Black Mountain, Chapt 1: Lions, and Tigers, and...Rattlesnakes?? OH MY!

It was a beautiful day. PERFECT weather for a hike. Cate and I met at Hannaford's in Latham at 9, ran in quickly for some energy bars, and hit the Northway en route to Black Mountain. Sunroof open, windows down, and good conversation was happening in the MINI. Due to already drinking about 2 liters of water, we had to stop at the rest station around exit 16. While there Cate suggested going into the information center to get some information on Black Mountain, and other mountains for future hikes. The guy behind the counter, you could tell was born and raised IN the woods, very rough, rugged, very intimidating. We asked him for a map for hikes in the area, and he just grabbed one and threw it down on the counter, and didn't speak a word. We asked where black mountain was, and he just pointed to it on the map, again, no words spoken. We turn around, about ready to leave and we hear, "Be careful for rattlesnakes, they're all over that mountain".
Cate and I nervously exchange glances, and both in concert said, "WHAT?!"
He said pointing to the wall, "The Timber Rattlers. There's an article upon the wall over there."
So I said, "Umm are they poisonous?"
He just laughed very loud in a condescending tone, and answered, "ARE YOU SERIOUS? YES THEY ARE! The mother doesn't warn, she strikes first then rattles. They blend in on the rocks so watch where you step, and where you put your hands down."
I replied, "OK well I'm straight up city girl, this is my third hike in my entire life, I don't know this stuff."
You know in cartoons where you can read people's thoughts in little blurbs above their heads, I'm pretty sure that his read something like, 'Are you serious, this chick is really going hiking? She should probably go find the nearest mall and go shopping.'
(for the record, this is my first hike that I did NOT wear jewelry, yay I'm learning!)
Cate wanted to do a different mountain and not chance it. I decided I had my mind made up and it was NOT being changed! Rattlesnakes or not, we were doing Black Mountain.
End of story.

We got back in the car, and I got back out. I had to pee again already LOL.The rest of the way there consisted of Cate googling 'Timber Rattlers in the Adirondacks' on her iPhone, and reading the information off to me. I had Band-aids in my bag, I figured we were fine, right? The scenery the rest of the way there was beautiful. I was praying that my directions to the trail head were correct, seeing how I only guessed from piecing different things together that I found on the internet. We only went down one wrong road this time! That's a record for us. I had to pee again, so I stopped at this gas station in the middle of no where and made Cate go in with me. Please, those middle of no where areas are scary! Next to the bathroom was a door and posted on it was a note that said, "This is a shower. You will be charged $7.50 if you use it." I'm now realizing I should have snapped a picture of that.

Route 22, 7, 4, umm a whole bunch of numbers. Left on Blue Goose Road, and finally, left on Pike Brook road. A few miles down, praise God we found the trail head on the left. Got out of the car and I had to pee AGAIN. Guys, you will truly never know how lucky you have it. We packed our stuff up into our bags and stopped to pray together for our safety and protection against snakes, bears, animals, poison ivy, poison ANYTHING, weirdo's, etc. As you'll soon find out, God definitely listened! We signed our names in at the trail head, took a picture of the sign with all the trail names/arrows, and headed up. I was already hungry since I hadn't eaten in four hours(this will mean something a little later).

12 o'clock.

And so the story begins.

ps Cate....Pain is just weakness leaving the body!

Things I had packed:

Glasses

Bandana

Camera

Band-aids

Phone

Lara and Odwalla bars

Toilet paper

Zip lock bags

Sunblock

Bug spray (organic, DEET and chemical free, OF COURSE)

2 liters of Smartwater (electrolyte infused water)

Cliff electrolyte chews (umm yeah, anyone seen me sweat?)

Gum

That's it....

Black Mountain, Pike Brook Road, Clemons NY 7/26/08

This week's mountain for Cate and I was Black Mountain. I don't have time to tell all of the details right now cause this is the first time I've been home since Thursday (except to sleep) and I have tons of stuff to do. Just to give you a hint of what's to come, I'll describe it in two words:

LOST HIKERS.

