Post By Melissa:
Hello everyone! It's been a crazy couple of weeks and I wanted to give you all a quick update. Yes, Nick is still on the trail and currently snow shoeing his way to Canada. It's slow moving and really exhausting but the journey continues. We are taking it day by day...
I was in Tahoe the weekend of September 21-24th volunteering at the first IronMan Lake Tahoe. I basically was Carin LeVine's (SVTC President and Volunteer Captain) right hand person and just helped out wherever needed which included helping check in volunteers for body marking, then moving over to the T1 transition bag station (we hand the athletes their bike clothing after they come out of the lake), and the final volunteer station was on the run course. I'm a member of the Silicon Valley Triathlon Club (SVTC) and we had the largest aid station on the run course and each athlete passed through it 4 times. We handed out food, drinks, and high 5's for hours on end. We ended up waking up at 3am and not going back to bed until 2am...long day but very rewarding. While I was in Tahoe volunteering, I received some text messages from Nick letting me know that he was hiking in constant rain in Washington and snow was starting to fall. He was cold, tired, and starting to get miserable. I felt so bad for him but didn't know what to do to help. On Monday morning the 23rd, I was having breakfast with Carin and I told her that I wanted to drive up to Washington to go support Nick. I knew he was starting to struggle a bit with the lousy weather and I figured if there was ever a time that I would be needed it would be now. Not at the finish line...but now when the going was getting very tough. She agreed that I should go and we started formulating a plan. I drove home from Tahoe on Tuesday the 24th and spent all day Wednesday and most of Thursday preparing to drive to Washington and supporting Nick until he made it to Canada. This meant I would be gone for nearly a month so I had to get my affairs in order and pack up all of the supplies Nick would need.
On Thursday September 26th, I loaded up my car with all of my gear and Nick's supplies and set off. Before leaving town though I swung by my good friend Cindy's house to visit her and her new born son Colin. Man was he a little love bug and cutie pie. He even gave me a sweet little smile while I held him with one corner of his mouth coming up higher than the other like a cute little smirk. After wrapping up my quick visit with them I got gas and was on the road by 7:30pm. It was late and I knew that but my desire to reach Nick as soon as possible kept me motivated to get going. I had a 14hr drive ahead of me. This would be the longest drive I've ever done in my life!! I had planned on driving until I was really tired and then I would pull off and rent a hotel room for a couple of hours to sleep. I figured Nick would be coming off the trail on Friday (the very next day) mid afternoon and I wanted to be there to meet him at the trail head and surprise him. I downloaded an audio book that my friend Cathy had suggested and settled in for the lengthy drive ahead. It was close to midnight when a few texts had started to come in from Nick through his GPS device. I was surprised to see these since it was super late and normally he is asleep at this hour. He explained that he had wanted to get over Goat Rocks (infamous Knife's Edge) that night because of the storm coming in. He didn't want to stop short and risk getting snowed in and not being able to make it over the top so he went over it at night in the middle of a blizzard with white out conditions (his tiny headlamp didn't provide much help). His texts were alarming...he said he had never been this terrified before and he thought he could have died. I felt anxiety sweep through my body. I wanted to text back "Don't worry babe, I'm on my way!!"...but then I realized, what good is that going to do? I'm not on the trail...I can't hike for him. He must get out on his own. I didn't want him to know I was coming. I wanted him to think clearly and be safe and not rush to get to me so I just told him I loved him and was glad he made it through that section okay and to get some rest.
Before these texts came through I had thought about pulling over because I was growing tired, but after getting Nick's texts I was alert and anxious to get to him. I pulled over at a sketchy gas stop and filled up my tank and bought a giant can of Rockstar and kept on driving. I would drive through the night if I could...I kept listening to my book on tape and thinking about Nick out there in the snow storm. At 5am I was wiped out and finally pulled over in a rest stop and slept for 2 hours. I awoke to my phone alarm at 7am and got back on the road and kept on driving. It was about 9:30am when I received a text from Nick saying it was raining and he was inside his tent staying warm and being lazy. He had about 13 miles to go to reach White Pass. It was that moment where I told him to "Get moving, I'll be at White Pass in 3hrs!". That was the first time I told him I was coming. He texted back a few questions and I just told him to get hiking, I'd explain everything when we got together. I'd be at White Pass to pick him up when he arrived.
