Tag Archives: Mt Rainier

Why is turmeric good for you?

September 4, 2020 betsyjbell

(From the Heart is below, plus info about the new issue of Basic G+ so read on.)

Turmeric Boost from Shaklee is a highly absorbable form of Curcuminoids (they added black pepper to help). Turmeric has been used to reduce inflammation (arthritis), natural pain relief, joint pain relief, heart health, clearing brain fog and more. Perhaps you have been using Turmeric in cooking and supplementing with it for these very reasons. Here’s some good information about Turmeric and why you might want to try Shaklee’s version. Switching brands often makes a huge difference.

What is turmeric? What are curcuminoids? And what is curcumin?
Turmeric, curcuminoids, and curcumin are not interchangeable terms. Turmeric is a distinctive yellow spice that’s part of the ginger family and has been used for 4,000 years in cooking and medicinal uses. The family of active compounds in turmeric is called curcuminoids. The primary curcuminoid found in turmeric is called curcumin, and this is where turmeric’s powerful benefits come from. Curcumin is well-known for its powerful antioxidant properties.
What’s the difference between turmeric root and turmeric extract?
Curcumin is found in the root of the turmeric plant but only comprises a small amount of the turmeric root; an average turmeric root contains less than 5% curcumin, and this amount varies from turmeric root to turmeric root. On the other hand, turmeric extracts are made by extracting curcumin from the turmeric root and are standardized to contain concentrated amounts of curcumin. Turmeric Boost includes 500 mg of turmeric extract standardized to contain 95% curcuminoids.
Why is black pepper extract included in the formula?
Because curcumin has been found to have relatively low absorption, Turmeric Boost contains 5 mg black pepper extract (Piper nigrum), a key ingredient that enhances curcumin absorption and increases bioavailability.
Can Turmeric Boost be taken any time of day?
Turmeric Boost can be taken any time of day but should be taken with a meal or shake.
Is Turmeric Boost vegan?
Yes. Turmeric Boost is great for people that eat a vegan diet.
Is Turmeric Boost Kosher?
Yes. Turmeric Boost is Star-K Kosher certified.
Is there anyone who should NOT take Turmeric Boost?
Turmeric Boost is not intended for use by children or by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Please consult your physician if you are on medication, pregnant, breast-feeding, or under the age of 18.
Turmeric Extract
Turmeric has long been used for inflammatory conditions and liver support.

Turmeric references so you can look them up yourself!

Basic G+
Shaklee’s response to the pandemic was to re-introduce Basic G (+) in twice the concentration. A new Basic G+ spray bottle gives better instructions on mixing and usage.
WHAT MAKES BASIC-G+™ SPECIAL
1.Disinfects in 5 minutes.* That’s 50% faster than the previous formula.
2.Works on bacteria, fungi, and viruses in kitchens**, bathrooms, and pet areas.
3.Highly concentrated and economical. One 16-oz. a bottle makes up to 32 gallons of cleaning solution. *See label for complete directions. **
Basic-G+ Germicide is a highly concentrated formula and should be kept out of reach of children.
Food contact surfaces must be thoroughly rinsed with potable water after use. Note: It is a violation of Federal law to use Basic-G+ in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.
You add the water, which means:
•Fewer plastic bottles
•Less energy used for shipping

At Shaklee, we are committed to innovating through science and looking to nature for the answers that can provide healthier lives. We ensure the highest quality and safety standards – conducting over 100,000 quality tests per year to ensure our products are safe.
The new item code for Basic G+ is 00527. The spray bottle is 50531.

