an epic life

A Mother-Son “Rite of Passage” Adventure with my youngest son, Finis

September 10th, 2021

“And she loved a little boy very, very much, even more than she loved herself.” – Shel Silverstein

I recently embarked on a 4-day backpacking adventure with my youngest son, Fin, who is 14 and a freshman in high school.

We started at Big Sandy Opening, in Wyoming’s southern Wind River Range. Our itinerary would include time at Big Sandy Lake, North Lake, Jackass Pass and Mitchell Peak, and Clear and Deep lakes.

The first time Fin was on this trail was in late August six years ago when our family backpacked to Clear Lake for Labor Day. I remember planning that adventure. Jerry and I, and Fin’s older brothers, Wolf and Hayden, all agreed it would be best if we required Fin, the youngest son by 5 years and who was much smaller than his brothers at the time, to carry only a fanny pack. We didn’t want the adventure to be too difficult for him and we figured this would lead to minimal complaints on the trail from the youngest/smallest member of our family.

It worked. With a fanny pack containing only a small bag of Cheetos and a little pocket knife, Fin would skip ahead of us, arms swinging in joy. Whenever Jerry, I, Wolf, or Hayden complained about the crushing weight of our packs, Fin would exclaim, “my back doesn’t hurt at all!” before frolicking up ahead.

On this day, as Fin and I set out on our adventure, he was singing a different tune. Now, towering over me at 5’11” and weighing 160 pounds, Fin carried more than a little fanny pack. A lot more.

Fin is in a growth spurt, but even if he wasn’t, food has always been Fin’s love language. And his oversized pack proved it. I was sure we packed too much food, and yet didn’t want to risk not having enough food, or to be missing various snacks Fin had requested, including but not limited to Gardettos, Cheetos, hot dogs, homemade cookies, beef jerky, and Red Vines.  

Fin and I were embarking on our “mother-son rite of passage” adventure. Several years ago, I had the idea to take each of my sons on a 4-day wilderness adventure the summer before they start high school. The inspiration for this came from my wanting to connect in a unique and meaningful way with each of my sons, individually, at a point in their life when they were pursuing greater independence. It started with our oldest son, Wolf, six years ago, and a year later, I took our middle son, Hayden. This summer it was Fin’s turn. 

At 53 years old, and after a 5-year hiatus since the last one, I worried about whether I could do it. I am grateful for good health!

Fin is short for Finis (pronounced Fine-us.) We named our youngest son after the late Finis Mitchell, a legend in these parts. 

Finis Mitchell was born in Missouri in 1904 and when he was five years old, his father moved the family to Wyoming. At age 22, Finis went to work for Union Pacific Railroad, and a couple of years later, married Emma Nelson. They had two children, Anna and William. During the Great Depression, Finis was laid off from the railroad, after which Finis–an explorer and naturalist since childhood–and his wife started “Mitchell’s Fishing Camp” in Big Sandy Opening, in Wyoming’s southern Wind River Range. For seven years, Finis and Emma took people on horses they borrowed from a local rancher to go fishing in the high country.

From an article published on WyoHistory.org by Rebecca Hain on August 24, 2018: To increase the number of fish for the success of their camp, and also as part of a larger citizen volunteer effort coordinated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to introduce more trout species into the waters of the Wind Rivers, Finis and Henry (his dad) hauled in small trout—fingerlings—to lakes near their camp. In 1931, Finis and his father took six horses, each loaded with two milk cans of water containing about 1,000 fingerlings, up rough trails to empty the cans into various lakes. The fingerlings were supplied by the fish hatchery at Daniel, Wyo. In this tricky process, the water in the cans had to be oxygenated by sloshing around. Burlap covered the cans, letting air in but keeping the trout from spilling out. During the 1930s, Finis, by his own estimate, stocked about 2.5 million fingerlings in 314 lakes.

In other words, the people who travel from all over the world to enjoy the spectacular trout fishing found in the upper reaches of the Wind River Range, have Finis Mitchell and his family to thank for it.

I shared all of this with Fin as we hiked up the trail.  

Fin and I brought along our puppy, Chewbacca, who goes by “Chewy.” We rescued Chewy last September when he was just 6 weeks old and the size of a guinea pig. Fin and Chewy were immediately smitten with each other and we figured it would be fun to have Chewy along. And besides, Chewy would carry his own pack full of food.

It wasn’t long and Fin requested a break. We found a rock that was big enough for him to sit on while not removing his pack and having enough room for its weight to be supported. We would do this many more times, and after the first few, I caught myself thinking, at this rate, we’ll never get to camp. Thankfully I noticed my agitation and reminded myself we had all day to cover 7.5 miles and that in fact, Fin wasn’t complaining. He simply was asking for short rests along the way.

I was fortunate enough to get to walk Fin to and from school from Kindergarten all the way through fifth grade. What a blessing that was as I have so many wonderful memories of conversations shared as Fin held my hand and we walked to and from school.

From the earliest of our school walks, Fin’s curiosity was revealed, and he noticed everything. We stopped frequently, to get a closer look at a particular bug, patterns on the street, birds, sounds in the air, the clouds, and more. He noticed that our shadows made our legs look unusually long during the morning but then were nowhere to be found on our walks home from school. Fin was full of wonderment, and joy and delight came easy to him.  

On many such occasions, I would think to myself that Fin was teaching me something valuable–to slow down and to look around.  Fin was never in a hurry, fascinated by seemingly ordinary things and I remember thinking about how I could benefit by applying such a philosophy to my own life.

So remembering all this, every time Fin requested a break, I agreed to it. He’d say, “Sorry.” And I’d say, “Don’t be sorry. We have all day to get to camp.” I felt bad that he felt the need to apologize. I have a lot of energy and enthusiasm, which may translate to a faster pace when hiking, or doing anything for that matter. I remind myself how annoying this could be to others, including Fin.

One of the reasons I love spending so much time in the wilderness is it’s the easiest place for me to be present, and in the moment. In almost all other situations, I tend to be future-oriented, always thinking about things to come, about ideas and possibilities, and in the process risking missing what’s happening in the moment.

As Fin and Chewy and I hiked, I felt that familiar sense of belonging and presence and a relief came over me that I would indeed be here with Fin, and only here. And oh, how I had been looking forward to this!

I have kept a record of many of the things Fin said or asked during those hundreds of school walks, as well as at other times. 

One time after picking him up from preschool we hurried home and I made a fast lunch because I was apparently starving. As we sat next to each other at the kitchen table, and I wolfed down my lunch, Fin remarked, seriously and with sincerity, “Good job chewing like a cow, Mommy.” 

Another time I came downstairs wearing a dress, which was unusual, and Fin, upon noticing, complimented me, saying, “I like your costume, Mommy.” 

Fin could be serious, too. One time on the way home from preschool, Fin inquired, “Mommy, how many lives do we have?” 

I love hiking with my sons. If we’re wandering down a mountain trail, I don’t have to work to prompt the boys into conversation. Walking somehow inspires them to talk, and to share more openly about what’s on their mind than they would normally share. 

Since our sons were babies, they have been on the trail with us. We carried them in front packs and then child-carrying backpacks until they could use their little legs to hike on their own. For better or worse, our sons never really had a choice when it came to hiking and spending time outdoors. 

Jerry and I were married for seven years before starting our family. While I was pregnant with our first son, Wolf, Jerry and I would talk about the kind of life we wanted to provide for our family. We both love the outdoors and believe strongly that time in nature is important to one’s mental and physical health, and that it can provide inspiration and facilitate self reliance and leadership while fostering curiosity and a connection with the natural world. 

So, when our boys were young, we didn’t ask them if they wanted to go hiking. Rather, we’d say, “Today we’re going hiking!” Jerry and I considered time spent outdoors to be a core value for us and our family so if we were serious about it, we’d have to walk the talk.

It’s not easy to be an outdoor family. It doesn’t happen naturally. It takes a lot of extra work to take a baby or small children into the wilderness. You have to accept that it will be more work and go through with it, anyway. I have so many memories of trying to get our small sons out the door and onto the trail. At times it was tempting to just throw our arms up in the air and cancel, but we persisted. And what a difference it has made. 