So while this is NOT anywhere near my explanation, here is random stuff that I found from various websites, about Black Mountain.

Elevation: 2665 ft / 812 m

Preview: This loop tops Black Mountain, the tallest mountain above Lake George, for a superb panorama of the lake region; eastern looks strain to Vermont. Ponds and beaver marshes put a stamp on the tour.

Special Attractions: Lake, island, and ridge vistas; ponds and beaver marshes; overnight lean-tos; colorful fall foliage. Expect some soggy trail stretches.

Black Mountain, at 2,665 feet, is the highest peak in the two ranges of mountains that shelter Lake George. It lies about halfway along the lake's eastern shore, along with Buck Mt. The views from the summit are more than proportional to its height. One of the trails to its summit rises steeply from the shore of Lake George, but it is accessible only by water. Your route on Black Mountain is a loop that requires a bit less climbing, but it still traverses part of the reputedly more handsome trail from the lake. This loop also allows you to visit a series of charming ponds that lie south and east of the summit. There is a fire tower on Black Mountain, and although you might appreciate climbing it to identify distant mountains, Black's summit is mostly open rock, so overlooks in every direction can be found at ground level.

Heather, I included this picture for you. I went with more neutral colors this hike.

Random things I haven't had time to post....

Ang, this one's for you deary. Love you!

Some things just shouldn't be. This is a perfect example of that. My MINI looks like a monster compared to this thing. Mercedes-Benz, congratulations on blowing BMW out of the water with the now smallest car on the road in the US. Sorry, but size is just about the only category that you can beat BMW in. "Smart"....but UGLY. And I'm not gonna lie, I must confess, first time I saw one of these little things drive by me, I was immediately overcome by bitterness, anger, and jealousy. I no longer had the smallest car on the road.

Sigh....but that's OK! I only have three months left till I get my new car.

YAY!! A life sized orange cone at the MINI dealership. I want one!! Heather..how about leaving that in the middle of the aisle at Hannaford's while looking for sauce?

LEGENGDARY CHEESEBURGER SUBS????

On our way home from Pastor Charles house, Cate had to stop to get gas. While out pumping, she called attention to this sign above the gas pumps, which indeed deserves attention. Could anything look any more UNappetizing?? The combination of the yellow cheese, and the....eww no more needs to be said. It's obvious.

"Cate, what are you doing at 9? Would you like to meet me in South Bethlehem for a legendary cheeseburger sub?"

Forgot all about this. This was from our hike up Monument Mountain. Long story short, this day I was supposed to go to Great Escape. I really didn't want to go, I didn't feel like dealing with crowds, screaming kids, or just the concrete and heat. I wanted to go hiking instead. So it all worked out perfect, Cate and I put the top down in her Cabrio, took off, and after getting lost a few times, we finally found it!

Anyway, we finally got to the summit, it was quiet, beautiful, birds soaring above, all that peaceful and serene crap. Next thing we saw one kid. Two kids. Three kids, four, five, BUSLOAD! All pop up over this rock. And they were all speaking in German. WAYY too hysterical NOT to get a video of, even though it was SOOOO obvious that I was recording them.

Upon our venture over to the plaza last week for the farmer's market during lunch, Freddie and I saw this goat. And now, I want a goat. That thing was so cute. And he liked Freddie. Ummm....a lot. Actually, the owner said Freddie was the first person the goat tried to hump. Awww...... I'm just mad I didn't get that part on video. Anyone else realize the peculiar fact that there was a goat randomly walking around in Albany, unleashed??That, my friends, is the funniest part of the whole scenario. Do you leash goats?

Buck Mountain, 6/13/08 Hike #2 with Cate

On our way to the mountain, Cate and I discovered that stopping for signs that catch our attention is nearly as fun as the hike itself. There's lots of funny signs out there if you look for them.

ICE SEASON. CREAM IS HERE????

Cate...I don't get it?? OOOoohohhhhhhhh.........

WE LOVE PEOPLE TOO!!!!!

