In November, I shared ten non-food, non-cost celebrations anyone can do to mark important achievements. This week I thought again about how people celebrate and how personal such time markers are. Last week I reached a huge milestone. It involved completing fifty structured coaching sessions following certain guidelines. It moves me one step closer to becoming a nationally recognized, board-certified health and wellness coach (NBC-HWC) with only a 5-hour exam in July remaining between me and the new credential. To celebrate, I headed for the mountains with my dog. How do you celebrate milestones?
Destination: Pratt Lake Trail
The last time I’d hiked this particular segment of the trail at Exit 47 off I-90 was in October 2021. 18 months earlier I almost injured myself during a solo hike with Ajax to Pratt and Tuscahootchie Lake. This time, I knew we’d find snow since my daughter and I visited Olallie and Talapus Lakes the week before (accessible from both Exit 45 and Exit 47). This time, my goal was Rainbow/Island Lakes (11.7 miles/3000′ gain) west of the junction that leads north to Pratt Lake. Barring that, we could try Pratt Lake (11 miles / 2300′ gain). So many possibilities!
The parallel was not lost on me. As I get closer to earning my NBHWC credential, I feel like endless possibilities are opening to me. More confidence as a coach. More clout when talking with people who might want me to coach health and wellness groups. The more skills and knowledge I acquire, the better a resource I am for my existing clients, some of whom have been with me for over a decade.
This adventure was to celebrate milestones — not only what I’ve accomplished over the past year toward launching and building Thrive Clues, but also how far I’ve come in the past twenty-five years as co-owner of Body Results.
Breaking Trail
On March 28th we started our hike around 6:45 a.m., the only car parked in the lot. As we continued past the sign at .9 miles marking the Pratt Lake/Granite Mountain junction, which Ajax and I visited last October, I felt like I was returning home. The area around Exit 47 is my favorite because of the large number of accessible Alpine Lakes. No two hikes are ever the same.
I eagerly anticipated finding snow around the next bend, and the next, but we traveled at least two miles before reaching a dusting in the underbrush. At several fast-flowing streams, I pulled out my new Trail Buddy aluminum cork trekking poles to give me more confidence in my footing.
By the time we reached the Pratt-Olallie junction, we tromped through several inches of new snow. It got progressively deeper as we headed toward Pratt Lake. By the time Ajax reached snow up to his belly, I knew it was time for me to put on my MSR snowshoes and break trail.
Decision Time
My spirits soared as I trusted my route-finding skills through the snow-draped forest. Ajax knows the trail almost as well as I do, but he’s so low to the ground that I wonder whether he trusts his nose or if he looks for the “path of least resistance” that is slightly lower than the rest of the surroundings. When did the last travelers come through here?
I kept glancing behind me to make sure Ajax was with me. He followed directly behind in my snowshoe tracks. At last, I heard what I refer to as the “highest falls.” It’s a fast-running stream, the last flowing water before the overlook for Mt. Rainier and Olallie Lake and the junction between Pratt and Rainbow/Island Lakes.
When we reached the stream, a faint depression on the opposite side indicated where someone had previously traveled. However, the slope beneath me was buried and slick. Snow-covered rocks across the stream would be treacherous if I took my snowshoes off, but I couldn’t navigate the slope with them on.
What about Ajax? Without me breaking trail, he’d be standing in freezing water waiting for me. At that moment, I knew that without anyone else on the trail, we couldn’t take any unnecessary risks.
Celebrate Milestones with Plan C: Olallie Lake
I quickly came up with plan C: we’d visit Olallie Lake from the west instead of the east, as we’d done the previous week. It would still give us some new trail and a narrow log bridge to cross. But I felt sure Ajax could handle it. We turned around and retraced our snowshoe tracks toward Olallie Lake.
At the narrow log bridge that has turned me around twice before with multiple hiking partners, this time I knew what would help. I called Ajax to me and put his leash on, then followed him across the bridge. Sometimes he reminds me of a mountain goat.
The only tracks we found on our trip to Olallie Lake were a pair of microspikes on boots that someone must have made from Exit 45 not long before we arrived. We had the lake to ourselves. Greg, the snowman I built the previous week, was only a small mound of snow. After a snack and some water, we tried to walk around the lake but soon decided we’d be better off on the flat ground of the frozen lake itself.
Celebrate Milestones: Last Try
On our “celebrate milestones” adventure, I’d set my turn-around time as 11:30. We still had over an hour to play. Maybe we could go back to the “highest falls” to scout the stream for a way across. If nothing else, I’d shoot some more photos of the stunning landscape.
As we started up the Pratt trail a second time, I noticed my left foot was slipping around. I glanced down. Two of the straps were missing! Likewise on my right, one of the midfoot straps had snapped off. The 25-year-old straps had grown so brittle over the years, and in the cold, that they’d broken in two.
Gear malfunction made our decision easy: we turned around and headed for the car where, once again, I was delighted and surprised to find nobody else in the lot. We’d made a good call. I’d order new buckles and try again. On the hike out, I ran through my list of gratitudes, thanking the snow, the trail, my dog, and the snowshoes that got me as far as they did. What a great day to be alive and appreciative of the joy Mother Nature always provides.
Take-Away Lessons
What are some non-cost, non-food ways for you to celebrate milestones? My way might not be something you would enjoy. Your treats will be just as unique and unconventional for you.
In the words of Marie Kondo, what sparks joy for you? Perhaps you like to dance. Why not take a short dance party break to a favorite song? Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while to share your good news. Take a stroll in your favorite neighborhood to collect wildflowers. Attend a “free museum day” exhibit you’ve been wanting to see.
Celebrate milestones in a way that makes them meaningful to you. If you go from one milestone to the next without a pause to appreciate how far you’ve come, you’ll exhaust yourself. Today I celebrate my new clients. My health. Completion of one task and start of the next. Share how you celebrate milestones so we can all learn and grow.