my time there under the 90 days, but it depends on the Dashain holiday period and how that impacts the teaching schedule. It could possibly be a 2 week school break, but I think the monastery school doesn't shut down. The Volunteer director recommended I trek the EBC during it, but I really don't want to go then as it is peak season and the trails and teahouses are crowded. I wouldn't mind hiking to Pikey Peak, but it would be a 4 day trek at most. I prefer to do EBC at the end of my trip so I don't have to rush. I'll just have to see how it all plays out.

15 more months until I retire. It sounds like a 15 year jail sentence to me right now. I had hoped my vacation would re-energize me, but instead I feel trapped even more. I am so ready for the next chapter in my life. To be free of schedules and deadlines. I want to travel, go hiking, or just be lazy on any given day. I feel like I am in limbo right now. My plans feel like dreams, will I really get to fulfill them?

15 more months. Please tell me I can do it. 

The Highs and Lows of Vacations

 I am now on my third day back at work after a wonderful trip to Colorado. My daughter and I had a wonderful time and really enjoyed the break from routine. The weather was perfect, The aspen trees were putting on on show with their glowing golden leaves. So many things exceeded our expectations. Even when it seemed like something bad was happening it turned out perfectly fine. The only really terrible thing was returning to Texas and going back to work. I keep telling myself fifteen more months until retirement, I can do this. But I really don't want to. I still want to be in the mountains. I want to be on the trails. I want to go to sleep in my sleeping bag inside my tent and wake up to fresh mountain air and the sounds of nature. Instead, it's my alarm waking me up, quick showers as I still am waiting on the plumber, forty minutes in traffic to get to a job I just don't care about any more. 

15 more months,

I can do it....

So I guess I should talk about my trip.

Day one: Driving from my home to Raton N.M. It is about a nine hour drive, nothing exciting except the Check Engine light came on and my Cruise Control and Eyesight ( Subaru) quit working. Car was still running fine and with it being a weekend we decided to keep on driving. I missed having cruise control, but we made it to Raton without any issues. I had reserved a room at the Raton Pass Motel ( https://www.ratonpassmotorinn.com/ ), a beautifully restored mid-century (retro) inn that was perfect. Clean, comfortable, wonderful owner/host. Even the other guest were all friendly. We had dinner at Colefax Ale Cellar ( https://colfaxalecellar.com/ ). Food was good, beer was even better and the prices were very reasonable. My daughter had the Hot green Chili Cheesesteak (she loved it) and I had the green Chili Quesadilla (I try to not eat meat). It was quite good and just spicy enough. The downtown area of Raton is charming with many restored buildings and a good variety of businesses. We both fell in love with this charming New Mexico town. I hope to return in a few years and spend a few days there exploring. 

Day 2: Raton to Mueller State Park (near Divide Co.). We didn't need to rush out this morning as we only had a two and a half hour drive. We did need to stop and pick up some fresh fruit and a few other groceries, but we would do that as we passed through Colorado Springs. Without planning to, we ended up in the Historical Colorado City neighborhood and decided to have brunch before continuing on to the park. We explored the area a bit while waiting for a table. Our food was average, but was nice to get a hot meal before heading off camping for the next three nights. 

We arrived early afternoon to the campground. The campsite was over 300 yards from the parking lot so it took quite a few trips to get our gear hauled in and set-up. Oh but was it worth it, the view from the campsite was amazing. I had researched it and everyone said to get this one if you can. They were right... it exceeded our expectations. Trees on three sides, and then a view for miles, across hills, forests and snow top mountain peaks. The sunset that evening was gorgeous. It had been raining earlier in the day (it had just stopped when we arrived). The sky glowed with reds, blues, pinks and purple. The sun set so slowly and the stars appeared one by one until the sky was twinkling with thousands of dots of light. We had a campfire blazing as the temperature fell into the forties, it continued to fall and by sunrise it was thirty-two frosty degrees.

Day 3: Dang it was cold sleeping. I forgot to put my wool socks on so my feet were cold most of the night. But when I stepped out of the tent it was a beautiful sight. The sky was just getting light. Frost had settled on the ground and sparkled as the morning light hit. The sun slowly lit up the mountains and for the first time we could see the snowcapped peaks in the distance. As the sun rose higher it began to light up the aspens, the leaves shimmered like gold. I grabbed my yoga mat and did my morning routine overlooking the scenic vista before me. It was so peaceful. By 8:00 am We set off on our first hike. We had planned a five mile hike there in the park that was a combination of several connected trails. The first half of the hike was up on a ridge with beautiful overlook of the mountains and forests. Aspens covering some of the hillsides. The trails were at times hard to follow and then there was a detour due to a portion of one of the trails being closed. Our five mile hike turned into a 6.5 mile one and led down in an area that wasn't as scenic and was a bit more challenging. I had planned on an afternoon hike, but after that one and the lack of sleep the night before we both ended up taking a nice nap that afternoon. By early evening we had a campfire blazing once again, but were in bed not long after the stars appeared.