We came up with tips and tricks to make it easier and more enjoyable for the boys. Our most effective strategy was implementing the “trail fairy.” We’d be spread out in a line on some uphill trail and one (or more) of the boys would be complaining, wanting to stop. Jerry or I would secretly toss a baggie into the air and it would land up ahead on the trail in front of the sons. (Or Jerry or I–whoever was up front of the pack, would deposit a small bag in the middle of the trail for an oncoming son to discover.) The little bag would have treats in it with a note saying “You are doing amazing” or “what a great hiker you are!”) . When our sons would discover these treats and notes, it would energize them and provide enthusiasm that was good for another quarter or half mile of hiking. 

On some of our usual hiking routes, there are prominent rocks and other landmarks that over the years we named Rootbeer Rock, Butterfinger Rock, Kit Kat Corner, and so on. These were points to shoot for when the boys were little and tired and complaining, where we’d promise the boys their favorite treats.

I’m pretty sure that if we had asked our boys if they wanted to go hiking, they may have declined, especially some of the longer ones we’ve taken over the years as a family. As a teenager, I’m not sure I would have chosen a hike over time with my friends, a movie, or just about anything else that was easier and more fun. In fact, I’m pretty sure, if asked, I wouldn’t have. 

I was raised in Wyoming, and when I was young, my parents would take our family on seemingly never-ending road trips through the Red Desert, up the Loop Road and through South Pass City, and/or to Yellowstone and back in a day. At the time, I didn’t necessarily love those experiences and I probably wouldn’t have chosen to do them if given a choice, and yet those experiences continue to positively impact and inform my life. I am hoping, and trusting, that all of the hikes and outdoor adventures we’ve taken our sons on will do the same.

Fin has proven on several occasions what a capable hiker he is. When he was only 9 years old, he hiked a few 20-mile-plus day hikes on our Switzerland stop during our first European vacation. When he was 11, he hiked several 20-mile-plus days during our family’s pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. At age 12, he hiked for miles climbing volcanoes and traversing glaciers in Iceland, and he’s done 18-mile family day hikes in our beloved Wind Rivers. He did all of these with little complaint. (In fact, when I picture him during many of those hikes, I can see his happy gait, with his arms swinging as he hiked.)

Still, it would not surprise me if at times Fin and his brothers wished they had been born into a different family, at least a family with a different mom! 

I wondered if Fin had been thinking this in the weeks before our adventure, and particularly now, as his feet were sinking into the ground with each step given the weight of his oversized backpack. 

After a few miles, I asked Fin what his goal was for the trip and he said, “To be able to climb the mountain and to have fun.” I told him my goal was to have fun and to cherish the time in the mountains with him. I thanked him for sharing this adventure with me.

In recent years, as Fin has gotten older, I’ve felt a distance forming between us. I think this is normal. It happened with the older boys, too. When a child reaches a certain age, he starts to push away from his parents. He is growing up and wants more independence. It makes sense that boys don’t want to cuddle with their moms like they did when they were toddlers. Nevertheless, I was longing for four days of one-on-one time with my youngest son in the great outdoors.

As we walked, I reminded myself to speak to Fin in his language–to ask him about things that I know he’s interested in and passionate about. I asked him about the video games he loves playing, and he shared, quite enthusiastically, about some of his favorites. Then we talked about his various friendships. We went down the list of his best friends and for each, I asked him what he likes and values most about each. This requires some reflection on his part but he comes up with thoughtful responses for each, and in the process, I learn a little more about Fin and the qualities he values in a friend and friendship, and in people for that matter.

Before long, we spy water and arrive at Big Sandy Lake. We are thrilled to have most of today’s distance behind us and we are both looking forward to an extended break that will, at least for Fin, include lots of eating.

Fin has always loved to eat, and is a master at it. Right now, he’s experiencing a significant growth spurt, so his appetite is even more noteworthy. (He has grown 8” in the last 1.5 years and the doctor predicts he could grow another 6”.) It can sometimes feel like a full-time job keeping him fed. It’s a game for me every day to try to figure out what we’ll be having for dinner before he texts me from school to ask me, “What’s for dinner, Mom?” And since I’m not above bribing when it comes to inspiring my boys to do things that are good for them, food has been a valuable currency.  

Three summers ago, when we backpacked 160 miles of the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain, Fin hiked particularly enthusiastically no doubt in large part due to the fact that we’d get to eat a delicious meal about halfway through the hike, not to mention there were other stops for soda pops or bread or ice cream along the way.  

On our first European trip in 2016, we went on some challenging epic hikes in Switzerland. The first was particularly grueling because Jerry and I mistook one hike’s elevation gain of 1,200 meters for 1,200 feet. Oops. The boys were demoralized by all the uphill early on. We had ascended 1,200’ in the first two miles, not to mention it was raining. But thankfully, there were little villages and restaurants throughout the hike, and once the eating started, the complaining stopped. By the end of our 24-mile trek, we had enjoyed several Lindt and Milka chocolate bars, fondue, pizza, ice cream, soda pop for the boys, beers for Jerry and I, and other tasty treats.

Fin and I chose a flat rock near the end of Big Sandy Lake for our extended break and picnic. It felt good to take the loads off our back and to get off our feet. We lingered at the lake, and were mostly quiet as we ate a hearty lunch. I reminded Fin that the more we ate and drank, the lighter our loads would get.  

After our picnic, Fin and I had what would be the hardest part of the day’s hike ahead of us. We only had a short distance remaining, but it would be a grunt that included a gain of 600’ under a blazing sun. As we put our packs on and started for the hill, I told him we could stop for a quick rest after every single switchback if that would help, and so we did that and it did help. 

As usual, we were rewarded for our uphill effort. Not only did we have awe-inspiring views of Sundance Pinnacle, Warbonnet and Mitchell Peak in front of us, we had fantastic views of Haystack, Steeple, East Temple and Temple Peaks to the back and east of us. And ahead of us was a field of yellow and purple wildflowers. 

Then suddenly, while we were bent over catching our breath, a large dark shape–a moose–emerged from the woods and lumbered across the trail in front of us and through the flowers. We watched as the majestic, 1,000-pound animal continued down to the outlet of North Lake to get a drink. It was a great sight and it energized us.

It was early afternoon when we reached the area where I planned to set up camp. Unfortunately, it would include one last steep hill to climb. Fin, who still hadn’t complained about the weight of his pack, looked a little demoralized when he saw this final hurdle. It was hot, 90 degrees without a breeze, and did I mention, there were mosquitoes. Plenty of mosquitoes.

I instructed Fin to sit on a rock with Chewy while I went up the hill to see if I could find a good place for camp. After slogging up the hill, I was pleased to find us a great site.  

Relieved that the hike to our destination could now end, I dropped my pack and went down to fetch Fin and Chewy. I offered to take Fin’s pack for this last grunt, and he was so very appreciative. As I was taking his pack from him, it reminded me of the hundreds of times I did this very thing every time I walked to fetch him after school. It was the first thing I always did. I’d take his pack to carry it home for him.

As I remembered this I felt a little choked up and as if I might cry. Right before me was the little version of Fin, with his long reddish hair and happy to see me as I greeted him after school and took his backpack before starting our walk home. And at the same time I was seeing the current tall and handsome “all grown up” version of my Fin.

There were some gray clouds forming and rain seemed imminent, so I suggested we get the tent set up in short order. Drenched with sweat, tired from the hard hike at altitude with a heavy backpack, and annoyed by mosquitos, Fin was quick to help me dig the tent out and get it set up. We had chosen an area in the shade for our temporary home and once we had it set up, I insisted Fin get inside and take a nap. He didn’t object and was asleep almost as soon as I zipped the tent’s door behind him.

As Fin and Chewy napped, I unpacked and organized what would serve as a small kitchen/eating area about 100 yards from the tent. 

I made myself a cup of tea and found a place in the shade to sit. I thought about my Finis and brainstormed words to describe him using the letters of his name. I decide F is for fun/funny. Fin has always loved playing and he’s great at finding ways to have fun. He’s also quite funny and likes making jokes and making others laugh. In fact, in the past he’s mentioned that he might want to be a comedian. I don’t know how serious he is about that, but if nothing else shows the high value Fin places on humor. Whenever I send a text with Fin’s name in it, Siri changes Fin to Fun. I have stopped overriding Siri on this because fun fits when it comes to Fin.