What you need to know, is that this was a Sunday morning, church WAS in session, it was a packed house. The front of the church is all glass, facing towards this sign. So yes, they were all in there watching us do this. We ran out of, and back into the car, and sped out of there as fast as we could. I'm pretty sure they were in there praying for us.

Even after all of the "ARE YOU (*^*$^%$ KIDDING ME IT'S GETTING STEEPER???"....the view from the summit makes all of those pains go away. Kinda like birth pains. You have the kid and forget about the pains. Right? Uhh....WHAT??????

I'm always laughing at something. And yes...my sports bra matches my shorts, which match the blue in my new boots (which you can't see)

Buck Mountain, Southern Adirondacks

Near: Lake George, NY

Distance: ~7 miles round trip

Elevation Gain: 2330 ft/ 710 m

Hike Time: The book says 4-5 hours, Cate and I totally knocked this off in 2-3.

Trail Condition: Well maintained trail

Level of difficulty: Moderate with some strenuous parts

We got started off a little later then we wanted to, but we still made it before it got dark on the way down. On our way there, we got lost. Which wasn't a bad thing because we drove past that church, as shown above. We saw that sign, slammed on the breaks, and had to turn around in some one's driveway to get a picture of that one.


Then we decided we were hungry. You don't even want to know what we ate. NOT healthy before a hike. Actually, most likely had something to do with the fact I nearly passed out on the way up. Wait, was it that, or the fact that I had just gotten out of the hospital two weeks prior, and have been completely sedentary for about three weeks total? I had been yelled at by many people, telling me that I shouldn't be hiking mountains quite yet, and of course some people concerned about me being around poison ivy. I love ya'll...but.........ain't nobody take my pride, ain't nobody gonna slow me down..oh no....I got to keep on moving. OK, I don't know where that came from. But yeah, I HAD to go. I had the new boots, and the color coordinated outfit. There was nothing stopping me. What, am I supposed to stay out of the woods forever? :)

Anyway, as you can see it was an overcast day. Actually, it rained before AND after but not during. Praise God! Since we're not too schooled in the hiking are (yet), we both realized neither one of us had a flashlight. We also found out after, that apparently there are rattlesnakes there. Eww.

The list of hiking things that I need keeps continually growing. Someone asked me if I had a compass. Ummm me?? To be 100% honest with you, I just spelled compass 'compus'. So yeah, I don't even know how to spell that. You think I know how to use one? OK I know, I better learn.

Lots of you have been bugging me to get this post up, and I've been dying to, and I have tons more I want to write...I just haven't had the time, nor will I have any time this week. I was telling someone today, how something funny or completely random happens in my life EVERY SINGLE DAY and I wish I had the time to post it all because it's great material.

There were no creepy stalker guys on this trip, nor was there a busload of German children/chaperones from NYC at the summit. Crap! I totally forgot to post that video from Monument!!

OK gotta post the video from Monument!

Sad....

Hiking is off for this weekend. My brother, sister-in-law, nephews, and niece are coming up from Long Island to celebrate my nephew Max's graduation from high school. Yes. High school. Yes, I feel old. I tried so hard to fit hiking in for early Saturday morning, but it was just too much.

Oh well, it's going to be a fun filled crazy Zakrzewski family weekend with all 17 of us. I'm looking forward to it. Nothing like family time.

Hiking next weekend........still thinking VT, unless anyone wants to change that??

My New Love.....

Hiking!!

I'm still working on my post about Buck Mountain this past weekend.

On schedule for this weekend.......well, I've done Mass, I've done NY.....it's time for Vermont, baby!

I'm craving Killington Peak.........or Mount Mansfield

Monument Mountain, 6/21/08 with Cate

Highlights: easy hike for families, nice views, interesting rock formations
Near: Great Barrington, MA
Scenery: 4 star
Distance: 2.5 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 700 ft
Hike Time: 1.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Trail Condition: Well maintained trail
HikeType: Loop


Summary: Monument Mountain is a short but interesting hike in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts.The trail starts from the North end of the parking area and is blazed with white. You will reach Inscription Rock which gives some history of the mountain. Continue straight. The trail steepens and you will climb a "staircase" made up of quartzite rock before reaching the summit.On the rocky summit, there is a nice view to the east (Beartown State Forest) and to the west (Taconic hills).Continue following along the ridge until you reach a sign marked "Scenic View". The side trail here will take you to a ledge where you can see the pillar of stones that is a "monument" to the Indian maiden who allegedly jumped to her death.There are a few more viewpoints before the trail descends to an old woods road. Turn left and follow it back to the parking area.

my new plan....

