Cherish is the word I use to describe you…..

Every day.  I cherish you. 

Today, while a major marker in our lives, was like every other day in my life with Vicky.

Today we hiked to one of our very favorite places on the planet——Old Highway 95 that winds its way through a mountain and then down along a snaking road built from blasting it out from the mountain.  It is what is termed a Dugway.  The official name is the Comb Ridge Dugway.

It was built in 1946, and used until 1976 when another, safer, and saner road was built.  In many places you can't even imagine how a surface was made, since it is just one boulder after another.

 Here is a Youtube video of some people doing the road in their jeeps.   Driving, not walking.......SISSIES!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p3XaYbgylc

We have hiked to the top of it several times over the years, and part of the way down.

But, today, we did the entire road.  

It is NOT an easy hike.  One dimension of it is that the hike descends 950 feet, without break.  And, then, of course, to get back you have to ascend 950 feet.  That’s kind of a rule of hiking, for you newbies.  

Here we are in the valley at the bottom of the Dugway. The rock cliff on the left of this photo is at the top of the Dugway.

The other dimension is that it is a terrible surface.  Very light powdery sand and very large, slippery rocks. 

Today we did this entire hike for one reason: In one way it was about me.  But a more important reason is that it was about us.    

I needed to see if I could do it.  I knew that it was a hike that far exceeded what we had been doing.  Our hikes have been about an hour, and we’ve done them and done them until we have knocked about 20+ minutes off of a 1.8 mile hike.  

All of this is getting my heath back after my heart attack in January.  And being on a ton of medications and, equally important, no longer being able to take my NSAIDS that remove a lot of my arthritis (which I have all over my body) have made everything more chalenging.  So, many times when I move, it HURTS!!!

My heart attack absolutely destroyed my body’s capabilities for what has been something that has defined us for the past 13+ years———our getting out into the wilderness and camping, hiking, and cycling.

It’s like we had to start all over.

And Vicky all of this time?  Never a complaint.  Guiding me along.  Taking care of my medicines, and monitoring my heart every day with a machine that we have.  Fixing me nutritious meals, just lovingly accepting the fact that I need more sleep than her so coming to bed with me and putting the covers over her head so she can read.

Today was no different.  I REALLY NEEDED TO SEE IF I COULD DO THIS VERY STRENUOUS AND DIFFICULT HIKE.  

I just had to.  I recently had several heart tests, and they came back more excellent than is actually believable.  

So, we did it.  

The whole hike she walked behind me because I hurt so much in my joints that I am frequently not steady on these kinds of surfaces that are uneven and anything but flat.

And many times I was unsteady, and she steadied me and prevented me from falling.

That’s what you call, all through this, being “ALWAYS THERE.”

I wrote a blog entry several months ago about how she was “always there.”

And now this one is the same thing.

We did it!  Together!  Almost five hours on our feet.  

Here we are at the top of the Dugway.  We hiked all the way to the valley floor below us….and back up again!

Thank you my love, my angel, my treasure.

I so Cherish you.

CHERISH VIDEO