From the Heart….
The end of summer is anti-climactic. There is no fall trip to look forward to, no big adventures to report. In fact, my birthday August 2nd, normally swarming with hugging family members, was a weird mini-series of 5 – 7 close relatives outside and masked. At one such event, I was exposed to the Covid-19 virus. My youngest grandson tested positive as did his father. Two test and days later, I am healthy.
I added two young hens to my coop when the Old Lady, Daisy, died at 12 and Goldie wouldn’t be happy living alone. We all seem to need companionship. Happily, my granddaughter, Cami Killorin, is living in my back bedroom, playing fabulous tunes every day in preparation for issuing her first singer/song-writer album. She and I ran away to the Cascades and slept on the ground in our sleeping bags a couple of nights when it was soooo hot in Seattle. There were very few people. We sat by the fire and sang songs, watched an owl sail through the dense forest, walked logs and read by the roaring Troublesome Creek.

I hope you are doing well and not going crazy with the solitude, the news, and inactivity. I am hopeful that the continued attention being paid to the economic and justice disparity between Whites and POC is slowly changing systems. If you don’t have a person of color to talk to about how they live their lives on a daily basis, I suggest you make an effort to meet one or two and listen to their stories. Our Episcopal congregation (155 participants) has been reading and listening to podcasts, interviews and books to better understand the background, then meeting to discuss via zoom.

I am shocked. I’ll leave it at that. I try not to get all my information from media which seems a bit biased on both sides. The persons of color themselves speak to me in their own voices. It is powerful. As a White woman, these stories have been invisible to me, with a few minor exceptions. I did grow up in a Jim Crow town in Oklahoma but didn’t know what the Black families’ lives were like. I didn’t know any Black children until my senior year in high school, through Girl Scouts.

Useful media: www.fb.com/betsybellshealth4U for a live health tip every Thursday at 8:30 PDT. Under 10 minutes.

www.HiHoHealth.com my personal shopping website with Shaklee.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving, Betsy

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

Confessions of an arthritic painting contractor

August 9, 2013 betsyjbell 2 Comments

Gentle Reader,

Confessions of an arthritic painting contractor:

Taking down paintings, emptying book shelves, moving furniture, rolling up rugs, pulling up old wall-to-wall carpet, removing electric face-plates and then spackling, sanding, taping, and painting every wall that faces the outside is a sure-fire recipe for arthritic flare-ups of major proportion. No matter how many times I lay down on the floor and hung my knees over the Back2Life machine; no matter how many of Shaklee’s herbal Pain Relief Complex tablets I took, I could not prevent pain from coming on.

The people I was supervising as general painting contractor were:

Carsten Rossen and Jack Dahlstrom, 14 and 16, grandsons who did major lifting and prep work and even some priming.

Hanna Rossen and Ben Killorin, 17 and 19, grandchildren who turned out to be excellent painters and were able to mask, spackle, sand, edge and roll paint with only a few drips here and there. They each put in hours of time, their music blasting, bags of gorp and dried mangos, enormous sandwiches and Shaklee Performance drink for rehydration consumed. Ben made the sandwiches as his first summer job was the Deli department at a local grocery store.

Elizabeth Skewis, friend of Grace, my oldest daughter, and now a great friend of mine, is a woman who has done everything under the sun for a living including painting. She was my right hand gal, with skill and stick-to-itiveness, esthetic judgment and coaching for me and the teenagers.

Pete Rossen and Hanna, father and daughter, came to move the furniture back where it belonged after the final (almost final) painting was done. He was the one who suggested I could hire my grandchildren when I was fretting about whom to get to do the painting. I loved their youthful energy in the house and their “there, there, Grandma. Don’t lift anything. Just tell us and we’ll do it.”

Mike Walker, my renter who lives down stairs and is a finish carpenter. He put all the running toe board back in every room with his power tools.

The problem child in this final stage of the energy upgrade was, you guessed it, ME. I love hard work and couldn’t stop myself from all the above mentioned tasks. I did stop lifting.

Two observations that may help you who suffer from arthritis when you are over-active.