I finally reached Washington and when I was about an hour from White Pass I decided to stop by a store and load up on some snacks, drinks, and Nick's favorite Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I knew the area I was heading to didn't have anything but a tiny gas station/convenient store combo. My options would be limited so I prepared in advance. After reaching the Village Inn at White's Pass I checked into the hotel and laid out some dry clothing for Nick so he could quickly shower and change when he came off trail. I then headed to the trail head to wait for him. I waited for about an hour and a half before he emerged from the woods soaked and wet but with a huge smile on his face. I won't post the picture here because I already posted it on the blog post before this, but know that he was a sight for sore eyes! Dripping wet, but happy to see me. I was so excited to see him...we headed back to the hotel where Nick got some food, a hot shower and some warm dry clothes on. Success!
I wanted to share this video he took the day before (Thursday September 26th). He was hiking up towards the Knife's Edge. The trail is getting covered in snow making it difficult to spot the trail. And this was BEFORE the record breaking storm that dumped a ton of new snow on the trail. It's definitely become a winter hike in Washington now...so long sunshine and dry skies! I think this video definitely helps us understand the new conditions and what lies ahead for Nick. Add 2-3 feet of snow to what you see in the video and that is what Nick is dealing with now!
Enjoy!!
Hello everyone! It's been a crazy couple of weeks and I wanted to give you all a quick update. Yes, Nick is still on the trail and currently snow shoeing his way to Canada. It's slow moving and really exhausting but the journey continues. We are taking it day by day...
I was in Tahoe the weekend of September 21-24th volunteering at the first IronMan Lake Tahoe. I basically was Carin LeVine's (SVTC President and Volunteer Captain) right hand person and just helped out wherever needed which included helping check in volunteers for body marking, then moving over to the T1 transition bag station (we hand the athletes their bike clothing after they come out of the lake), and the final volunteer station was on the run course. I'm a member of the Silicon Valley Triathlon Club (SVTC) and we had the largest aid station on the run course and each athlete passed through it 4 times. We handed out food, drinks, and high 5's for hours on end. We ended up waking up at 3am and not going back to bed until 2am...long day but very rewarding. While I was in Tahoe volunteering, I received some text messages from Nick letting me know that he was hiking in constant rain in Washington and snow was starting to fall. He was cold, tired, and starting to get miserable. I felt so bad for him but didn't know what to do to help. On Monday morning the 23rd, I was having breakfast with Carin and I told her that I wanted to drive up to Washington to go support Nick. I knew he was starting to struggle a bit with the lousy weather and I figured if there was ever a time that I would be needed it would be now. Not at the finish line...but now when the going was getting very tough. She agreed that I should go and we started formulating a plan. I drove home from Tahoe on Tuesday the 24th and spent all day Wednesday and most of Thursday preparing to drive to Washington and supporting Nick until he made it to Canada. This meant I would be gone for nearly a month so I had to get my affairs in order and pack up all of the supplies Nick would need.