The first I in his name is for Imaginative. Fin has always had a curious mind. I can see his wheels turning when he’s observing something or thinking about a question or a topic we’re discussing at dinner or on a road trip. He has a huge imagination and likes to use it. N is for Negotiator. Fin has been a master negotiator since he was little, and while this can be a disadvantage for his parents, his ability to negotiate will likely serve him in the future. The second I in his name is for Insightful. For as long as Fin has been able to talk, he has been insightful. He’s extremely observant and often shares insights that demonstrate an intuitive understanding about something he sees or learns. And finally, S stands for Sensitive. Fin has always been a sensitive and thoughtful person. He cares deeply about the people in his life and he picks up on the way others are feeling.

A little more than an hour passed and I woke Fin up. Given his mountain climb the next day would require an alpine start, I wanted to ensure he’d be able to sleep once night fell.

I had picked this camp site because from it, we had a view of Mitchell Peak. The itinerary for our mother-son rite of passage adventure included a solo mountain climb of Mitchell Peak for Fin on Day 2. To climb the mountain would mean traveling off-trail and up and over rugged terrain, at altitude, with an elevation gain of about 2,400’. 

When Fin and Chewy emerged from the tent and joined me in our eating area, I pointed out Mitchell Peak, and the route he would take to climb it. I explained that the mountain climb would be hard. I shared that it’s not only a steep endeavor but that with the altitude he would feel out of breath probably from the outset and that it would only get harder the higher up he got. I told Fin to expect it to be difficult and reiterated that regardless of one’s fitness level, climbing a mountain at altitude is hard.

We’d have a 5am wakeup and a 6am departure. I opt for early starts on summit days for safety reasons. In the high country, a clear blue sky can be filled with clouds rather quickly, often developing into a storm in the afternoon. I’ve had to turn myself around, and expeditions I was leading around, just short of reaching the summit after clouds came in quickly. I wanted to set Fin up to have the most time, and the best chance of summiting in case the weather changed.   

Jerry and the boys had surprised Fin with a whittling knife. While I cooked us a dinner of delicious chicken-flavored ramen, Fin whittled as Chewy lounged near his feet.

As Fin was eating, I showed him the book, Wind River Trails, written by Finis Mitchell in 1975. I asked Fin if I could read aloud “A Mountain Man,” a prayer written by Mitchell on the last page in the book, and he said yes. 

He who labors to reach the summit of a mountain seeks solace and tranquility. He is neither greedy nor selfish. He finds time to help others less fortunate than himself. He loves the great outdoors and all forms of life; the trees, the flowers, the grasses of the land and the land itself. He loves the music of cataracts from glacier to sea. He also loves the peace and quiet when life-giving streams linger momentarily in valley or lake along their way. He makes happy tracks in many snows which melt away, leaving no trace of man’s visit to the wilderness. He finds time to do everything needful by never letting time find him doing nothing. He is a man among men. 

He always awakens facing the east from whence the sun gives life to all things. As the day advances, he strives to help others attain greater heights from north to south. When the day is done he faces the west as the setting sun beckons him into peaceful slumber and puts the world to rest. He is thankful the Earth provides his existence and for the privilege of just being here; thankful to be on the summit of a mountain which shall stand forever as a sanctuary to God and man.

For him, may the winds that blow his way be always mild and the rains that fall upon him be warm and gentle. May the path he selects to follow through life be decorated with lilacs so the beauty and fragrance of the land be with him all the days of his life. May God be with him along his way and guide him through the darkest nights. Amen.

Fin said he liked it.

I told him the Mitchell Peak he would be climbing tomorrow was his mountain and that I was proud of him.

After dinner, we played some gin rummy. The score was 2 games to 1, with Fin leading, as we headed to the tent for the night. It was still light out so sleep wouldn’t come easy even though we were dead tired. 

Fin has a great sense of humor and loves all things funny so I offered to play an audiobook by comedian Jim Gaffigan called Food: A Love Story. I figured I might get some points given I had selected a book that combined two of Fin’s passions–humor and food. It didn’t take long and we laughed ourselves to sleep. (Two particularly funny excerpts: “If aliens studied Earth, they would come to the conclusion that the United States is somehow consuming food on behalf of other countries.” and “I don’t know much about grammar, but I think kale salad is what they call a “double negative.”)

The next morning I woke before the alarm. I quietly got myself and Chewy out of the tent and headed for the kitchen area. I had one objective and one objective only: To boil water and get a cup of coffee brewed as soon as possible. Until I was sipping a cup of coffee, nothing else could be accomplished.

I was relieved to see the sky was clear. As an adventurer and adventure guide, there’s nothing I love more than a clear sky. It would be a perfect day for my youngest son to climb a mountain. 

After finishing my coffee, I woke Fin and instructed him to get his hiking boots on and meet me in the kitchen. 

He was still coming out of his slumber and I was deliberately trying not to rush him, but felt the need to revisit the day’s objective. I asked him to look at Mitchell Peak and review the route I was recommending. 

Fin snarfed a toasted cheese bagel and drank a cup of hot apple cider as he looked at the mountain. “It doesn’t look too bad,” he said. I was comforted by his confidence, but as his mother, also worried about all that could go wrong.

Out here in the wilderness, the stakes are high. If something goes wrong, we’re a long way from help. Fin is an experienced hiker, and he knows to be careful, but I worry about him while crossing boulder fields or falling while ascending a steep pitch of granite and hitting his head, getting too close to the edge when on the summit, and on and on and on. I catch myself going down this nervous and anxious rabbit hole and remind myself that I had the same overwhelming worries when Hayden and Wolf each were in this position, preparing to climb Mitchell Peak, and they did fine. And besides, this was my idea. But still…

I know it’s normal for a mother to worry and to want to protect her children. But I also know it’s critical to trust and to let go. With two sons who are ages 21 and 19, I know this firsthand and yet, I still struggle with it. Even with the two oldest sons launched and away at college, it hasn’t become any easier.

Fin is the baby of the family and I still see him as the toddler with long hair who liked to hold my hand and who trusted me to kiss his owies whenever he got them.

After Fin finished his bagel and cider we packed up and started up the trail. Chewy and I would hike with him as far as the end of North Lake, and get him started up the mountain, at which point we’d go in a different direction and meet him at some point during his descent of Mitchell Peak. 

As we started up, the sun was shining its first light on the tops of the granite peaks all around us. My trail name is “Sunrise.” Sunrise is my favorite time of day and I love to be on the trail before the sun comes up. Today we timed it perfectly. The top half of the dramatic Warbonnet Peak was painted with bright sunlight as it was reflected below in the green and glass-like waters of North Lake. 

There were wildflowers everywhere, lit up by the day’s first light, and it was so quiet. All we could hear was our breathing, and the occasional click of my trekking poles. There wasn’t a breeze and we were the only ones on the trail. I was in Heaven, and feeling blessed to be experiencing the spectacularly beautiful morning with my youngest son.

As we started up from North Lake, Chewy was up to his nose in wildflowers as he tried to keep up with Fin. After a little bit of route-finding, I instructed Fin to follow the spring up through the first half of the climb. 

Then I hugged him and told him I loved him and that I was proud of him. I pointed to a point high on a ridge where Chewy and I would be waiting for him to descend the bottom part of the mountain with him.  

As he left, I yelled after him, “You’re the best Fin in the world!” which is something I’ve been telling him since he was little.

As Fin continued up and away from us, he looked back and waved. As I watched him, suddenly it was as if I was watching him through the chain link fence at Baldwin Creek Elementary after walking him to school and he was looking back and waving. After walking Fin to grade school each morning, I was always careful to not walk away until he was done waving. I never wanted to turn my back to him if he was still looking and waving. In his 4th grade year, he suggested near one of our first walks of the school year, “How about I wave three times and then you can go.” The next year, he’d say he’d wave when he reached the monkey bars and then I’d leave. 

I felt tears in my eyes as I watched him wave at me. My little Fin with the long reddish hair was now a tall young man. What a big boy, I thought. 

When Fin was born, we were surprised by his size. He was almost 9 pounds! Like his two brothers, he was delivered by c-section. I gained more weight when pregnant with Fin than when pregnant with Wolf and Hayden, so I figured he’d be a bigger baby than his brothers were. But still, we were surprised to have such a large bundle, and his long unruly red hair and bright blue eyes made him such an adorable baby. Meeting him for the first time was one of the greatest days of my life and I’ll never forget looking into my Finis’ eyes for the first time.