1. Don’t stop moving. In the middle of this ordeal I took a 3 ½ mile neighborhood walk which included a long downhill, then a beach walk and finally a 190 tread staircase and 4 long blocks uphill. Moving keeps the nutrients flowing to the joints which are poorly nourished. Without good nutrition, the crumbling joint cannot heal itself. Which brings me to the second point:

2. The cells in our joints are constantly repairing and rebuilding new, healthy cells to replace the worn out ones and to solve the problems of collapsing vertebrae. Peggy Cappy talks about this in her meditative CD “Healing Back Pain” which I listen to nearly every day. Wednesday, after hiking 9 miles round trip, 2000+ ft elevation gain, on Mt. Rainier’s east side to Summerland alpine meadow, I stopped for the evening with one of my hiking buddies. Her husband is a neurologist with Group Health here in Seattle. In our conversation he stated that these broken down joint cells do get replaced with fresh, healthy new cells that attempt to fix the problems. He has told me many times to keep moving, no matter what. Find something to do that doesn’t hurt and keep doing it.

Today, I spent the morning hanging pictures and scrubbing pain spots off the hard wood floors. I have no pain.

You can build healthy joints, but you must keep moving to help your body accomplish that feat.

The house is beautiful. It was all worth it. Here’s a video I put together to show the energy upgrade work that was done. When you see the space age water heater, you’ll appreciate the remark made by the city inspector when he came to sign off on the stepped-up electrical power,

“Wow. This thing should be in the living room where you can sit with your friends, smoke a joint and watch it.”

Whoa!

May I offer a further explanation of the energy improvements under the new roof. The Crown Roofing guys took off the old stuff including the particle board and before they put the new base and shingles on, the Vesta Performance guys laid down rigid insulation covered by a thin layer of reflective material which would further divert summer heat from entering the house. They also installed a fan system circulating air in the summer and avoiding mold build-up from a poorly ventilated crawl space over the ceiling and under the roof. I desperately needed a new roof and was able to fold the cost of the roof itself into the energy upgrade low-interest loan from the Puget Sound Community Credit Union. This banking institution works with the city of Seattle to implement the Community Power Works program for the homeowner who wants to lower their carbon foot print. A new roof by itself may or may not reduce heat loss from your house.

You are welcome to drop by and tour the garage and I’ll offer you a cold drink of some sort, but mostly you won’t notice anything different about the house. It does look fresh and clean but I didn’t change the colors or the furniture. If you are a person who notices roofs (is there such a person?), you’ll see that mine is beautiful, new and no places where the shingles have flown off in the latest wind storm. But who looks at roofs?

I am so proud to have done this major effort to reduce my carbon foot print as part of Seattle Community Power Works. The final numbers came through in the blow test today. Looking good. One tight house. It’s for the Planet and the grandchildren. I hope you’ll take advantage of any opportunity you have to do the same. Congratulations if you already have.

Leave me a comment and while you are at it, please ‘like’ my Face book page. I’d appreciate it.

Be well, Do well and Keep Moving,

Betsy

www.EmpoweredGrandma.com

206 933 1889

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis, travel

Heart attack? Climbing high

October 18, 2012 betsyjbell

Gentle Reader,

How do you survive trekking at a high altitude? The second day of our Engadine Valley hike in Switzerland began and ended from the little village of Zuoz, a bus and train ride from Guarda where our 1^st day ended.

No more sciatica or lower back pain. No more arthritis troubles with Pain Relief Complex on board. Now the only task was to climb from 5700 ft to 8400 ft. to Escha Hut. We knew it would be hard, but we managed to make it harder. Instead of muscles spasms and a struggle with osteoarthritis, the pain and suffering of the day was mostly in my head.