Day 4: Not so cold this morning, low forties. We both slept much better and are ready early to take on a more challenging hike. The Crags Trail is outside of the park on National Forestry Land just five miles away. It is rated as a moderate hike on Alltrails and is highly recommended by other hikers. This trail did not disappoint. It is a 4.8 out and back hike with an altitude gain of over 800 feet reaching 10,850 feet above sea level.  The first half mile is uphill, it then levels out for over a mile before heading back uphill to the summit. It was a beautiful trail at times following a stream. there were groves of aspens, massive rock formations and towards the end magnificent vistas. My daughter and I spent close to an hour at the summit just taking it all in. We even enjoyed the hike back down. We both left knowing we would be back as this is our new favorite trail. Later that afternoon we did a short hike in the park, the Peak View trail. It was nice and was a nice ending to our brief camping trip at Mueller State Park. The evening was much as the previous two, a campfire, watching the sun set and the stars come out and then an early nights sleep.

Day 5: As I lay on my cot as the morning dawned I thought about the drive home we would have in a few days and the fact that the check engine light was still on and that the cruise control was inoperable. We were planning on driving straight home without stopping which would be a twelve hour trip. I decided it would be best to take the car to the Subaru dealer as soon as we got back to Colorado Springs and get the codes read and see if it would be safe to drive it back home.  So we packed up our camping gear, loaded the car and headed out for the forty minute drive to the Subaru dealer. 

The Subaru dealer service department was insanely busy. I was trying to remain optimistic that the issue with the car would be a computer glitch, but after a thirty minute wait it came back as a bad temperature sensor on the manifold. It would be best to get it repaired before heading home. They could see were were on vacation and they would do their best to get the car repaired that day. I asked if they had loaners or rentals and luckily they had a rental for $35 a day. The tech also when writing up the repair discovered that part had an extended warranty so the repairs should be covered. We were soon on the road in our Forester rental and headed to Garden of the Gods for a easy hike. Well it was also insanely busy. A short hike as there were just too many people around to enjoy it and we soon left. We did see some Mountain Goats while there, but that was about it. We went back to Historical Colorado City for a browse through the shops and then grabbed a quick bite at Wendy's. While we were eating I got a text that my car was ready to pick up, It wasn't even one o'clock yet so we were surprised but happy. As expected the repairs were under warranty and they even reimbursed the car rental! It couldn't have been any better. From there we headed on the the hotel I had booked to see if we could check in a bit early. We could and we did. We were both in need of hot showers and a bit of a rest so that we would be ready to take on the Manitou Incline early the next morning. Dinner that night was the only disappointment for the whole trip. We went to a local Microbrewery for beer and pizza. he beer was good, the pizza was probably the worst pizza I have ever had served to me that didn't come out of a freezer. So disappointed. 

 Day 6: The day has arrived to take on the challenge of the Manitou Incline. Nervous excitement as we headed out before dawn to catch the 6:00 am shuttle. 6:20 am and we are at the base ready to tackle it. Doubts  and questioning my sanity is dominating my thoughts. Slow and steady, failure is not an option. Looking up at the incline towering in front of us as we begin we feel we are in store for a long morning hike up. One step at a time. The first bit is easy but awkward as the steps are spaced out, it is difficult to get in a rhythm. As it gets steeper I found that it was a bit easier. As we ascended we stopped frequently to take pictures as the sun rose over Colorado Springs, it was a beautiful sight and a beautiful morning. About a third of the way up my daughter felt nauseous and had to rest. It wasn't long before she was ready to get moving again and she made a point of taking regular small sips of water. We continued with a slow steady climb with frequent breaks. 1600.... 1800...Final bailout point...2000... 2500... 2768 - We made it!!! Two and one half hours. I was so excited as I was so worried I would be over three hours. The adrenalin rush at the top re-energized me. I felt great. What a feeling of accomplishment for my daughter and I. We rested and explored the summit, had a snack, drank more water and then headed the three miles down the Barr Trail. It is a beautiful hike, but about halfway down I began to tire and the sun got a bit warm. But in just over an hour we were back at the shuttle stop and headed back to the hotel to shower and change and then head off for a celebratory brunch and Mimosas. 

After Brunch we headed to Downtown Manitou Springs for a bit of souvenir shopping. Afterwards we had a relaxing evening and early bed as we had to get up early and get on the road for the twelve hour drive home.

It was an amazing vacation. My confidence is up as I know I can challenge myself to do and succeed at these more difficult hikes. I was so proud of my daughter for taking on the challenge beside me. The hardest part though was returning home. I really wanted to drive north to Rocky Mountain National Park to continue hiking until the winter snows begin to fall. But we have responsibilities and jobs. This first week back at work all I want to do is return to Colorado and be out on the trails. I really do love hiking, the forests and the mountains. I am so tired of working.  Fifteen more months to retirement.  I can do this, just like I did the Manitou Incline. One step at a time.

A bit rainy when we arrived in Colorado

 

Loved our campsite at Mueller State Park.

Downy Woodpecker paid us a visit several times.

The View to the Southwest from the campsite.

 Day 3 (first hike) 6.5 miles - Outlook Trail, Ravens Ridge and Rock Pond Trails

Day 4 - The Crags Trail

Day 5- A quick stop at Garden of the Gods

Mountain Goats.

Day 6

The Manitou Incline

Success!