So here's what I'm going to do.

I'm going to sell everything I own. Quit work. Turn the MINI in. Give my college loans to my parents (which I'm sure they'd so willingly take).

Then I'm just going to hike and live like a nomad. From mountain to mountain. Across the country. And never come home for like a year. My goal is to be INDOORS the least as possible.

I've never even been camping in my entire life. But I think I'm ready for this.

No commitments. Time doesn't matter. Doesn't matter if I smell and look dirty.

And in order for me to do this, that would be the size backpack I would need. Umm have any of ya's ever seen how I pack for just ONE NIGHT?? And I would also need a case or two of the ivy block. Which I would lather on every 5 minutes of the day (which I'm sure the chemical in that would kill me quicker then any mountain bear or coyote.)

The great part is, I already have one person who's in on this with me. My mom's wondering what happened to me. I'm honestly wondering what happened to me. City girl...used to HATE the outdoors and just craved the street life.....now, you can't get me inside. All I can say is, it's God!!

Now I'll admit. I'm still scared of bugs, snakes, wild animals, and bodies of water (don't ask). I recently saw a snake at my parent's house (my biggest fear EVER) and I screamed, hyperventilated, and had to sit down because I was shaking so much I almost passed out. And a few months ago on a trail hike I was like 10 feet away from a deer. I thought for sure it was going to kill me. Hello!! I have chihuahuas!!

But anyway. I'm totally ready for this. Right???

Sooo excited. Went to LL Bean today...bought all my new gear. Pictures to come of course! Bought the matching sports fleece to match my boots. And lots of other stuff.

Cate.....Sunday is all about the challenge. None of this leisure crap. :)

And yes, if you're wondering, I'm OFF the hydrocodones, I have not lost my mind.

Good night, I gotta get up for WOW (woman of worth) tomorrow morning...YAY!!

Imposter?

Cate just sent me this. It's in Colonie.

I don't know how I feel about it??

Four years....

Billy F. Carr, Jr 11/2/81 - 7/9/04


I'll never forget that Sunday morning when I saw your face in the obituaries in the news paper.
No. It couldn't be.. Not my Billy....

Billy was one of the funniest people I've ever known. These photos were photos taken out of a Princess photo album that he had put together for me as a Birthday gift. All the pictures represented our memories. In the Happy Batmitzvah card that he had given me along with it, he wrote:
Hey Tara,
I remembered the expression on your face the first time I followed you to watch your film develop. You were so excited. I remember you told me you loved pictures. So I thought I'd take some pictures of myself and our memories. Isn't that what pictures are for? I got a picture of everything from your obsession with the number one to your obsession with ice cream, from those times I could never pronounce the word "Andrea", to those times we sang to Brittney Spears, from Paul M. Sawyer to the foot game, plus many more.
I love memories too and for the last six months we've had plenty of them. So sit back, relax, and remember the times.
Love,
Billy

At the time I never realized just HOW special that card and this photo album would one day be to me. He (and everyone else) always referred to me as a princess, and in that top picture, he actually got on top of his Bronco in the middle of Princess Lane and had his friend take the picture. That's a mad busy road too. LOL The next picture, hahaha
Billy was half Korean, half white. He'd always make jokes about himself and say things like, 'Well I can only see half of what you can see'....

We spent years together at Hudson Valley Community College. It's only a two year college but people in our group stayed there for three....or even more. LOL Hey, ever been to HVCC?? IT ROCKS!! I didn't even wanna leave after three.