As we climbed, I was short of breath. Then came the unsettled stomach. Then a feeling of light headedness. We passed a couple in their late 70’s from Zurich who had been in Zuoz over the weekend to play bridge and stayed on for a couple days to “take a little walk” in the area with their retired seeing-eye dog. Looking very out of shape and carrying only a light nap sac, these two seemed to climb this trail with ease. They did turn back when the path left the farm road and joined the cow tracks leading straight up the treeless slope. Paging through all I know about women and heart disease, reviewing in detail my mother’s congestive heart failure symptoms and subsequent death AT MY EXACT AGE, I managed to get myself into a panic, anticipating a heart attack any moment. At one point I called out “Would you just glance back here once in a while to see if I’m still upright?” At this point Jaco, my Dutch friend, decided to walk behind me. I later learned that all of us were struggling with shortness of breath. Chris, the 83 yr. old veteran of several Mt Rainier climbs, reminded us of deep inhales and slow, whistling out breaths. The gals in front were already taking 10 steps and resting for a couple breaths. I was absolutely sure I was having a heart attack.

At the top, we had the most delicious pumpkin soup, thick and creamy, sitting in the sun, our backs against the stone wall of Escha Hut, a busy place in the summer and even busier in the winter. A mountain biker peddled up the way we went down, paused for a drink and went down the way we had just come up. Way more impressive than Lance Armstrong. No doubt powered by his own lungs, blood and muscle, this cyclist was out for recreation.

As we sat there gazing at the Bernina mountain range in the distance, completely covered with snow at 13,000 ft, I remember my first ascent to 10,000 ft on Mt. Shasta and realiz

ed I was suffering from altitude sickness, not heart disease. The relief was so great, I fairly danced down the far side of the valley, past this amazing high mountain field of art.

To avoid the precipitous downhill trail, we cut through a pass and circumnavigated the mountain in front of us, extending out trek by an additional 7 miles, making it a 14 miles day. The benefit was this shot of a marmot late in the afternoon, one of many familiar critters scampering and diving into their burrows. I’d been looking for them as all the telltale signs of marmot, just like in the Cascades, were everywhere.

One more physical challenge before our 6 days RyderWalker self guided trek was finished. Tune in next Thursday for more pictures and that story.

Now let’s hear from you. Have you had altitude sickness? Were you aware of what was happening to you or did you think you were having a heart attack? We’d like to hear your story. If you enjoyed this read, pass it along. Check me out on Facebook: betsyjbell, and while you are there, ‘like’ my business page, https://www.facebook.com/BetsyBellsHealth4U.

Fondly, Betsy

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving

BetsyBell’s Health4u

www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com

206 933 1889 1 888 283 2077

betsy@hihohealth.com

Arthritis, Be Well health tips, Health and Fitness, Keep Moving: Managing Arthritis

Knee Pain: an early warning sign of Osteoarthritis

August 24, 2012 betsyjbell 10 Comments

Gentle Reader,

This is just in from the Johns Hopkins:

Knee Pain: An Early
Warning Sign of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting an estimated 27 million people in the United States. By age 40, approximately 90 percent of us have at least some signs of osteoarthritis that can be seen on X-rays of the weight-bearing joints (the hips and knees, for example), but symptoms of pain and stiffness usually don’t start until later in life.

Now, researchers from Canada report that knee pain may be an early warning sign of osteoarthritis (OA). Their study was published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research(Volume 62, page 1691).

The researchers obtained X-ray and MRI scans of 255 people with knee pain who were 40 to 79 years old. Pre-radiographic osteoarthritis (signs of cartilage damage seen on MRI but not yet evident on X-ray) was identified in 49 percent, and radiographic osteoarthritis (signs of cartilage damage on X-ray) was identified in 38 percent. Only 13 percent had a normal X-ray and MRI.

Factors linked to a higher chance of having radiographic osteoarthritis or pre-radiographic osteoarthritis included abnormal gait (nearly 11 times higher risk), older age (nearly three times higher risk for each 10-year increase), playing sports regularly after age 20 (35 percent higher risk for each 10 years), knee swelling and difficulty fully stretching the knee joint.

The bottom line: If you have knee pain, don’t ignore it. Early identification of osteoarthritis can lead to early treatment and relief.

