It's not a crime to give up

A couple months back Austin signed us up for the Mount Whitney Lottery. Well we got in, and it so happened to fall on the exact weekend we planned to move across the country. Call it fate or whatever, but I called it a pain in the butt. So for the three months to follow we trained. Hiking, back packing, and camping. We would do these intense desert hikes and hike Saddle-back Mountain to become acclimated and preparing our bodies for the intensity that ensued us. After months of collecting things we needed for our hike the came to finally make our way over to do it. After saying our goodbyes to our loved ones the journey to Mt. Whitney was a long and sad one. We listened to hours of pod-casts and discussed our situation and our emotions attached to it. That night we camped at the trail-head to start our hike in the morning to follow. During our rest, people were awake all hours of the night, at around 3 a.m we heard people start to hit their pots and shout "bear! bear!" I mean, I thought nothing of it then, I was already freaked out so it didn't really add or subtract anything from the situation. We got up shortly after and started to get ready for the two days ahead of us. 

        Now, I don't know how they measured these 6 miles to where we camped that night, but it wasn't anything like I've ever experienced before. When we started making our way up, breathing wasn't too bad, and it seemed like we were making good time. A few hours went past and we were starting to get tired and even said "we have to be close, maybe another half hour or so" when we saw a marker that said "3 miles." It was probably the most discouraging moment of my life, we thought we had come so far, to realize we hadn't gotten very far at all. The next three miles, the toughest of my life, was a mixture of pain and happiness. We were here, this moment we have been waiting for for months, it was here. Nothing could take away the happiness I felt seeing Austin in his element, so excited to be exactly where we were regardless of how exhausting it was. Step, rest, step, rest. It was a long, VERY LONG, three miles. We finally made it to camp, completely worn out and out of water, so we went searching for a stream. That night we rested and slept and decided if we slept well and felt okay in the morning we would finish the rest of the five miles to the top. We also decided and discussed that if one of us wasn't feeling up to par, we would hike down the summit and that was also okay. Waking up and telling Austin how I really felt was the hardest, most selfish decision I ever had to make...He was so eager and ready to conquer what he had prepared for, for months. I woke up that morning more sore than I have ever felt before and so sick to my stomach I couldn't even drink water, and my head felt like it was literally going to explode. So we hiked down, not up.

       I'm really glad we took the time to do this hike, it really taught me a few life lessons. It taught me to be prepared and to prepare. It taught me to push through, even when it is tough. It taught me to trust Austin's judgement a little more. Most importantly though, I think it taught me that, it is absolutely okay to give up. It's okay to say "I can't do this, I quit." I think today we often forget that, we always push ourselves to do things we aren't ready to do or physically shouldn't do. I am glad I stood up for what my body was telling me, and I am glad I listened. The hike down was easier, however, we were both so spent, it took everything we had out of us. We watched the sunrise all the way down, and it was the most beautiful one I have ever seen.

     
        We were both so excited to be finished and felt pretty accomplished. The journey to follow was a long and exciting one and I will have a follow up blog post about that one soon! My legs hurt so bad for a week after, I couldn't imagine how I would of felt hiking the rest of the way up. Here are some more pictures, enjoy!