On Thursday September 26th, I loaded up my car with all of my gear and Nick's supplies and set off. Before leaving town though I swung by my good friend Cindy's house to visit her and her new born son Colin. Man was he a little love bug and cutie pie. He even gave me a sweet little smile while I held him with one corner of his mouth coming up higher than the other like a cute little smirk. After wrapping up my quick visit with them I got gas and was on the road by 7:30pm. It was late and I knew that but my desire to reach Nick as soon as possible kept me motivated to get going. I had a 14hr drive ahead of me. This would be the longest drive I've ever done in my life!! I had planned on driving until I was really tired and then I would pull off and rent a hotel room for a couple of hours to sleep. I figured Nick would be coming off the trail on Friday (the very next day) mid afternoon and I wanted to be there to meet him at the trail head and surprise him. I downloaded an audio book that my friend Cathy had suggested and settled in for the lengthy drive ahead. It was close to midnight when a few texts had started to come in from Nick through his GPS device. I was surprised to see these since it was super late and normally he is asleep at this hour. He explained that he had wanted to get over Goat Rocks (infamous Knife's Edge) that night because of the storm coming in. He didn't want to stop short and risk getting snowed in and not being able to make it over the top so he went over it at night in the middle of a blizzard with white out conditions (his tiny headlamp didn't provide much help). His texts were alarming...he said he had never been this terrified before and he thought he could have died. I felt anxiety sweep through my body. I wanted to text back "Don't worry babe, I'm on my way!!"...but then I realized, what good is that going to do? I'm not on the trail...I can't hike for him. He must get out on his own. I didn't want him to know I was coming. I wanted him to think clearly and be safe and not rush to get to me so I just told him I loved him and was glad he made it through that section okay and to get some rest.
Before these texts came through I had thought about pulling over because I was growing tired, but after getting Nick's texts I was alert and anxious to get to him. I pulled over at a sketchy gas stop and filled up my tank and bought a giant can of Rockstar and kept on driving. I would drive through the night if I could...I kept listening to my book on tape and thinking about Nick out there in the snow storm. At 5am I was wiped out and finally pulled over in a rest stop and slept for 2 hours. I awoke to my phone alarm at 7am and got back on the road and kept on driving. It was about 9:30am when I received a text from Nick saying it was raining and he was inside his tent staying warm and being lazy. He had about 13 miles to go to reach White Pass. It was that moment where I told him to "Get moving, I'll be at White Pass in 3hrs!". That was the first time I told him I was coming. He texted back a few questions and I just told him to get hiking, I'd explain everything when we got together. I'd be at White Pass to pick him up when he arrived.
I finally reached Washington and when I was about an hour from White Pass I decided to stop by a store and load up on some snacks, drinks, and Nick's favorite Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I knew the area I was heading to didn't have anything but a tiny gas station/convenient store combo. My options would be limited so I prepared in advance. After reaching the Village Inn at White's Pass I checked into the hotel and laid out some dry clothing for Nick so he could quickly shower and change when he came off trail. I then headed to the trail head to wait for him. I waited for about an hour and a half before he emerged from the woods soaked and wet but with a huge smile on his face. I won't post the picture here because I already posted it on the blog post before this, but know that he was a sight for sore eyes! Dripping wet, but happy to see me. I was so excited to see him...we headed back to the hotel where Nick got some food, a hot shower and some warm dry clothes on. Success!
I wanted to share this video he took the day before (Thursday September 26th). He was hiking up towards the Knife's Edge. The trail is getting covered in snow making it difficult to spot the trail. And this was BEFORE the record breaking storm that dumped a ton of new snow on the trail. It's definitely become a winter hike in Washington now...so long sunshine and dry skies! I think this video definitely helps us understand the new conditions and what lies ahead for Nick. Add 2-3 feet of snow to what you see in the video and that is what Nick is dealing with now!
Enjoy!!
Ah-MAZING! Thank you for sharing the video. Go NICK GO!!
ReplyDeleteYikes... that was BEFORE the storm. Sheesh! What a trooper!
ReplyDeleteYes Debbie, this video was BEFORE the record breaking snow dump...so the snow levels are much deeper now and here to stay unfortunately. Nick is getting very proficient with snow shoes :-)
DeleteWow, amazing and I'm so glad you both arrived safe at your intended destination. Thankfully you were there for him!
ReplyDeleteHoly cow! I would have been so scared to get lost. I had a good chuckle when Nick said "I'm getting in touch with my Norwegian roots" since my Mom was born and raised in Norway.
ReplyDelete