Duh! This is a no brainer, isn’t it? My question to you and to them, what are we supposed to do about it? We have the early warning signs. Now what?

In these blog posts, I have explored various modalities of care and presented strategies for alleviating pain and slowing down the onset of severe osteoarthritis. If you are a new reader, I suggest you explore back posts for suggestions.

The bottom line is two fold:

1. Get to your ideal weight and stay there. Even 15 pounds off your current weight (if you are over weight) will make a difference in your joints.

2. Keep moving. Find something to do that is pleasurable and that you will look forward to each day and DO IT. Do NOT, under any and all circumstances, stop moving.

I have a great friend who was in a wheel chair with her osteoarthritis and on multiple medications to manage the pain. A friend persuaded her to seek the counsel of a chiropractor who specializes in blood work and supplementation (primarily by Shaklee). He analyzes the blood and makes recommendations about diet and supplements. The most important advice to Luanne was find something to do that she loved. She didn’t like walking, hiking, dancing, skiing, roller blading, mountain climbing. Nothing pleased her. Nothing made her want it more than the pain she had to endure to try out the activity.

One day she was walking near a dock where people were stepping in to sculls, single and double. She was invited to take a turn and fell in love with sitting in the slim, fast boat down low in the water. As she became more proficient, she got off her medications and ate the better diet along with the prescribed supplements. She became pain free. Luanne went on to win national championships in single scull racing. Today she is slim, beautiful and healthy.

Find the movement of your choice. Maybe it’s turning on the TV or radio to your favorite jazz or Latin music station. There’s someplace in your house where you can dance to your favorite music. Maybe you’d enjoy a little trampoline. It takes up a tiny space and is reputed to help increase bone density. Whatever it is, Go for it.

The doctor’s name is Dr. Richard Brouse. I send him my blood for diagnosis and suggestions for diet and supplements. Having his analysis and prescription for supplements makes my vitamin purchases tax deductible. (I am not giving tax advice. I am not qualified to do so. This is just what I do and have done for 25 years.) It is expensive but worth it. After all, you are going to pay for your health one way or another. Why not pay now and avoid the steep costs looming ahead of you, not to mention the loss of work and play time.

Dr. Brouse will suggest food supplements by Shaklee. In another post, I recommend the ones that are most effective at restoring your body to good health and alleviating arthritis pain. (You can browse the Product Guide here.)

When you take your knee pain to the doctor, they will most likely tell you to expect arthritis in the near future and predict knee replacement therapy down the road. I had these predictions in 1989. I have no knee pain and have never had knee replacement. I take a lot of supplements. People who watch me swallow a handful of them, think I’m nuts. All I can say is that I love being able to hike to Mt. Rainier pain free, to be able to dance the salsa, and run fast across the street, to scramble down the bank at Shark’s Reef on Lopez Island, to last physically in the art museum longer than my brain can take all that stimulation.

I wish the same for you.

Now, tell me in the comment section, what your thoughts are about your early warning signs, if you have any. And by all means let us all know what supplements you have found that help. Did you sign up to get the notification of the next posting?

Fondly, Betsy

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving

BetsyBell’s Health4u

www.GrandmaBetsyBell.com

206 933 1889 1 888 283 2077

betsy@hihohealth.com

Arthritis, Health and Fitness

Pain free flying

December 19, 2011 betsyjbell 6 Comments

Avoiding increased pain when on vacation.

This is the first of a series of posts on staying pain free while traveling.

I just spent 10 days in Mexico with 4 friends, enjoying my time share and a few extra days in Isla Mujeres, a tiny island off the coast of the Yucatan as 25 minute ferry ride from Cancun. It was wonderful. I had my herbal pain killers at the ready, and took a couple every 4 -5 hours.

Plane rides are the worst for osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis and the 4 plus hours from Seattle to Houston were challenging. I am reminded of the many long plane rides I have taken and the technique I have learned for staying comfortable.