Because I had delivered via c-section, it took a little longer before I could hold Fin a second time, but when I did, it was magical. He lay on my chest, nursing for the first time, and I was in Heaven. 

Later that night in the hospital, I could hear Fin coughing. Throughout the night, I could hear his little cough. I worried because it seemed like he was struggling more than necessary to breathe. I couldn’t sleep because I was filled with worry. It wasn’t long and we were informed the doctor thought we should get Fin to Denver to the Children’s Hospital to examine his lungs more closely. They assured us that everything was probably fine, but the hospital in Denver would be better able to assess and treat any possible conditions that were causing Fin’s coughing and the resulting difficulty he had with breathing. Fortunately, I was able to fly on the plane with him. After five days of monitoring and tests, Fin’s breathing issues were resolved and we were sent home.

I think of Fin’s little baby cough now and how labored his breathing was in those first days of his life, and I wonder–and worry–if he’s feeling a similar struggle now, what with the increasing altitude he was experiencing while climbing Mitchell Peak.

Chewy and I headed up in a different direction. I planned to find a boulder somewhere beneath what’s called the Dog Tooth, on which to sit and reflect. I had equipped Fin with a walkie talkie in case of emergency. A while later, after Chewy and I got situated on a boulder, Fin’s voice came over the radio telling me about a cool spider that was suspended on an elaborate web between two boulders he was climbing.  

Fin has always been a keen observer of the natural world, and has a special place in his heart for all critters. 

When he was 8, he had a pet boxelder bug he named Reddy. One afternoon, after returning home from school, Fin realized his boxelder bug had died. He was heartbroken. He sobbed for almost two hours. We had a little service and burial for Reddy in our backyard to commemorate the bug’s life.

One Christmas, Fin wrote Santa a letter requesting a “very red fish.” Fortunately, Santa delivered on his wish, but a couple of months later, while Fin was at school and I was fetching dirty clothes from his room, I noticed the fish was dead. Living in a small town, there was only one place to find a replacement, Ace Hardware. Unfortunately Ace didn’t have any “very red fish.”  So, unable to pull off a switch, I had to break the sad news to Fin. That was another time of heartbreak and grieving that took some time for Fin to process.

Fin especially loves dogs. Not only our dogs, Buddy and Chewy, but all dogs. When our family backpacked the Camino de Santiago, every day Fin would encounter and cuddle dogs along the way. Throughout our daily treks and along the stops in small villages and towns, there were dogs, and we always made sure to stop and allow for Fin to pet and spend time with them.  

I interrupt my memory mining to look through my binoculars in hopes of spotting Fin. I get lucky and find him. I see that he’s taking a break, sitting on a Volkswagen-sized boulder.  

Chewy sat curled at my feet, lounging in the alpine tundra, preoccupied with the occasional fly or mosquito. I had to put him on a leash so he wouldn’t follow Fin. We always call Fin “Chewy’s boy,” since they connected so immediately upon their first meeting. I wanted for Chewy to go with Fin to the top of the mountain but Fin and I agreed it would be an easier climb without having to tend to Chewy and carry him over various boulder fields. But as Chewy and I sat there, Chewy’s concern for Fin and his whereabouts was palpable. 

Some more time passes and I have some tears. I cry easily when reflecting on Fin’s childhood. After we had Wolf, and then two years later, Hayden, we took a pause. We knew we wanted to try for one more but due to all that was going on in our life at the time, we chose to wait a bit. That’s why there are 7 years and 5 years between Fin and his older brothers. I am thinking of how blessed we’ve been by our Finis, and so grateful that we chose to have a third. Fin has brought so much joy to our family and our life!

I check in with Fin on the radio to make sure all is going okay. “It’s going good, just taking lots of little breaks,” he reports, adding, “there are so many spiders on webs between the boulders. They’re cool.” I remind him to take his time, be careful and to enjoy the experience.

About 90 minutes pass and I hear, “I made it to the top, mom.” A few more tears for me, but I gather myself and exclaim, “Great work, Fin!” I’m so proud. 

Most of my tears as a mother have been tears of gratitude. But of course I’ve also cried when experiencing sadness or worry or frustration related to being a mother. Add to that I have so much self doubt about my abilities as a mother, and I can be particularly hard on myself.  

For the last 11 years, I’ve worked with and coached many women, and this self doubt and self criticism mothers experience comes up frequently. One time I was coaching a woman who was particularly hard on herself when it came to her role as a mother, and I asked her, “What has to happen for you to believe you’re a good mother?” I ponder this question as I sit on my rock with Chewy, waiting for Fin to descend his mountain. I don’t know the answer.

But I do know that I am proud to have had this idea of a mother-son rite of passage adventure with my sons, and to have kept up the tradition for all three of them. 

In fact, this is as much a rite of passage for me, as it is for Fin, and as much as it was for Wolf and Hayden during theirs. This adventure was intended to provide a meaningful time with Fin and to enrich our connection while also acknowledging his growing up and the need for me to let go. I need to allow Fin the freedom that is necessary for him to become independent. That will enable him to find his own way. 

Some more time passes and I see that Fin is on his way down, navigating through the steep landscape that is littered with large chunks of granite. He’s descending quickly.

In recent years, during our family hikes, the boys have left Jerry and I in the dust, particularly when on the way back to the trailhead and to our vehicle. I think it’s probably because the hike is mostly behind them and they are excited about that. The boys are great sports to go on our family hikes and they’re great trail company. As a mother, there’s nothing I love more than watching my three sons connect and do what they do when they’re together outdoors, and I will be forever grateful for their generous and adventurous spirits. For their “compliance.”

I see Fin has spotted us and is fast approaching. Chewy’s excited and I let him off the leash so he can run and meet up with “his boy.” I watch as Chewy jumps up on Fin and they enjoy a loving and gregarious exchange.

I greet Fin with a big hug and hold the embrace a little longer than normal. I’m so proud of my Fin. My Finis. We descend toward camp, stopping a few times to eat Red Vines and Munchies before getting back to camp at around 2:30pm. 

Once at camp, I feel elated and relieved. We lounge and Fin takes a short nap. When he awakes we listen to some more Jim Gaffigan and share laughs while playing more games of gin rummy. He leads six games to five.

For dinner, I make my famous “epic buttery, fried cheesy quesadillas.” Fin eats three of them. After our trek to wash the dishes and restock our water bottles, we return to camp. 

I ask Fin if he’ll read out loud the poem he chose for this adventure and if I can capture it on video. He is kind and says yes, despite feeling a little awkward about it. He reads Invictus, by William Ernest Henley.

Out of the night that covers me,

      Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

      For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

      I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

      My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

      Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

      Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

      How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

      I am the captain of my soul.

I listen and watch as he reads, with Mitchell Peak in the background, from a folded printout. I thanked Fin and asked him what he liked about the poem and why he picked it. “Because it’s about bravery,” he said, adding “and because it’s short,” which causes us both to chuckle. I also wonder if he likes it because it’s about sticking to one’s own dignity. After all, Fin is his own person and doesn’t easily conform.

Tired from our early start and the day’s efforts, we went to the tent early. With Chewy curled up and nestled next to his head, Fin finds sleep quickly. I’m also tired. Exhausted actually. But I take a few minutes to linger, and to watch my youngest son as he sleeps and breathes easily. I want so much to move closer to Fin and to hold him in my arms, like I did when he was younger, but I resist and let him sleep. 

I still want cuddles like the ones we used to share when he was little. I remember one day after Jerry and the older boys were already out the door to school and Fin and I had a little more time before we needed to start our walk to preschool. Fin climbed on top of me and asked if we could cuddle for “7 more minutes.” Moments like that were heavenly for me, and I miss them dearly while at the same time knowing we aren’t mothers to raise babies. Our kids are meant to grow up.  

The next day there’s no wakeup call. I’ve designed this day to be one of leisure. Fin emerges from the tent at around 8am and I make him his usual adventure breakfast of choice–a cheesy bagel and apple cider. We load our packs with a rain jacket and a lunch, his journal and the deck of cards. I tell Fin that today’s plan is to hike 3 miles to Deep Lake where we’ll have a “deep talk.” I can tell he’s curious and maybe even a little nervous about whatever the deep talk will be about, but I assure him we’ll go easy on the hike and that today is meant to be “chill.”