I'll never forget, New Year's Eve 2003, Jillian's night club. I was barely standing (I know...OLD me), all of a sudden a huge fight between a group of men broke out right in front of me. It was a really bad one, too. Billy came flying across the room and pushed me back and stood in front of me, protecting me so I wouldn't get hurt. I was bigger then Billy too!!! Dunno why, but I'll never forget that. Thank you for that, I never did thank you for that!

You were a popular guy, Billy, and I know you're missed by A LOT of people.

Miss you lots.......
Love,
Tara

The mountains are calling me....

OK I need to get better like YESTERDAY.

So many mountains, so little summer time. ARGG.......

I wonder just how deconditioned I'm going to be??? Makes me furious.

and yes, I'm getting hiking boots.

C.F., I just hope that next time we don't get stalked by psycho clingy men who wait for hours until we come down the mountain and then drive over to us and ask us out. Not that that's happened or anything? No.

What happened???

Caught up in a whirlwind. Waiting for it to slow down, or preferably to stop altogether, so that I can get off. I've had enough, I'm tired. The dust is just beginning to settle and I'm starting to see my way through a small clearing that I see somewhere off in the far distance. Sink or swim, the decision is entirely up to me, and me being the fighter that I am, sinking just isn't an option. OK, well metaphorically speaking because we all know I can't swim. LOL

I've never been so terrified in my life. Not only was my physical health taken away from me super quickly, but my mental was also. One day I have poison ivy on my arm...the next day my arm is doubled in size and oozing non-stop....next day I'm in the hospital with cellulitis and septicemia on intravenous steroids, antibiotics, and taking doses of morphine and a drug that's 7x stronger, which I can't recall the name.

My four day hospital stay is a complete blur to me, there's even chunks of time that I don't even recall. I was blessed with tons and tons of visitors, this I know, and am unbelievably grateful for. I remember trying, for the sake of whoever was there, to appear coherent. I'm gonna have to be honest and tell ya'll that ya'll were a bunch of talking heads for the most part because my cognitive abilities were 100% absent. I did lots of shaking my head, and nodding, and agreeing, for lack of being able to formulate any sort of intelligent response. LOL (most of you are probably thinking..wait is that any different then usual?)

I remember crying....a lot. Especially on my birthday. I remember waking up in the middle of the nights and just starting to sob. I was so confused, how the heck did I get there? It wasn't a self-pity type of thing, my mind just truly wasn't working and I couldn't understand or make sense of anything.

They let me out on Sunday, they said I wasn't OK, but seeing how my course of intravenous drugs were done, that I could go home. I was cleared from the doctor from Infectious Disease, given all of my scripts, and sent on my way. All of you who were there, are aware of the less then adequate care that I had received; sometimes waiting AN HOUR after hitting the nurse's button before someone even came. Umm.....took 7 times to even start an IV. I look like a heroine addict, my arms are bruised all over. There were also drug mix ups. This will ALL be reported.

When I woke up that following morning after being released, and saw that I had slept 16 hours straight, and felt the most pain I've felt in my life...I was in sheer terror. I thought I was going to die, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to die. I couldn't even breathe, the pain throughout my entire chest cavity was excruciating, and all my glands in my neck and armpit were so swollen that I couldn't even touch them. My sister was already on her way to bring me back to the hospital. By the time I got there my entire body was shaking and I thought I was going to drop on the floor. The doctor said this is all aftershocks of the infection that had just run rampant through my entire body and pleural cavity and that it could take until three weeks to start feeling better again. Ya know what it feels like when you have a really bad bruise and you press on it? Well my entire upper body felt like that, including my head. To breathe in caused pain.

Anyway, overall I can deal with the physical pain. I have a retardedly high pain threshold, and due to certain health issues in the past, I have learned to function regularly with chronic pain. But I've never in my life dealt with such mental 'issues', for lack of a better word. I've never cried so much in my life. I couldn't put any thoughts together and the frustration that caused alone, was ridiculous. I felt like I had completely lost my mind and I felt like nobody believed me. I couldn't formulate the words to try to explain what was going on . I started to begin to feel that people thought I was playing the sympathy card, but that was the farthest thing from the truth. I still wasn't able to hold a conversation, or to think logically, and my sister told me I was actually talking in circles and kept repeating myself. My vision was blurry, even days after being released, and my motor skills were just WAY off. I wouldn't even think about getting behind the wheel....still today, I'm NOT ready to drive at all.

