Women walk the trails of Humboldt
Two women take weekly walks in some of Humboldt County's most scenic locales
When Pamela Foster and Sharon Hafner had to cancel a long-anticipated train trip aboard the Coast Starlight last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the friends came up with another way to take in new sights and get some exercise along the way.
‘We decided to meet each Friday and explore a new trail in Humboldt County,” said Foster. “Because we would be taking separate cars to protect against the virus, we limited our trail selections to around 50 miles from our homes in Eureka.”
In the past year, the two — both 70 years old — have hiked in many of the area’s scenic locales. While walking, they wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines.
Hafner and Foster met about five years ago through their husbands, who were longtime friends. The women decided to take a trip via Amtrak after Foster’s husband passed away in October 2019 from a devastating neurological disease.
“Caring for him in our home, then him having to live in the veteran’s skilled nursing facility clear down in San Francisco, and then, ultimately, his death left me exhausted,” Foster said. “I wanted to get away, see someplace new and prove to myself that I could enjoy life without Jack.
“I saw an advertisement for a sleeper car on the Coast Starlight and that seemed like a wonderful experience,” Foster said. “… Sharon and I had never traveled together, but she loves train trips and she and I had spent enough time together that I thought we could get along and enjoy each other’s company on a two-week trip.”
Hafner said, “We were going to stay in Morro Bay and explore all along that coast. I was also looking forward to just getting there on the train. It would have been my first trip just for the fun of it in a long time.”
Like many, their travel plans came to a halt with the COVID-19 shutdowns.
“It was rough,” Foster said of having to cancel their Amtrak adventure. “… I was much sadder than I expected to be (and) realized how much I had looked forward to getting away.”
Hafner said she felt “great disappointment,” adding that with the pandemic, “It was the only safe/responsible thing to do.”
Since becoming friends, Hafner and Foster had taken occasional walks together. In May 2020, after several months of isolating at home, the pair decided to meet up and take a COVID-safe walk at Big Lagoon.
Afterward, Foster suggested they start going for weekly walks.
“We didn’t think of our walks as an alternative to our trip at first, but they soon became that, and I felt more than compensated,” Hafner said. “The trip would have been over after two weeks. The trails in this area are abundant and beautiful, and this was the first chance when I had the time to explore them.”
The road to their new adventure has had a few challenges since both women have faced medical issues in their lives. Foster had severe scoliosis and full spinal fusion when she was 12 years old, and now has a “good bit” of arthritis in her back. Hafner suffers from hip pain and sometimes needs to walk with a cane.
“In the beginning we walked flat, short trails — the Headwaters Trail to the mile marker, the Bay Trail, the Blue Lake Levee Loop, the Loleta Train tunnel,” Foster said. “We rarely walked a mile before I called it quits and we turned back.”
Foster added: “In the beginning, looking forward to those walks was often the only thing that got me through the week during lockdown. But, as time wore on and the pandemic continued, I hit a wall. There were Fridays when the only reason I went was because I had made a commitment to Sharon to go. Several times, a mile or two into a walk, when I would be feeling refreshed and so very glad to be out in nature and walking, one of us would say, ‘I almost didn’t come today. Only showed up because I knew you’d be waiting for me.’ And the other one would laugh and say we had felt exactly the same.
“Because I have dealt with back pain for most of my life, and because I have had three debilitating longterm episodes of sciatica,” Foster said, “in the beginning I was frightened that walking too far, pushing myself too hard, would result in me being flat in bed and in terrible pain. But, Sharon was always willing to go at my pace, even when my speed was much slower than what she would have
“We decided to meet each Friday and explore a new trail in Humboldt County. Because we would be taking separate cars to protect against the virus, we limited our trail selections to around 50 miles from our homes in Eureka.” — Pamela Foster of Eureka
preferred. … And, gradually, I realized that while there would be pain, my back recovered. The day after a walk my back didn’t hurt any more than usual. I got braver about pushing myself. The day we did the hike from Dry Lagoon to Stone Lagoon and back and (I) realized we’d walked over six miles, was the day I understood how far we had both come in stamina and strength.”
Ten months after starting their regular treks, Foster said she and Hafner are now walking six to 10 miles each Friday.
“We rarely repeat a walk, and we actively choose trails with a good bit of uphill to them. Sharon is particularly fond of trails with a view as a reward at the summit,” Foster said.
What have been their favorite outings so far?
Foster said: “The Yurok Loop Trail and Hidden Beach is spectacular. The forest through which the Miner’s Ridge Trail from Prairie Creek to Fern Canyon runs may be my favorite place in the world. Coming up out of a dark tunnel of low trees and suddenly into the light and the view at Strawberry Rock is a moment that comes back to me in dreams. Truly, every trail has provided at least a few special moments of beauty.”
Hafner said: “Trillium Falls is a lovely trail, as is the John Irving in the Prairie Creek Park. Strawberry Rock is a challenge to find, but then offers a spectacular view. Some walks that ended at stunning isolated beaches were be Elk Head, Hidden Beach, Skunk Cabbage and Guthrie Creek. I can’t really say that there has been one that was not a favorite. … Each one was an inviting new experience. I kept thinking that we’ll run out of new trails, but so far we’ve only repeated a few and those were worth repeating.”
Hafner has been keeping a journal of the women’s walks, listing them by name and noting the degree of difficulty and at least one thing they experienced or saw “to remind ourselves of that particular wonderful day,” Foster said.
Foster and Hafner both say they plan to keep walking together, exploring Humboldt County sites, even after the health crisis dissipates.
“I see myself enjoying these forests for as long as I am able to walk,” Foster said. “In fact, Sharon and I are talking about co-writing a book about the trails we’ve explored and the lessons and joys and rewards we’ve found in the hopes of inspiring other old broads to get out there and enjoy themselves.”
Along the way, Foster says she’s lost 25 pounds and is experiencing much less pain than before. Hafner says she’s become physically stronger in the past year.