We had a great hike and talked about a variety of things, including his job. At the start of the summer, Fin began working his first official job, an internship at our local bike and ski shop. He was loving it so far and he said it was cool to learn how to tune up bikes and to meet cyclists who were biking across the U.S. 

We stopped at Clear Lake for a snack and a drink, and recalled memories of the last time our family was here. We spent Labor Day in 2014 camped here and the night was filled with booming thunder, torrential rain, and lightning that lit up our tent. We woke the next morning, on Aug. 31, to a blizzard and our family collectively voted to cut our adventure short.

Next, Fin and I hiked about a mile up a huge granite slab to Deep Lake. (This area of the Wind Rivers is one of my favorites and I’ve spent many nights camped in this area while leading Epic Women expeditions.) Once at Deep Lake, Fin and I had a picnic lunch before I facilitated what has become known by now after doing two of these mother-son rites of passage adventures, as our “deep talk.” 

I shared the fact he was conceived in the wilderness, which made him blush, of course, just as it had his brothers, who were also conceived in the wilderness. And I shared with Fin how much I love him and what an honor it is to be his mother. 

I told him that the purpose of the “deep talk” was for us to make a promise to one another. I explained that, as his mother, I will always want to protect him, but that I knew that wasn’t possible, and that for him to grow up and become his own person I would need to do some trusting, some letting go.  

I offered to go first. I promised to try to trust him more, and to let go of what likely feels like a tight grasp if he would make a promise to me that would offer some reassurance. For his part, Fin promised he would stick to his values, which he said included “family, friendship, honesty, good judgment, service, compassion, humor, and integrity.”

We agreed to do our best to keep our promises to one another. I told him that I didn’t expect him to be perfect, and that I would almost certainly screw up on my end of the bargain. I explained how hard it is for me to not try to keep him safe, but that I knew I needed to allow him to grow more independent. It was a meaningful conversation and we “signed” it with a hug. 

We sat in silence for a few minutes while Chewy dipped his paws in the lake and we watched him try to catch flies. We ate some lunch, and then played a few games of gin rummy. We had agreed at the start of our adventure that we’d play gin rummy and whoever got to 10 wins would be the winner. At this point during our adventure, Fin was leading our rummy series, 8 games to 7. I’m pretty sure I won’t forget our gin rummy games at Deep Lake, because at some point while playing cards there, Fin told me he craved a cucumber. This from our child who doesn’t eat green vegetables!

The hike back to camp was mostly downhill and we covered the distance quickly. It was hot and Fin and I were both eager to get back to camp and collapse in the shade for a nap. Per Fin’s request, I cooked hot dogs for dinner, complete with Cheetos and nacho cheese on top. After washing the dishes, we played three more games of gin rummy to get to Fin’s 10 and my 8. Fin was the winner.

As we continued lounging, I inserted one more conversation. I shared with Fin that one of the things I do when I coach leaders is I ask them to reflect on the 5 ways they want to be in the world. Fin thought about this for while before coming up with Helpful, Funny, Compassionate, Inspiring, and Brave. I thanked him for playing along and told him I loved the words he came up with. 

We had a beautiful sunset, which I took in with much gratitude as Fin wrestled around with Chewy. Before the sun was down, we agreed to head to the tent and listen to some more Jim Gaffigan while going to sleep. 

When we unzipped the door to the tent, we both were about knocked out by the stink and stench coming from our tent and the piles of dirty and expired socks and clothes inside. 

This reminded me of a spring break camping trip we had taken through southern Utah 8 years earlier. After 6 days and nights of epic hikes and other outdoor adventures, and tent camping in national parks, Jerry and I promised to treat the boys to a night in a fancy hotel. Specifically, we had promised them a night in a luxury resort at the end of the week, complete with robes and slippers all around.

We stayed at the Trump Tower in Las Vegas and indeed, robes and slippers were provided. We lived, and were treated like royalty for the rest of the afternoon and evening. It was an amazing ending to an epic family spring break adventure.

The next morning, as we got into the car following our pampered stay, Fin remarked “I love the smell of hotel air.” We all laughed and agreed. 

I reminded Fin of this memory and we both agreed that some “hotel air” would hit the spot about now.

The next day we were both eager to get on the trail and back to civilization so we woke early and broke camp in record time. 

We had a great hike out and shared more great conversation, mostly about Fin’s favorite movies, actors and musicians. During one final snack break, with about three miles left, I asked him to use the letters of E.P.I.C. to come up with 4 things he’d like to have in his life to make it epic. He took just a few minutes and responded with, Eating, Playing, Inspiration, and Courage.

I told Fin again how much this time with him in the wilderness meant to me, and how much it would always mean to me. I told him how much I loved him, and to always feel my love and support. I told him I was proud of him and the man he’s becoming, and I wondered if he would mind if I called him Finis occasionally. He said that would be fine, which made me think of what my dad likes to call Fin, which is “Mighty Fine.”

As we continued down the trail, I watched him as he walked in front of me. Such a big boy. My Finis. 

I recalled the last words from Finis Mitchell’s “A Mountain Man” prayer: May the winds that blow his way be always mild and the rains that fall upon him be warm and gentle. May the path he selects to follow through life be decorated with lilacs so the beauty and fragrance of the land be with him all the days of his life. May God be with him along his way and guide him through the darkest nights. 

I prayed these words for my Finis.

Soon after, I noticed a golden retriever up ahead, which made me miss our Buddy. Then, I realized it was our Buddy! Jerry, Hayden, Wolf and Buddy had hiked in to meet us for the end of our adventure. We were thrilled to see them! Wolf and Hayden took the loads off our backs. They gave Fin an ice cold Dr. Pepper and there was an iced coffee for me. Buddy tackled Fin and I, and Chewy tackled Jerry, Wolf and Hayden. 

It was the perfect end to a perfect adventure.

• Categories: Adventure, Family, Fitness, Life and Leadership, life coaching, Travel
• Tags: children, epic adventure, finis, finis mitchell, mother son, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, rite of passage, shelli johnson, son, tradition, wind river range, wind rivers, wyoming
• Comments: 7 Comments

Mother-Son Rite of Passage Expedition – One of My Best Ideas, Ever

August 20th, 2015

I’ve had many ideas in my 47 years, but my idea to lead my oldest son, Wolf, on a “Mother-Son Rite of Passage” wilderness expedition is one of my best, ever.

I am married to Jerry (going on 23 years this Saturday!), and we have three sons: Wolf, 15, Hayden, 13, and Finis (“Fin”), 8. For a while now, I have been brainstorming ways to create a “mother-son rite of passage” experience that I could do for each of our three sons.

I settled on leading each of my sons on a wilderness expedition the summer before each started high school. Of course I wanted this to be an adventure that not only Mom thought was a good idea, but also son, so some months ago, I began discussing this with our oldest son, Wolf, who started high school today. Being the first son, Wolf would be the guinea pig for this idea. 🙂

Here’s what Wolf and I came up with: We’d spend 4 days in our “backyard,” Wyoming’s Wind River Range. We’d backpack in about 8 miles the first day. On Day 2, he’d climb a mountain all by himself. Day 3 would be all about fun – we’d take our packrafts, and day hike to a high mountain lake, and also do some fishing. Day 4, we’d return home.

