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Finding My Tribe
My idea of vacation is a little different. This winter I have been able to connect with several women through the local chapter of Women Who Explore for which I am an ambassador. I have discovered I am really good at event planning and have enjoyed the connections with the women I have met on the events I have hosted. Because it is winter, we have done a lot of Nordic skiing- my go to winter adventure activity.
In mid January, I scheduled a two night stay at this cozy Mongolian Ger located about an hour away from Bend the road is not closed for winter. I was so excited to have found new friends who also thought this would be a fun adventure and wanted to join me! We had an incredible 3 days skiing, with only one backpack falling off the sled mishap that luckily we caught before we got too far. We skied to a favorite summer destination in the area, ate some amazing meals, laughed, shared life stories, and stayed warm by the wood stove while a blizzard howled outside.
Off the grid, with only contact being made to family through a Garmin InReach- texting, then tossing it outside to catch the satellite connection. The simple life. Eat. Ski. Sleep. Repeat. Three days I will never forget and will try to repeat yearly with the same friends and maybe some new friends who join my tribe.
Out of Reach
For years, I have wanted to ski up this road in the winter. This day in February 2023 a friend and I started the path to make this destination a reality. Exploring a new place always gives me a little twinge of uneasiness. This day we got a little bit of a late start and at 1:30 we still have 1-2 miles to go to get to our destination. The skiing was hard as the terrain was rutted by snowmobiles and it was pretty hard the knees. About 1-2 miles from our destination and a lot of climbing in our legs already, we decided to turn back. In retrospect, we should have kept going. It had taken us a little over three hours and likely would have taken another hour to get to Dee Wright Observatory. From out turn around spot, it took us only 1 hour and 15 minutes to get back to the car. The real ‘we should have kept going’ moment was when about 3/4 miles from the car we saw the Jefferson Snowmobile Club groomer setting out. That definitely would have made the trip back faster and smoother.
OR-242 is one of the most beautiful scenic drives in Oregon with trailheads that lead to some of the most incredible wilderness areas your feet can take you. In the winter though, the road is closed accessible only by snowmobile, skis, or if you are up for an incredible long day- snowshoes.
This day, a friend, her two dogs and I headed out on our skis with the goal of reaching the Dee Wright Observatory about 7 1/2 miles from the car one way. We left the lot at 10:30 and as the sun and temperature continued to rise we stopped several times in the first two miles to take off layers. Though it was only 37 degrees with thin light cloud coverage, at these higher elevations while Nordic skiing body temperatures quickly rise and with the added heat and light reflecting off the snow- 37 degrees can seem like summer!
As we got closer to the observatory, at times, it actually felt like we were descending and the thought of climbing back up began to haunt my mind. Did I bring enough food? Water? Will I have enough energy to make it back to the car? Skiing was a bit rough in the snowmobile tracks with ruts from their tracks consistently testing my balance and core strength. At 1:45 it had been 3 hours and 15 minutes and we still hadn’t reached our destination. We decided to turn back but were still grateful to be outside spending the day in this beautiful area sandwiched between two of Oregon’s most beautiful wilderness areas.
Within a 1/2 mile of turning back it was obvious we had indeed not been descending on our approach. But still, we continued to ski back to our starting point. About 1 hour and 15 minutes later when we were within a mile of the car, the Mt. Jefferson Snowmobile Club Sno-cat cruised on by. Damn. That would have made for some really easy skiing on the way back to the car. Faster that it already was. Probably the first time ever I have regretted turning back before I reached my destination. Mother Nature has continued to deliver many storms since this day and I have confidence that in the coming weeks, I will be able to reach my destination.
A door opens…
This image. This image is what got me thinking maybe I could share my work with the world. This image was taken on top of a local mountain here in Central Oregon. My friend and I drove up to the trailhead mid afternoon and the closer we got to the trailhead the closer we got to touching the clouds. They were low and thick. Hoping for the best, we set out up 1500’ of elevation gain in 1.5 miles to the summit. About 3/4 of the way up the clouds began to thin and soon we had blue sky above us.
Timing a summit sunset is an acquired skill anytime of year. Mother Nature is not always your friend. This evening, the winds were steady and the temperature was low. The scene Mother Nature was painting gave me so much excitement and awe putting my camera down to keep my hands warm was not an option.
Looking at this image, today, years later, I am immediately brought back to this scene as if I were experiencing it all over again. Cold wind on my face, frozen hands, peace in my soul.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