Back in 1992, right after my husband died, I took a trip to San Francisco for some R & R. We sat in the plane on the runway for 6 hours waiting for the fog to clear in SF so we could leave Seattle and land 2 1/2 hours later. If you’ve been following along, you’ll remember that the traumatic injury to my L5 happened only 3 years earlier, and while I had rehabilitated enough to do 3/4 of the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier in 1990, I was still at risk. Slouching in a chair, especially an airplane seat, is the worse possible thing to do for a potentially unstable back. As Moshe Feldenkrais would say, you are either sitting (sits bones directly under your erect back) or you are lying down (any tilted back position on down to prone). I was lying down in the most unsupported manner. When we finally landed in San Francisco, I could hardly walk. My left leg had extreme sciatica pain from the pinching at L5. What I learned from that experience has saved me from ever repeating it. It may help you.

I drink a lot of water and a rehydrating drink called Performance which I carry in a zip lock bag and mix with the water they offer, or in the bottle I carry on. Do you know that you lose a cup of water every hour you are in the air? You do not excrete only water, but minerals that you must have for proper balance in your system. These are the electrolytes you add with a high quality hydrating drink like Performance. (If you want to know more about the products I mention, go to www.HiHoHealth dot com.)

Drinking a lot forces me to get up and down to use the rest room. Moving prevents prolonged slouching from setting in. While sitting, I do isometric exercises. I seldom tilt my chair back but try to stay upright. On long flights to Asia and Africa, the TV monitor w shows isometric exercises that are helpful. Here are several that I have used.

Isometric Leg Exercises

Isometric exercises are an effective way to exercise during a flight. Also called static tension, isometric exercise involves a contraction of a muscle without a change in the length of the muscle. Bodybuilding.com recommends doing an isometric thigh exercise while sitting on your seat. Make a fist with your hands and place them under your knees. Squeeze your thigh and calve “around” your fist, and hold for five to 10 seconds.

Knee Exercises

Knee flexions and extensions are other simple exercises to do during your flight. Knee flexion involves lifting your knee toward your chest while sitting on your seat with your back against the back rest. Lower your leg, and repeat with the opposite leg. Knee extension involves straightening your leg as far as you can while sitting with your back against the rest. This is crazy making in steerage where I sit. Do these exercises as many times as desired.

Calf Exercises

Deep vein clots are common in the lower leg or thigh, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Improve the blood flow in your lower leg by contracting your muscles. To do a calf raise, place your tiptoes on the floor. Thrust your heels upward as high as you can until you feel a contraction in your calves. Hold for five to 10 seconds, and lower your heals, or repeat continuously with a pumping motion. Repeat as often as you can to improve blood flow in your veins. This is a really good one.

Arms

Exercise your arms with a wrist roller workout. Cross your fingers and do a rolling motion with your wrists for 10 to 20 seconds. Improve blood flow in your arms by making a fist with each hand and flexing your forearms toward the floor. Hold for 10 seconds, release and repeat. Optionally, raise your fists toward your chest and down to your thighs for 10 to 20 times to also target your biceps.

Shoulders and Chest

Shoulder shrugs are a way to relieve tension in your upper body. Hold the shrug for 10 seconds and release. Exercise both the chest and shoulders by doing a rope climb. Imagine a rope hanging over your head, and “grasp” it with your hands as to climb it. With each motion, reach from over your head and pull down until your arms touch your thighs. Repeat 20 times with each hand.

Back and Abs

Stretch your back by bending at your waist until your chest reaches your upper thighs. Hold for a few seconds and slowly return to an upright position. Keep your back straight throughout the stretch. Target your abdominal muscles sitting upright and exhaling completely. Without inhaling, suck in your stomach as deeply as you can and hold for few seconds. Release and repeat.

Do not worry about what other people think. After all, your body needs this and their bodies could probably use it to. You might have the whole row exercising. You will have much less jet lag and arrive ready to walk and pull your suit case.