What follows is a pretty long-form travelogue of our experience. It may take you 20 minutes to read. I hope you’ll hang in there and read it, as I share some pretty personal entries from my journal, and I also hope this might inspire you to do something special with your children. The seed for this mother-son rite of passage idea was randomly planted by someone (Eddie Boyer) I met on a Mt. Whitney expedition 4 years ago. I am grateful for the conversation that planted this seed. After that I read a book recommended by my friend, Sharon Terhune, called Let Them Paddle: Coming of Age on the Water, by Alan Kesselheim. And, I also had conversations about rites of passages for my sons with friend Wendy Gebhart. All of these planted seeds that led to this recent adventure. Perhaps reading this blog post will plant a seed for you that will, like it did for me, blossom into something unforgettable. (NOTE: Wolf read and supported, and approved, of my sharing here.)
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First thing’s first, so on Thursday, Aug. 13, as we headed out of town, we stopped at Lander Bake Shop to get breakfast. Wolf picked out a chocolate chip muffin and a huge (“epic”) brownie. About 18 miles out of town, near Red Canyon, Wolf snarfed his brownie, raving about its deliciousness, and saying, “Mom you get brownie points for this breakfast.” Wolf is famous for his puns…

Upon my request, we listened to an OnBeing podcast for the first 45 miles of our 2-hour drive to the trailhead. I picked Krista Tippett’s interview with Pico Iyer about “inner life” and stillness. It was a good pick! We were both inspired especially by these things Pico Iyer said:

• I got out of my car at this monastery, and the air was pulsing. And it was very silent, but really the silence wasn’t the absence of noise, it was almost the presence of these transparent walls that I think the monks had worked very, very hard to make available to us in the world. And somehow, almost immediately, it was as if a huge heaviness fell away from me, and the lens cap came off my eyes. Really almost instantaneously I felt I’ve stepped into a richer, deeper life, a real life that I’d half forgotten had existed.
• The point of gathering stillness is not to enrich the sanctuary or the mountaintop, but to bring that calm into the motion, the commotion of the world.
• When I travel, I travel not so much to move, as to be moved.

By the time we reached the rest area, we decided it was time to rock out to some tunes. Wolf managed the Spotify and we listened to a playlist that included Great Summer, One Day, I Can’t Feel My Face, Afraid of the Dark, Dirty Work, Wagon Wheel, Lean on Me, Rocket Man, Ghost Town, Sail Away, Summer Breeze, Wiseman, In My Mind, and about 10 more songs I can’t right now recall.

The trailhead was more packed than I have ever seen it. Cars were parked alongside the road from the trailhead for probably an ⅛ of a mile. Luckily, we found a spot that was a little closer in than that.

We started down the trail with our 60-pound-plus backpacks on at 9:30am, and we arrived at our special best-kept-secret of a campsite by 1:15pm. I’m a NOLS graduate, and I’m ashamed to say it but NOLS would not have wanted to claim me as one of their graduates! Our packs were too heavy; we packed far too many luxuries, and the packs weren’t packed very pretty, either. At one point, Wolf quipped, “I’m a Wolf, not a pack mule. Why I am a pack mule today?” Wolf’s pack had as much dangling from the outside as it had inside. Oops. But at least we wouldn’t go hungry, and we could offer to feed everyone in the wilderness if we decided to.

Except for a bunch of ravens, magpies, Clark’s nutcrackers, chipmunks and squirrels, it appeared we had this paradise to ourselves. It was miraculous to me that the parking lot could be so full and yet we’d have this secret spot all to ourselves. We are lucky.

After pitching our tent, I gave Wolf a tour of our site, including views from our “kitchen” area. Looking east, we look directly at Mitchell Peak. It’s right there in front of us. We can see, entirely, the two main routes to the summit. I suggested he would probably ascend the mountain from the end of North Lake, via the most direct route, which follows a steep ravine/spring to a bench before heading up to the summit. (I smile as I explain this, recalling fondly climbing Mitchell Peak recently with some of my Epic Women expedition who expected to find a wooden bench on which to rest once we reached “the bench.”)

To the southeast of our camp are Haystack Mountain, Steeple and East Temple peaks. It’s a glorious view in all directions.

From my Journal, Aug. 13, 2015:
Right now, Wolf is in the tent napping. He worked so hard to get here! My 5-pound preemie, who’s now 5’8”, 130 pounds, carried that wobbly, overstuffed, 5-story-high backpack without complaint. Not only without complaint, but with cheer, often complimenting me: “Good job, Mom.” and “ I’m proud of you Mom.”

How did we get so lucky? How did I get so lucky?

I am so blessed to be a mother to three beautiful and amazing sons.

I’m getting choked up as I write this. I am overcome with feelings of blessings and gratitude. Wolf came 5 weeks early. He had to be delivered by C-section when it was discovered my amniotic fluid was decreasing at a rapid rate, and he was breech. At birth, he weighed only 5 pounds, and had to remain in critical care in the hospital for 13 days. The doctor kept reassuring us that he would be fine – “his lungs just need time.”

But it was so hard to not be able to hold him against my breast, and my heart.

We would hold onto his little fingers, and he would squeeze our fingers. I would nuzzle his cheek and face and press myself against him as he laid there all hooked up to monitors. We read Robert Service and Mary Oliver poems to him. (Perhaps it’s no wonder he’s an aspiring poet.) Even then, his disposition was upbeat and cheerful, and he was a determined leader. What a blessing! Our first son. Our Wolf Henry Johnson.

Wow. I am overcome with emotions right now… I am sure these happy tears also have much to do with the fact that I’m out here, in my mountains, the Wind River Range, where I am more in touch with myself, and where I love to be.

But make no mistake, it’s not easy out here, and I’m scared of much: Wolf’s mountain climb tomorrow, and his safety. If he’ll get altitude sickness or suffer from dehydration. The clouds, that are developing and dark, and it’s only 3pm. How high the stakes are out here. What I may or may not learn about myself. Anytime I am raw and exposed and trusting – oh, the list goes on and on and on!

And yet, I like myself out here. I am who I am. I’m reminded of a favorite quote from Cheryl Strayed’s Wild: “Being in the wild gathers me. It astonishes me. It quiets the negative voices inside of me and allows the more constructive ones to talk. It humbles me. It reminds me of how small I am, which has the reverse effect of making me feel gigantic inside.”

Like most people, I have an inner critic. And mine needs no support. I can beat the crap out of myself internally. This makes me sad, that I can be so self critical, and it sometimes makes my life harder than it should be. Being out here in the wilderness opens me up in a way that I am very aware of my inner critic, and yet, as Strayed wrote, being out here quiets the negative voices. It quiets my inner critic. As a result, I like myself a little more than I normally do.

Of course the most important aspect of right now is that I’m here with Wolf. This is our first son, and my first Mother-Son Rite of Passage expedition. What a gift!

When we started down the trail today, I asked Wolf what his goals for our adventure were. He said, “I want to grow, and to return changed in some way. And I want to have fun with you, Mom.”

I shared that I also wanted for him to get the chance to grow, for our relationship to grow, for me to grow as a mom, and that I also wanted us to have a lot of fun.” (And we both added something about having s’mores every night since we brought a full box of graham crackers, a package of chocolate bars and an entire bag of marshmallows – exactly enough for only the two of us!)

As we hiked in earlier today, I kept recalling Wolf’s entry into this world. How he struggled. Sorta similar to how his legs and back were struggling under his terribly-packed, too-big backpack. Yet all the same, his attitude was amazing. He was telling everyone we passed to have a great day, and he was cheering me. Already Wolf is a great leader… In some ways he’s a stronger leader than I am, despite the fact he’s only 15, and I’m 47, and have been working at leadership for some time now.

I am feeling so much right now. Thank you God! Thank you Jerry! I am so grateful to Jerry, and for Hayden and Fin, who are so supportive of Wolf’s and my adventure. (It will be Hayden’s turn next year, and Fin’s in 6 years.) Thank you to my parents, who moved us from Iowa to Wyoming when I was 3. What a gift that has been.

If I do nothing else, God, please help me to BE MY BEST for my boys and for Jerry, and TO BE HERE with them. I mean this literally, of course, but as importantly, I mean this from a mental standpoint. I have a habit of thinking and dreaming about the future. It’s hard for me to stay in the present, as much as I try. Being out in the wilderness for some reason is a help for me. Nowhere is it easier for me to be in the present. At all other times and places, it’s a constant challenge for me to be right here right now. And I’ve read enough to know that the key to making the most of our time is to be in the present, and not thinking about the past or worrying or dreaming about the future. Perhaps I spend so much time in the wilderness because it is a fast-track for helping me to stay in the present.

Seneca said “Life is long enough if you know how to use it.”

I think I know how to use it. If only I can be deliberate and conscious.

I am thinking now of a favorite poem by Jack London, which I know by heart:
I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out
in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom
of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.

So I will use my time.

This mother-son rite of passage trip with Wolf is about using my time.
There is nobody I’d rather be with, and nowhere else I’d rather be than with Wolf, right here and right now!

