Don't let others get in the way of your plans

Reminiscing on my accidental 8 hour hike in the Idaho mountains in nothing but a bikini and shorts

Recently I was thinking back on a time in 2021 that I accidentally went on an 8 hour round trip hike specifically to swim in a glacier lake at the top of the Sawtooth Mountains.

This hike itself was not an accident, I fully intended to go. It was however, totally last minute and I climbed the 4 hours up in nothing but my tennis shoes, a bikini and a water bottle. Needless to say, I passed many a concerned hiker with all their gear, telling me it's a 4 hour trek up and 4 hours back down and I wasn't dressed appropriately, lol. But I was not deterred.

Sometimes the best experiences are the ones least planned. I was lounging in a hot spring thinking how I'm totally gonna regret this visit to Idaho if I didn't go find and swim in that lake. So I picked up and left.

While yes, hiking one way for 4 hours was not my plan (I initially thought it was a 4 hour TOTAL hike, not 4 hours one way) and I probably would have prepared more, turns out it really wasn’t necessary. The water bottle I had was enough. It was September in Idaho so not hot at all.

Turns out this became one of my favorite days in Idaho. Not only because of the insane beauty 10,000 feet up, but because of the random people I met along the way (many kind and concerned souls, and also another lone hiker on the way down!) and the incredible sights I saw.

I was literally the only person there. There were two lakes, and everyone was headed to the bigger, grandiose one. which means the small lake was completely empty and literally the most peaceful place I had been to on my trip. Not to mention the glacier water was crystal clear, as you could see the ice from the mountaintops melting in the water below. So I was able to get fresh, pure, glacier water to fill up my depleted water bottle.

People always tell you you can’t do things. They’ll say it’s too dangerous or it’s too risky. "You don't have the right shoes, what about a bear, you'll run out of water, you have a small dog, you'll get ticks," blah blah blah. I don’t listen to them. If I want to do something and it feels good to me, I do it. And those experiences always end up being the best ones.

Do not let other people’s fear deter you from doing what you want. If I had let anyone’s fear of my solo trip around the USA affect me, I would have never left! Instead, it became one of the most incredible 6 months of my life. Thank others for their concern, then move with your life.

See below for more pictures of my solo hike and to see photos of me in my hiking gear 😂

The sacred site of Big Horn Medicine Wheel

My experience visiting one of the most sacred sites in the USA

On my last day in Wyoming was I able to visit the Big Horn Medicine wheel, an ancient Native American spiritual site where tribal ceremonial activity continues to this day. In fact, when I arrived a Sundance was going on at the site, so us non-Native Americans waited respectfully at the bottom of the hill until the ceremony was complete.

The Medicine Wheel has been a National Historic Landmark since 1970 due to its unique scientific research values. It's surrounded by 4,080 protected acres, used only for Native American cultures and practices.

The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is one of the largest and best preserved on the northern and northwestern Plains. It was the first medicine wheel to be mentioned in popular literature and the first to be studied by the professional scientific community.

Archeologists generally believe that the Medicine Wheel is a late prehistoric composite feature. A wood sample from one of the cairns at the site was dated to approximately 1760 A.D. by means of tree-ring dating. There are bone fragments, jewelry and fabric that have been left there over the centuries.

When I entered the site I was immediately overcome by the sacred space and the incredible ancestry and spirits that inhabited the land. Many leaders of various Native American tribes go there to pay to their respects to their ancestors, work with energy and connect to the earth. I definitely felt that being there.

I also met a man there who had traveled from across the country to bring gifts to the site from other Native American tribes that could not make the journey. It was incredible to know that while this Medicine Wheel may not be known to everyone, it certainly is throughout the tribes, and I’m so glad it’s preserved as a sacred space for those whose families have roamed the land so much longer than any of us.

It was an incredible honor to visit this sacred place and pay my respects to the spirits of this land, the people and culture whose lives were forever altered when the Pilgrims set foot here.