On Top of the World...Almost

The greatest adventure of my life, well, except becoming a wife and mommy, was climbing Table Rock Mountain near the Tetons on Thursday, July 2nd. Can I just tell you I did several things that day I never thought I would ever have the guts to do? It was the most exhilarating and exhausting experience of my life. (Boy, I really don't get out much.)

We were planning to climb Mt. Borah while my sister, Shaunna, and her husband, Eric were here visiting from Alaska, but we found out there would be too much snow with the late summer season this year to climb without special equipment. So, we decided at the last minute to climb Table Rock instead. None of us had been there, except Eric's nephew, and we decided it would work. (Not being quite as physically prepared as I would have liked to be, I was relieved to find out it was a class 2 instead of the class 3 climb we were preparing for on Mt. Borah.)

Hayden (Eric's nephew), David, Jeff (Eric's brother), Eric, Sylinda (Eric's sister), Rachel, Me, and Shaunna all packed up to overflowing for our overnight camping and day hike

We left Wednesday evening for a short (very restless) night's sleep at the a campground near the base of the mountain. The next morning, we were ready to set off by 5:30. I was sleepy, but excited and a little nervous about what lay ahead. We walked uphill a while and then into this beautiful area that was mostly level. There were amazing plants, tiny little streams and beautiful trees.

Jurassic-Style plants...

...And a beautiful place we named Twilight Meadow

After a nice little walk for an hour or so, I was feeling pretty good and confident that I could definitely do this. After all, this is the kind of hiking I was used to. Then we saw the river...and everything changed. We decided that taking off shoes and socks would be a good way to cross so we wouldn't have to hike the whole day in wet shoes. Eric crossed first to get a feel for what we were dealing with. It was only about knee-deep, until just before the big rock at the end, there was a nice big hole, where the water swirled about to my hip.

Rachel crossing the river

It was so cold, our toes were numb by the time you got to the other side. We spent a few minutes on the rock, recovering, drying out, and warming our feet enough to be able to walk again. Okay, I must be exaggerating a little because while we were all whining and trying to recover, a spry little "elf" came running across the river and ran past us up the mountain. We sat there with our mouths hanging open, and we heard him chuckle as he ran past. (We called him the "elf"through the rest of the trip. He was kind of a small guy with very short light hair, covered from neck to toe in white under armor and wearing running shorts. We saw him a few more times, and each time he was smiling, running, jumping...almost prancing. We kinda made fun of him, but I think most of us were just jealous.)

Here's what the river looked like just a little farther up

Well, we had to cross the river three more times. The next time was much like the first. A little swifter, but not quite as deep. Eric walked back and forth to walk each of us safely across. Our clothes were still wet and our toes were still pretty cold from the first time, so it didn't take as much courage to get in the water. We were so excited the third time, to see a log that wasn't covered by high water that we could actually cross safely. So excited, in fact, that we had to have a picture!

The last time across, the guys scouted out a safe spot with logs, rocks and land bar, where we could cross without taking off our shoes and not get swept away. Thank goodness for the men in our life!

The rest of the way up the mountain was a mixture of rock, mud, snow packs, and losing and finding the trails. There were several times we stopped to rest, that I was amazed at how far we'd gone, and how treacherous this hike of mine actually was. Without the trail and the switchbacks, it was quite a bit more difficult. The snow was crunchy on the top, and when you stepped into it, the slush underneath gave way to the weight and you'd end up knee-deep in top-crusted slush. After the first good snow patch, our feet were cold, and yep...soaked. Ah...the irony!

The perspective's a little off in this picture, but looking back down, you can see where we came through the break in the trees.

After one rest stop, here's what we still had ahead of us. Aaaahhh.... No wonder I almost quit here.

Things went from challenging to downright scary for me when we reached an area the ladies among us affectionately named "the cliffs of insanity". I was standing there, watching my brother scale this mountain (he said it was actually more of a "scramble"... oooo-kaaay!) and thought, "You've got to be kidding." Unfortunately for me, nobody was kidding.