God, please keep us safe. Please keep Jerry, Hayden and Fin (and Buddy) safe. Please keep my parents and sisters and brother and their families safe. Please keep Jerry’s family safe. Keep all of our friends safe.

A short video about the mountain climb:

From my Journal – Fri., Aug. 14, 2015:
2:30am came early – and yet, heck, if I wasn’t going to sleep, why not get up in the middle of the night??!

Of course I got almost no sleep, despite the fact I took 2 Advil PM, and despite that we went to bed at 6:30pm. (This was Wolf’s idea since we would have an alpine start for his mountain climb. A very wise young man, to be sure.)

I was glad to hear him sleeping well, though. For today is mostly his day, and it’s a big one. He will climb Mitchell Peak! As I tossed and turned at night, I was filled with anxiety. “Am I being reckless encouraging my son to climb a mountain all by himself? What if the clouds develop into a storm and he’s on the summit, or near the summit – how will he know if and when to turn back? Am I crazy to have had this idea?”

With the light of our headlamps, and under a black sky that was brimming with a bazillion stars, I made him some hot chocolate and poptarts, and me, oatmeal and strong coffee. 2 cups. We left camp at 4am. The plan was for me to get him started up the route a bit before we’d part ways and meet up after his mountain climb.

Right after leaving camp, we stopped at the outlet to North Lake to fill and treat some water. To our surprise, two other headlamped hikers passed us and started up the trail a little bit ahead of us. We hit the trail and moved slowly. We had some time to kill because I didn’t want Wolf starting up route-finding in the dark – what with with all of the bears lurking in the brush and all.

So I suggested we stop in the trail, about halfway around the lake and turn our headlamps off. We watched the dark sky that was filled with a bazillion stars. We could see the black ridgelines and peaks around us silhouetted…including Mitchell Peak. As we stood in silence admiring the sky and the stars, we spied four shooting stars. We each made silent wishes for the ones we saw, and then we saw a fifth together and made a wish that Wolf’s mountain climb would go well, and that Mom would survive as well. 🙂 It was a really sweet and unforgettable moment watching the stars and seeing shooting stars with my Wolf on a such a glorious and quiet morning. It felt like we were the only ones in the Universe at that moment, and I won’t ever forget it.

We reached the end of North Lake, and still, it was quite dark. So we sat on a rock, and I encouraged us to finish off the bottle of water we had started drinking earlier. We sat there for a half hour, sometimes talking, sometimes in silence. I have really grown to love silence. It is not empty, but full. Until a few years ago I was always filling the quiet that sometimes popped up in conversation. Now, I long for a certain amount of silence, even amidst groups of people, and in conversation. I recall something acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton says. That silence is an endangered species. Hempton defines real quiet as presence – not an absence of sound but an absence of noise. He said in an interview I heard a while back: “Quiet is the think tank of the soul.”

As we sat in silence under the stars, which were starting to disappear with the first light of the day, I wondered what Wolf was thinking about.

We sat for another few minutes and then went to a nearby spring to top off his water bottles for the day.

He asked if I could capture a short video before we parted ways so we took a minute to do that, and then we started up the very bottom of the mountain from the northeast end of North Lake.

After a little bit of navigating and getting him on track up the ravine, we looked back to see a spectacular alpenglow on Warbonnet Peak. The tip of it was on fire with the rising sun. We stopped to admire and photograph the moment before continuing on. This is why I start so early – to witness sights like this one of a peak totally lit up and on fire by the first rays of the sun. With its wonder, came a feeling of reassurance.

We agreed we’d meet to descend the lower half of the mountain together… probably somewhere right below the ridgeline between Mitchell Peak and Big Sandy Mountain.

We hugged, and I looked him in the eyes and told him to have fun, to remember to drink some water and to occasionally take a break to look around at the scenery and to catch his breath and get his bearings. I added, “The views from the top are amazing in all directions and you don’t have to stand on the end of an overhanging rock to reap the rewards. Please don’t get too close to the edge.” “Okay, Mom,” he said.

Wolf and I hugged and I told him, “I love you more than life itself and everything in the world.”

“I love you too Mooma J. You’re the best mom in the Universe,” he said. And with that, he was off.

The sky was shaping up to be clear and blue, and this made me happy. The fewer uncertainties for this occasion, the better!

I headed in the opposite direction and soon found a boulder to sit on, where I proceeded to cry. I spied Wolf marching enthusiastically toward Mitchell, vigorously using his trekking poles, very much on a mission. For a while I spied him through the binoculars, “mountain goating” his way up and through the boulders and tundra, ascending the mountain.

Where was my 5-pound little baby? Or my 3-year-old Wolfie? Or my 6-year-old Wolfie, or my 10 or 11- or 12- or 13- or 14-year-old Wolf for that matter? Who was this 5’8”, energetic, strong, determined young man who was marching up through boulders to a summit all on his own?

“Where has the time gone?” I asked, out loud, to myself, as I sat alone amidst a landscape littered with granite.

Don’t we all always ask this question?

I sat on my rock with the sun warming my back as it rose behind me and the ridge that connects Mitchell Peak and Big Sandy Mountain, and for 10 minutes I meditated on the last 15 years, and then I knew where the 15 years had gone, and what an amazing 15 years it has been!

After my meditation, I spied Wolf again through the binoculars. Once I spotted him crouched down, I think taking photos of flowers. Another time he was sitting on a rock drinking water. (“Good boy!”)

Did I mention that this sitting here while my first son climbs a mountain on his own, is a rite of passage not only for Wolf, but also for his Mom? Perhaps as much a rite of passage for me as it is for Wolf. As I sit here, it is so exciting. AND so very difficult. I worry about Wolf. I worry that I’m being reckless. That he’ll get his leg pinned between two boulders. That he’ll tumble and hit his head on a rock. That once he’s on the summit he’ll get too close to the edge. After all, I won’t be there to remind him not to get too close to the edge, and to be careful, which are things I nag the boys about, probably too often, whenever we’re in the wilderness.

I know these feelings I’m having right now are important. It’s important for me to have this discomfort and to let go and to trust. It’s important for Wolf to climb a mountain all by himself. And yet, every now and again, I ask myself, “Whose idea was this?!”

One of the biggest fears I have is living a conventional life. And along with that, not providing meaningful or unique experiences for my sons. One of my most important goals is to create, and have, meaningful connections with all, but also each, of my sons (and Jerry, too). This Rite of Passage expedition was part of this effort to create meaningful and unforgettable experiences.

This is not to say this is easy. Today is not easy! For example, it would be much easier for me if Wolf was not climbing a mountain by himself right now! I didn’t sleep last night mainly because I was a nervous wreck, and also questioning whether this whole idea of his solo mountain climb was reckless. Of course I knew this was an intentional trip, and I knew it was a great idea, and yet something about night time and not sleeping caused me tremendous anxiety about this idea.

So I had asked Wolf, again, while sitting at the end of North Lake waiting for enough light to start up, “Do you want to do this? Because I want you to want to do this, and to climb the mountain for you, not for me.”

“Yes, I definitely want to climb the mountain,” he said.

I recalled his eloquent feelings about the mountain climb that he shared last night in camp as we looked and plotted possible routes up the mountain. He had said, “I am excited to the climb the mountain, but my biggest fear is about being alone in a place I don’t yet know or understand. But I think I’ll grow from facing my fear.”

Oh, how I love this kid!

The radio came on and it was Wolf, exclaiming that he was over the summit ridge. “I am over the ridge and I can see the Cirque of the Towers, and it’s amazing!” I told him congrats, and that the sky was clear, so he should take some time up there.

I hiked up a little higher, to the ridge, and for 20-30 minutes I sat on another big rock and meditated. I thought of Wolf, and when he was conceived (in these mountains!), and snapshots went through my mind of our life with him up to the present moment. My mind wandered at least 100 times to the summit and thoughts and concerns about Wolf on the summit, but each time I brought my attention back to my breath – and to MY HEART – and to my thoughts of our Wolf.
W. Wise
O. Original
L. Leader
F. Fun/Funny

A while later, Wolf radioed and asked me to get a photo of the summit because he was standing there with his arms in the air. I couldn’t see him with my naked eyes, but I zoomed in on the summit and snapped a photo.

