CONQUERING NATURE
This photographer learns that overcoming an injury is all about venturing outdoors and adapting—like the redwoods and sequoias in Yosemite.
After being in a debilitating motorcycle accident, I decided to start on my bucket list as soon as I was able. Yosemite National Park was at the top of the list.
I had powerful reasons for wanting to go. My grandfather Brad Schaup had visited the park in the 1940s when he was a student at the Fred Archer School of Photography in Los Angeles. He had recently passed away, and I wanted to share a memory. And my book club had just read The Legacy of Luna about a giant redwood tree in peril from logging. I wanted to see these tallest and oldest living trees on Earth while I still could.
I had spent a lifetime hiking in the outdoors and backpacking through mountains, but I knew the lasting effects of my injuries would be limiting. Immobilized for
a lengthy period of time, I had put on a great deal of weight. In my mind, I no longer looked the part of the avid adventurer. Finding trendy women’s outdoor clothing in plus sizes was a challenge. My self-esteem was low. Once fearless, I was now a worrier.
But I was grateful to be alive and determined to follow my dream. I knew that once booked, the trip would be good motivation to improve my physical shape.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Going with a group would be safer and I looked forward to guidance from local experts. As an educator, I gravitated toward the nonprofit organization Road Scholar. I liked the idea of mixing hiking during the day with educational programs in the evening.
The “Choose Your Pace” format offered two options, a fast-paced, more strenuous excursion and the more relaxed. With my asthma, I knew that increases in elevation would be a challenge. There aren’t a lot of elevation changes in my home state of Iowa! Though I figured I would be bringing up the end of the line, I mixed it up by opting for the easier or harder routes based on the terrain or how I was feeling that day.
Turned out I was often the last one—not because of my physical limitations but because there was so much to photograph!
ADAPTING TO SURVIVE
On my first day in Yosemite, I came to a spot off the trail and happened upon on a breathtaking
I watched a woman in her 90s with trekking poles leave this 50-something in the dust. I was humbled and inspired ... I wanted to be just like her.
view of Yosemite Falls. Exhausted and triumphant, I stood there mesmerized by the reflection of geological history in the water and the living pulse of nature all around me. The landscape invigorated me.
During the trip, I watched a woman in her 90s with trekking poles leave this 50-something in the dust. I was humbled and inspired because I wanted to be just like her.
And though I realized that I would never be the person I used to be, I gained confidence in myself and learned that I could work around limitations and still have meaningful experiences. My Yosemite adventure allowed me to meet interesting people who enriched my life.
And I saw the mighty redwood and sequoia trees in Mariposa Grove. These ancient trees have endured so much—fires, insects, fungus—and they’ve adapted to survive and thrive. People can learn a lot from trees.
SHARE your “I Did It” experience at country-magazine.com/submit.