We are happy to have some rad, epic women in our Wildhorn community. They inspire us and hopefully we can pass that adventurous spirit on to you!
Here, some of our Wildhorn Tribe members share their stories of mountain conquers and lessons from the peaks.
Sarina Clark
"One of my most recent favorite hikes was the summit of Mt. Adam's. This is for a few different reasons. I climbed another volcano nearby (Mt. St. Helen's) a couple months prior and stared at Adam's from Helen's and though no way. It's too big. It's too steep. It's the second tallest peak in Washington. There's no way I can do that one. Time passed and some of my friends made plans to do Adam's. Well serious FOMO (fear of missing out) set in and I jumped on board hesitantly. I still wasn't sure I could complete this. Would the fear of heights turn me around? Would I physically be able to do it? Would I be able to glissade safely down the mountain? All these thoughts went through my head the night before as we were sleeping at 9,300 feet. We got up the next morning, made the summit push and everyone in the group had a successful summit. I surprised myself by how well I did and how much I really, really enjoyed the trip. So much so that I want to pursue harder, more technical mountains in the future. Thank you Mt. Adam's for showing me the strength I didn't know that I had."
Alexandra Goldman
"Half Dome, Yosemite National Park – hands down my favorite hike (so far). I went into the hike super psyched out given the way people describe the trek and their own experiences hiking the cables, but for whatever reason, I felt like a true force of nature that day. I completed the 18 mile trek in 7 ½ hours and didn’t feel remotely as “beat” as I thought I would have. See! Mind over matter right! I woke up that morning (aka didn’t sleep), headed to the trail around 4 AM, mentally ready to take on the beast of a hike in full force. I was stoked. I had more energy than ever and before I knew it – the summit was there. I could have went up and down those cables 100x – seriously! I was truly having FUN. In this seemingly “scary or tough” situation, I was smiling and feeling freer, happier, stronger, more grateful and more peaceful than ever. For a moment, I actually felt oddly guilty that it wasn’t “harder” for me. It was a huge learning lesson and true testament that mindset is your strongest partner and advocate in any life situation. Frame it correctly and you will be on your way to achieving your greatest successes, with ease. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that adventure, being 8,839 ft. high and overlooking one of the most incredible landscapes I’ve been lucky enough to see. It was certainly one for the books."
Brianna Vyn
"After the few battles I have had myself on this mountain, learning that Mount Indefatigable in Kananaskis Country was named after a WW1 Battleship only seemed fitting. The first time I laid eyes on this mountain I was new to Alberta and hiking in general. I was told it was dangerously close to bear country and to stay away. A year later with a season of scrambling under my belt and a group of experienced hikers, I was ready to take my chances. We started hiking on a perfect September day. We headed up the mountain and were rewarded shortly with epic lake views. We worked our way up and were just getting into the spicy scrambling near the summit when things took a turn for the worse when a friend tumbled and fell. For myself and my boyfriend this led into a mad dash through prime bear country to call for help. Two helicopter rides, stitches, and broken bones for this avid hiker gave us all a renewed perspective on the respect the Canadian Rockies demand from us. New perspectives seem to lead way to action, and an urgency to summit this peak ensued."
Jess Curren
"We visited Glacier National Park with my brother's family who has three young kids. While our kids have been hiking long distances for a few years now, they are just gearing up and reaching that stage. We knew we wanted a longer hike on this trip and after considering our options chose Iceberg Lake: a 10 mile round trip with some decent elevation gain. We knew it would be hard and would most likely take all day and went in with eyes wide open. You know what? They rocked it! All 6 kids did amazing and we're proud of them all. The views were spectacular, the lake was out of this world and we celebrated by taking them out to eat ice cream afterwards. What a great way to bond with cousins and extended family!"
Heather Rhodes
"Do you ever looked at the task ahead of you and think, ‘How am I supposed to do that? How is that even possible? What am I doing here?’. These thoughts used to happen often for me. I was never an avid hiker. I honestly was never very athletic. I workout regularly and enjoy exercise, but I would never say I am an athlete. When I climbed my first mountain though, I was hooked.
I was standing at the base and thinking these thoughts. Wondering why I wasn’t just doing a normal Saturday of sleeping in and brunch. However, I pushed forward; I continued on. I climbed that mountain. And now, I climb mountains, because I know I can. I do it for that blissful moment on the top, for complete tranquility. Pushing your body to the breaking point and then pushing further. That feeling of accomplishment is something I am addicted to. This was my first summit. The Flat Iron, Superstition Wilderness, Arizona."
Kristen Plumer
"I was waiting for a flight in Oahu when I began to talk with a man about traveling. He spoke to me about his time trekking to Everest Base Camp and I was hooked. A few months later, I skipped my college graduation ceremony, took the plunge, booked my trip, and left on a plane to Nepal about three days later.
It took nine days to get to Base Camp, including two acclimation days. However, these were certainly not rest days and were some of our hardest climbs, but they were well worth the views. We reached Base Camp on day nine. It is a bunch of brightly colored tents clustered together on a glacier. You could see the Base Camp about an hour before reaching it. Once there, we took a million photos and reveled in our accomplishment. I also witnessed an avalanche upon arriving to the camp. This was an awe-inspiring moment. It was incredible to witness and hear the power of nature.
We woke up the next morning for a sunrise summit. We climbed Kala Patthar at 5643 meters. My hands began to get so cold at one point, I could not hold my poles any longer. I am not going to lie, I was pretty miserable. Mentally, this was the toughest hike I had done. There were no previous rest days so I was tired, I was beginning to worry about frostbite, and the trail seemed to be never ending. Finally, I saw the top of the peak. Here I witnessed the sun's rays burst over Everest and the rest of the Himalayas. It was seriously one of the most picture-perfect moments I had ever witnessed, and the struggle had made it that much more satisfying.
The experience of trekking to Base Camp then climbing Kala Patthar will always be one of my most treasured experiences and I highly recommend it to everyone who has any interesting in hiking and backpacking. Most people do not know how obtainable this goal is and I encourage everyone to get out of their comfort zone and pursue it!"