You know when you go on vacation and they have all those trashy shirts with all those dumb sayings? Well all I could think of, is the one that says, "Of all the things I lost, I miss my mind the most"....or something like that. Well I began to appreciate that quote on a much greater level. For the first time in my life, I felt 100% out of control of my mind/thoughts. I was even having recurring nightmares, night after night about death. I NEVER HAVE NIGHTMARES. These were so scary and real that I'd wake up in cold sweats and began clutch onto my Bible pleading the blood of Christ over my mind. I'd attempt to read my Bible...but even reading wasn't possible, I couldn't put words together on the page, nothing made sense to me.

I had a few people try to tell me that it was an attack from the enemy on my mind. And I do NOT believe that at all, and I won't even give him that satisfaction. I knew that it had to be a result from a mix of the infection, being hospitalized, and the steroids. The question was, was it permanant or just temporary??? As most of you know, the reason that I am into alternative medicine and herbs, is because my system is so sensitive that I really can't take anything. I get side effects that are exceedingly worse then the problem and I'm never able to continue with any drug. I was put on some HEAVY doses of medications and am still on oral antibiotics.

I did see my doctor today for a follow up visit. I wanted to know what is normal, what's expected, and any long term effects of anything. She did a thorough exam. Everything seems like I'm on the road to recovery. I have some swollen lymph nodes left but she said that's normal. And praise God...she said this mental stuff is only temporary and she is almost 100% sure that I will be back to normal very shortly. As I figured, she said it was most likely due to the combination of steroids, drugs, hospitalization, and the infection. She said, "Tara, it's not like you just had strep throat or something, you were SICK, it's going to take time."
So that was a HUGE relief. I'm not gonna lie, there was part of me that was terrified, wondering what the heck would happen if I never went back to normal.

I am glad to say that I do feel better then yesterday, and my mind is starting to work a little better. I'm able to actually follow what people are saying to me. I'm still super slow at responding but yeah...I'm getting there. I've been staying with my sisters and they have been such a blessing, I can't even thank them enough. I'm out of work until at least the 14th. Dr said I can slowly begin to get some exercise. Right now taking a shower is like a marathon to me. LOL

Of course it wouldn't be a typical "Tara" appointment, without ending the whole visit saying, 'I am really fat is this gonna go away?". She looked at me and said, huh?? hahaha Then she assured me, it was from the steroids, and that's going to go away also.

So my friends, there you have it. I am supposed to be at the Ignite conference for young adults at Pinecrest Bible College today until Sunday, which obviously won't be happening. But it's OK, God apparently had alternative plans for me. I will most likely be clinging to family for at least the next few days, as that's who I feel most comfortable with right now.

Thank you to everyone who has been there for me over the past week. I feel like I owe you all my life. I can't even believe how much you have all done for me, I feel truly humbled and blessed.

ugh....

Please keep me in prayer. I ended up back in the ER yesterday, less then 15 hours after I was discharged from my 4 day hospital stay. I honestly thought I was dying. They didn't tell me anything about what to expect after I got out. They took me out of work for a week, and told me that I was not OK, but since I didn't need anything intravenously, I could go home. Which to me, sounds like things are going to get BETTER.

I slept 16 hours straight and made myself get up because I was scared. I'm in more pain now then I was all through this. The doctor in the ER gave it a name, I was so out of it I have no idea what he said. Basically the infection was through my whole chest/pleural cavity and my body had gone through a lot. Honestly, if I knew this was to come, I wouldn't have left the hospital because this is terrifying. It literally hurts to breathe. I can't even lightly touch the skin anywhere on my whole upper body. Laying down hurts. Sitting up hurts. I want to cry, but there's no point because it hurts. Mentally....I'm shot. I just want to cry, I can't comprehend, I can't hold a conversation.

I feel like I'm trapped in a 90 year old's body. I can't even open a water bottle on my own.
I just want my health back.......I'm scared........