This week in 2011 I was diagnosed with Cancer. It was a hard fight, with a minor surgery followed 30 days later by a major surgery followed by weeks upon weeks of Radiation Therapy. You keep a smile on your face for everyone around you and you try your best to soldier on even when you just want to give up. My recovery has been hard. After Cancer my immune system took a huge hit coupled with the large incision from the surgery that literally severed my lower abdominals in two. Ive never been quite the same ever since. Even after an All Clear diagnosis, you still have to wade through the aftermath of a compromised immune system and physical rehab. And here we come to 2014. I have worked my ass off to reclaim my activity. Its been hard, with all my limitations. Some people understand. Some... do not. With my niece turning 21, I wanted to do something special for the both of us to celebrate. Her 21st birthday and my still walking this Earth 3 years after receiving my Cancer diagnosis. So what better way to do it than to literally walk this Earth. I took my niece Tanya up to the North Cascades to walk the Maple Loop Trail. It is one of the most stunning hikes I have ever been on. It is intense and challenging. We hiked a total of 6.9 miles in 5.5 hours, topped out at 7000ft, above tree line, after doing a 2400ft elevation gain in 2 miles. We walked razorback ridges, along a canyon wall, we had a 360 degree eagles eye view of the North Cascades, we scared a black bear, we hurt, we groaned, we sweated and we did it. We are both still hurting today... 2 days later. But we have huge smiles on our faces. We climbed a mountain, because we could. The lesson here: Live. Live without fear. Because every single day is far too precious a gift to squander. As always, descriptions are on individual photos.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 17:27:56 +0000
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