I would love to hear your techniques for keeping aches and pains under control while flying. Next week I will share my away-from-home morning routine before setting off for a day of site seeing.

Be Well, Do Well and Keep Moving.

Betsy

www.HiHoHealth dot com

Arthritis, Health and Fitness

Hiking the Wonderland Trail, Mt. Rainier 1990/2006

November 18, 2011 betsyjbell

Gentle Reader,

The Goodwill Games brought 2300 athletes from 54 countries to Seattle in the summer of 1990. My husband, Don Bell, chair of the public forum, Target Seattle: Preventing Nuclear War, in 1982, helped organize the representatives to the games from the Soviet Union. Our house, a few blocks from the University of Washington football stadium where the opening ceremonies were held, was full of Soviets, young Russians in their 30s and a few Uzbeks from our sister city, Tashkent. During the eight years between the first events in ’82, many groups traveled to and from the Soviet bloc including cooks (Peace Table), a team making and taking prosthetics and organizing competitive handicapped soccer matches here and abroad to name just a couple. Many had been in our home.

In the middle of this pre-Goodwill Games opening swirl, my youngest daughter, Ruth and I worked in our spacious dining room preparing the food for our 13 day back packing trip on the 95 mile Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier. Visiting Soviets–Uzbek and Russian–were mildly curious as we assembled a large metal bowl full of homemade granola and protein powder and then filled zip lock bags for each morning. A second bowl contained all the ingredients for our favorite gorp which we mixed by hand, digging deep into the M & M’s, roasted almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cherries, peanuts and dried plums. Salami sticks, blocks of hard cheese, rye crackers were divided for lunches. We put together mixtures for the evening meals: peanut butter soup (too rich) and other quick meals, not all freeze dried.

My next youngest daughter, Eleanor, arrived a day before our early departure for the Ranger Station where we obtained our permit and assigned camping spots along the route. She lived in Berkeley where she was in graduate school and took the train up to join us.

Less than a year earlier, I herniated disc L5 and began the therapies to get myself to this point. We divided the gear, a 3 person dome tent, stove, sleeping bags, mats, clothes and food so each had about 36 pounds. The girls probably carried more than I did. I did not have hiking poles which turned out to be foolish. I now use them on every hike except the short 3 – 4 mile ones in the city parks.

Our permit sent us counter clock wise around the mountain starting at Mowich Lake in the upper north west corner. Others had secured camping spots high up on the ridges. We had to settle for the valleys of the Mowich River, the North Puyallup and the South Puyallup rivers, Paradise River, Nickel Creek with Summerland the only up-slope campsite. Our disappointment turned into delight as we were on top of the world each mid day and could skinny dip in the high lakes unnoticed. We planned food pickups at Longmire where a car was parked with the next section’s food in the trunk, and again at Sunrise where Don was to meet us with the last segment’s food stash.

I fared well hiking carefully, thinking Pilates moves with each step. I favored the left leg worrying that it would not sustain strength over the full 13 days. Eleanor suffered knee pain from the extreme up and down each day. We descended 2500 ft our first day, carrying full packs. The next morning we gained 2400 ft by lunch time, took a dip in Golden Lake and descended 1400 ft to our riverside camp site. I’d been training on stair cases and was managing well. Eleanor was having so much trouble; she decided to leave the hike and took the car home from the Longmire parking lot. After picking up a hiking stick and salty gorp (we forgot the need for extra salt when sweating so much), Ruth and I got our campsite settled and then hitched a ride up to Paradise lodge in a camper van from the Narada Falls visitor overlook. Enjoying a pitcher of beer in the bar at Paradise, we eves dropped on a group from Minnesota just down from summiting Mt. Rainier. The flatlanders had a tough time with the altitude, and a couple of them could not make the top. I realized I had no intention of ever climbing a snow capped mountain. Little did I know then that I would attempt Mt. Shasta in 2005 reaching 13,000 ft.

