Be with someone who pushes you... In the right ways.

Being with someone for little over six years, there's things you still find out about them everyday. It amazes me how hard some of the things we've been through were. Now I'm sitting here looking back, happy that it has all happened. Without it happening, I wouldn't be who I am now and WE wouldn't be who we are now as a couple.

This past weekend, we decide to visit the Eastern Sierras again. It's hard not to when you live so close! It's a beautiful drive with great temperatures, perfect for a heat wave getaway. We farted around the hot springs the night before and decided to stay out by Owen's River. The sky is immaculate at night and the sunrises are even better seeing the mountains lit up with the early morning sun. We always wake up at dawn, mozy around and discuss what we'd like to do next. We sip coffee, dunk again in the hot springs, and said we'd figure it out on the road.

Driving up 395, I'm always looking at the peaks. The demanding demeanor they possess while looking so smooth will captivate anyone. Constantly looking through the "AllTrails" app, searching for a hike we could do starting from mid-day. We searched all through our breakfast at "Nicely's" and finally found a dog-friendly hike we knew we could do in a day. We ended up choosing one out of Lundy Canyon to Lake Helen, rated as difficult but offered stunning waterfalls, wildflowers, and extreme terrain like any other Eastern Sierra hike. The app had said it was roughly 5-6 miles total, so we thought we'd give it a shot.

Getting to Lundy, we parked at the very end of the dirt road and followed the trailhead out. There were quite a few other cars and people starting their hike. The walk to the first lake is very short, so you often see elderly complete this. As you continue on, the elevation starts to increase slightly and in about 2 miles you start to see some waterfalls. The ground was moist with water and there had been plenty of storms to come through keeping some of these waterfalls alive. We made it to the end of the trail, where most people stop and turn around because the trail seems to disappear. Here we were, staring up at this massive mountain full of loose rocks and shale, with no trail seeming to be apparent. We thought we couldn't just go that far and not see the lake we were set out for. Jake hid our main day pack and extra loose items and in doing so, we saw three other backpackers on their way down!! We were able to see their path, it didn't seem that bad...

Starting the ascent, we weren't sure what we were walking into, but we could definitely see what we were about to face. Jake and Red always move ahead since I move at turtle pace compared to them. We're about halfway and the trail turns into multiple ones. Routes that seemed easier for others as they were hiking, but all were sketchy. Here we are, straight up and down this mountain and my knees start to jiggle and the fear of heights start to set in. Red had kicked some rocks loose and I couldn't see Jake, the panic attack began. I felt myself not allowing me to take another step up, I was freaking out with how high I needed to step with little places for good footing. I had nothing to hold onto and I kept "what iffing" myself. "What if I lost my footing? How far would I fall? How bad will it hurt? Will I stop rolling if I went?" I froze. I could not move to save my life. It started drizzling and my eyes filled with tears. Up above me, I hear Jake say, "You got this, it's in your head. Take your time." I sat there for what felt like 15 minutes but he sat there with me the whole time, until I started moving.

The moving was slow going, but we got to the lake within the hour from the last waterfall. What I had put myself through mentally, was one of the hardest times for me to date. I was a grouch, a grumpy bug, but Jake didn't let that ruin the hike. He embraced it, he talked me through the fears. I went through the files in my brain and starting deep cleaning, realizing that it is within my head. My body was more than capable of making the full trip, but I kept psyching my own self out. It ended up being one of the best hikes I've done, believe it or not.

Beginning to hike isn't that easy of a task. You're faced with random storms, altitude, elevation gain, stair stepper 3000's, so making sure you're bringing the right and proper equipment is huge. Push yourself, but stay within your boundaries and still recognize your limits. I'm not sure if I would have finished this hike on my own. Forever thankful for having someone who feels your pain and will work out whatever you're feeling, don't let them go.