Rachel and I waited at the bottom with Eric, while everybody else went up two at a time. It wasn't really as hard as I thought it would be, but sometimes, when feet above us left their place, loose rocks fell. So Eric became our rock caller. There was a good-sized rock, about 6 inches or so across, that came falling down (from seemingly nowhere) at a pretty good speed. Eric yelled, "rock!" and I looked up to see where it was coming from. I couldn't see it. Then, all of a sudden I saw it coming straight for me, so I just ducked and put my arm up to cover my face. It slammed into the side of my arm and fell with a thud to the ground at my feet. Kind of freaked out, I looked and saw a nice gash in in my arm. I didn't hurt or bleed as bad as I expected it to. It was just kind of numb and I was able to use it pretty well to climb to the ridge on top. Shaunna and David cleaned, doctored, and taped it up for me, after the guys got a good look. After he knew I was really okay, Eric said, "Wow, a flesh wound. ...I want a flesh wound!" I was so proud! (Just a note, after the hike, we stopped in Rexburg on the way home and had it stapled—yeah, kind of creepy—at the urgent care. It got pretty swollen, bruised and ugly by the weekend, but is all healed now and looks pretty good.) In keeping with my accident-prone tradition, I was the only one on the hike that got hurt, but was also the only one that came home with my own kind of "badge of courage". Now I look at the scar as a great reminder of all the incredible experiences and memories associated with that trip. After a brief rest at the top of the ridge, we headed through more snow and slate or shale rock patches up toward Table Rock.

At the top of the last ridge, just before the steepest ascent, and only about a mile to the top, I got to the point where I was counting 40 steps, and then resting 20 breaths and forced myself to keep going. I thanked Heavenly Father for keeping me safe and asked Him to give me just a little more strength to go a little farther. We got to one spot, where everybody was resting just before the final ascent, where I made a decision. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it any further. It killed me, knowing I had made it that far and wasn't going to get to the top, but It was exhilarating when I thought about all I'd been through and done that day. I was totally exhausted and knew I needed some good rest so I could make it back down. When I caught up with everyone, I told them I was going to wait there for them. I had plenty of snacks, a walkie-talkie and was in a beautiful, safe place at the top of the mountain. Eric volunteered several times to help me get up to the top, but I declined and told them to go on without me. I was a little emotional when Rachel walked back and hugged me before she left. As I watched them all walk away, the tears flowed freely. I was totally exhausted, the muscle in my arm was getting really sore, and I was pretty disappointed, but I couldn't help marveling at what God was able to help me do.

Just at the top of the snowy ridge (by my shoulder) is where I took my time-out.

I spent the next couple of hours resting, eating trail mix, praying (there's just something about talking to God on the top of His mountains...), listening to progress reports, and watching the storm roll in from Driggs. (Another miracle side note... just like I asked Him to, Heavenly Father stayed the storm on the mountain top until everyone was safe again. Halfway down, the heavens opened up and it poured!) Rachel took some beautiful pictures at the tippy-top, and contacted me when she made it! I was so proud of her!

A view of the Tetons from the top of Table Rock with the clouds waiting to burst

A look down the other side

A look into the valley. You can sort of see Alpine and Driggs up near the top, where the rain's poring down.

After everyone came back, they rested a few minutes and we headed back down the mountain. Eric ran into some scouts on the way up that told us that the trail they took up was much steeper, but easy to follow, and probably safer. We followed that trail on the "face", going back down the mountain. I liked it a lot better. I was really through with adventure and danger for the day.

A little easier trail, huh? It got a lot steeper later, but I was grateful we had a trail!

...And more beautiful scenery, with a lot less snow.

At the very end, our smiles look a little more weary, but we were so glad we did it!

Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual...exhaustion. All I can say was that it was an amazing experience. As with most incredible experiences these days, I spent a lot of time reflecting and feeling thankful on the way home. I was grateful for nice hiking shoes my sweet husband insisted buying me, the same amazing man who stayed home with the other kids and pushed me out the door for adventure, a sweet daughter that kept me company and inspired me along the trail, a smart "mountain man" brother-in-law that took very good care of us and kept me safe, a wonderful younger brother and sister who slowed down several times to walk with me and tell me that I was doing great, and a best friend (the same sister) who convinced me I could do this in the first place. Thank you all. I had the time of my life!