Hiking around Mt. Rainier weaves in and out of civilization and wilderness. Within 200 yards of a paved overlook, crowds of summer visitors trip along in high heels, flip flops, pushing strollers, tipping back cokes and munching on chips. Into this scene emerging from 4 days in total wilderness appear 3 women, sweaty headbands, heavy boots and packs, unwashed faces and unkempt hair. We did not dally, but pushed through the milling groups to find the forest trail again. Only at Longmire and Paradise did we take advantage of the amenities.

By day 7, my right leg and hip were becoming so painful it hurt to take each step. The right side had compensated for the weaker left leg and ankle. Using my new walking stick with each left step put more stress on the right side. It was an eleven hour day covering eleven miles, up over snow fields and through spectacular fields of flowers, high bubbling streams, and alpine moon scapes above the timber line. One special moment I remember all these years later, I lay down on the trail to rest just a few feet from a large rust, grey and back marmot slowly nibbling his way across our path to the lupine beyond. We could hear him ripping flower heads and chewing. Carrying my stick in both hands and putting each foot down as evenly balanced as I could, we finally descended into Summerland in the dark, head lamps locating a camping spot. All I could do was get into the tent and stick my aching feet straight into the air. We managed to fix dinner and were sound asleep without seeing the incredible beauty that awaited us in the morning.

From Summerland to the White River camp ground is a short distance. Thy day was hot and clear. In the wash house, we washed our hair hoping to look presentable for our men who were meeting us in the late afternoon. It was August 8. We began the 2000 ft. ascent in bright sunshine. Half way up the 2000 ft gain from White River to Sunrise, heavy weather caught us. Clouds, thunder and lightning moved in quickly followed by hail. The alpine trees are so short at that elevation, they offered no protection. We put on everything we had to keep dry and warm and hurried up the last couple of miles, a stair case to the Sunrise parking lot to find Don and Ruth’s boyfriend sitting in the car with the windshield wipers going full blast. They convinced us to abandon the last segment of the hike, 35 of the 95 miles still to go. When we got to the Mowich Lake parking lot to retrieve our car, clear sky and full sun greeted us. Mt. Rainer makes its own weather and the storm was confined to the Sunrise side of the mountain So disappointing.

Persuading me to quit was not too difficult. I doubted my ability to do the last 35 miles. That remaining section of the Wonderland Trail haunted Ruth and me. We tried again to do it from Mowich to Sunrise in 2000 and were snowed out again on August 10^th. Finally after I had trained and climbed Mt. Shasta in July of 2006, I felt was strong enough to carry a pack, and we completed the Northern loop in August. Our circumnavigation of the mountain did not end on the Wonderland Trail. Those permits were all taken. We began in mist hiking in from Lake Eleanor through Grand Park, a little known back entrance to the Park from the north. The second day we walked in heavy wet weather, moisture coming up and in sideways from the water laden plants along the narrow underused trail. On the third day the sun broke out to reveal the most glorious infrequently visited section of the park, Yellowstone Cliffs. Climbing out of Carbon River to Seattle and Spray Parks in hot sun, we breathed the fragrant air, eyes feasting on a sea of wild flowers and deep green grass. Spreading our wet gear out on high rocks to dry, Ruth and I read, sketched and languished lazily before finally hiking the last miles to meet our waiting family. We could now claim the Wonderland Trail, 95 miles of absolute glorious wilderness. My first 60 miles celebrated my 53^rd birthday. The last segment celebrated my 68^th.

This blog post is a reminiscence of triumph over injury, of doing a great physical activity against all odds. I know you have had similar triumphs. I hope you are inspired to keep moving. Do not give up. Leave a comment with your story.

Be Well, Do Well. Keep Moving,

Betsy

206 933 1889

betsy@hihohealth.com

http://hihohealth.com