After an hour or so, he started descending and after a while, we met up. We embraced for an extended time. He was excited and rambling about the sights from the top, and his experience of climbing to the summit, and of being up there all by himself for so long. There were feelings of gratitude, and realizations he had “up there” that he wants do something about upon his return.

After stopping to share 2 chocolate bars, we continued down the mountain and were back at camp by 1 o’clock.

Tired, we retreated to the the tent for a nap. Wolf laid “in my right wing,” like he used to do. As he slept in my arm, I reflected on the young man that Wolf has become. I couldn’t sleep, but I was content just being horizontal and listening to Wolf’s breathing, up close and near to him, similar to how I did when he was in critical care during his first hours and days in the world.

It was peaceful. And perfect.

BTW, I can also hear more than Wolf’s breathing. In fact, there is so much raucous activity around us it’s a wonder that Wolf is sleeping. I don’t know if the birds that are so unwelcoming in this site are Clark’s nutcrackers or Gray Jays – or both! These birds are perched mostly at the tops of pine trees that are towering over our tent and throughout our camp. They fly from one perch to another, and they make a very loud and raucous call to one another. It is rather unwelcoming, and at least for me, unsettling. When they fly over, the ruffling of their feathers is loud and notable. Yet, Wolf sleeps on like a baby.

When these birds swoop over us from tree to tree, making their loud calls, I feel sorry – at least for a moment – to have intruded. It is so obvious by their behavior and calls that we’re not welcome, and that in fact, we’re intruding. Please forgive our trespassing, I say in a whisper, but I’m also sorry to say that we will not moving our camp, so please, deal with us. I try to tune out their great noise to return my attention to listening to Wolf’s breathing. The camp is so alive and loud it is probably not dissimilar to being under the bridge of a freeway, complete with honking horns and sirens all about. But I’m glad we’re in a lively wilderness and not near a freeway.

At 3pm, we get out of the tent and I set up the stove to make my famous epic buttery-fried, cheesy quesadillas. Wolf eats 4 of them, exclaiming often how yummy they are. For my part, I eat 2. We were both hungry, and these sure hit the spot. (And besides, we need to be lightening our loads!)

We sit there, with Mitchell Peak looming, and expansive views, not saying much. Wolf plays some tunes for us on my phone, and individually we write in our journals. I notice Wolf at turns, staring off into the space, deep in thought, and at turns writing fast and furiously in his journal. At turns, I wonder what he’s writing, and at turns, I’m filling the pages of my journal with reflections of the day.

One time, as we both paused from journaling, I said, “If it’s not too much to handle, I should tell you that you were conceived out here in the wilderness.”

“Really?” he asked. Then he was quiet, as if processing what that meant.

“That’s probably why you’re such a natural in the outdoors,” I added.

“That’s cool,” he said, smiling broadly.

We walked down to the outlet of North Lake, to do dishes and refill our water bottles.
On the back to camp, Wolf offered to carry the huge, 2-gallon water jug up the steep hill.
I told him there’s a Zen saying, Chop Wood, Carry Water that means getting back to the basics. I explained it means doing the work, and doing it well. Being mindful even of the simple and sometimes-mundane tasks we must do, that are important even if mundane and routine. He liked that, and asked me to snap a photo of him “carrying water.”

We’re back at camp and chilling in the kitchen area again. This area of our camp is an overlook – a perch for us. It is pure joy for me right now to be hanging out with my oldest son, Wolf, who is a wonderful human being. It is not work to be with him. We sit here, with his mountain, Mitchell Peak, as a backdrop.

I am here right now, and nowhere else. And this place I’m in is JOY. Pure joy.
Thank you to all who are responsible for this epic life of mine. There are many of you responsible, and I am grateful!

As if things can’t get any better, they do. We eat s’mores. Lots of s’mores.
Then, I move over to sit next to Wolf. It’s the perfect set of rocks because it’s like a recliner and we both fit in it. I ask him if I can share some of what I’ve written in my journal, and he says yes. I read from the pages of my journal, and I lose it. I’m overcome with emotion, and once again, I’m in tears. I’m happy crying again as I read the words and reflections of our time so far. He holds my hand, and we squeeze each other, as I stumble through my tears to get the words out that are in my journal. Wolf holds me and makes sure I’m okay. He’s moved too. He also has tears. We hold each other, much like we did when he was a small boy, only this time son is taking care of mom more than mom is taking care of son…

Then, he turns his head to behind us, to the southeast, and he exclaims, “Mom, there’s a rainbow!” And there, over Haystack, Steeple and East Temple peaks is a rainbow. Unbelievable! Both of us reach for our cameras to try and capture the moment forever. Shooting stars in the morning, young boy climbs a mountain all by himself. Mommy survives the “ordeal” and enjoys a meditation that is like turning through the pages and reliving the last 15 years as a mother to young boy. Mother and son cuddle while son naps in tent amidst a camp that is alive with wild critters. Mom and son share intimate details about their individual experiences and journal reflections. We eat s’mores! Then a perfect rainbow appears. Then a double rainbow.
A perfect ending to a perfect day. At some point words just fall short. Like right now.

The next day we sleep until we woke up naturally. No 2:30am alarm. Yeehaw to that! Today is all about leisure and fun.

As the sun rose behind Big Sandy Mountain, it backlit Wolf as he talked to me about girls, starting high school, running, playing piano, his friends, his brothers, and a bunch of things. I relished as my oldest son talked so freely, and I was able to learn more about him and his world.

Around 10am, we left camp to hike with our packrafts and fishing rods to the Clear Lake area. But halfway to Clear Lake, we met three women from Seattle who reported Clear Lake being crowded with some large groups. I suggested to Wolf that we hike instead to Deep Lake, one of the most beautiful places I know of. As usual, Wolf was a trooper.

Once at Deep Lake, we inflated our packrafts and set sail on Deep Lake. We floated under massive granite mountains called Haystack, Steeple and East Temple peaks. And, we could see Mitchell Peak and the Cirque of the Towers over yonder.

After floating for over an hour, we docked our rafts on a slab of granite on the shore, and got out our journals. (Wolf and I are a lot alike. We both love to read, journal and capture photos, and we both seek out, and enjoy, pockets of solitude)

From my Journal – Sat., Aug. 15, 2015:
While sitting here on the shore of Deep Lake, we had what Wolf fondly referred to as some “Deep Talks.”

Deep Talk #1: Wolf asked me, “When I was conceived here, how did you get me to the hospital?” At this, I laughed out loud. I told him he wasn’t delivered in the wilderness. We conceived him in the wilderness. “You know – you were “made” here. You were formed and created out here.” To this, he gasped, and then laughed. He had misunderstood me the day before when I mentioned he was conceived out here. He thought I meant he was born out here. “Big difference!” I said. “We wouldn’t be so irresponsible as to require a search and rescue helicopter to deliver you. We laughed. The more he processed what conceived meant, the less he wanted to know… 😉

Deep Talk #2: After a little bit of fishing, with no luck, we both returned to our journaling. As he sat there writing, I looked off to Mitchell Peak, and wondered to myself about the coming months and years, and how as Wolf gets older and more independent, I’ll be less able to keep him safe. This gave me an idea for what this rite of passage was really about for me, and if agreed, for us.

I asked Wolf if there were promises we could make to each other as a result of this mother-son rite of passage experience. I suggested that I would like to promise him that “I will trust you more, from this day forward, as you get older and I’m less able to keep you safe. But this will be hard for me,” I said. “It would be easier for me to trust you if you could make me a promise that you won’t be reckless – and that you won’t get too close to the edge.” I told him, using yesterday’s mountain climb as a metaphor, what I mean is that I want to trust and support him to climb tall mountains in his life — to be daring and to do things that are hard but that will generate more aliveness for him, and cause him to become more and better than he was before… but that I need to know that in the process, he won’t be reckless about it, and that he won’t get too close to the edge.

I shared examples of what I would see as examples in real life of being reckless and getting too close to the edge.

So I said, “Wolf, I promise I will trust you more and begin to let go more, from this day forward.” And he responded, “And I promise I will not be reckless or get too close to the edge.”

These promises to each other, as mother and son, mark the “rite of passage” part of our adventure.

I let this sink in for both of us.

As I did, I recalled in my mind, Kahlil Gibran’s “On Children” from The Prophet:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Then, Wolf laughed, again remarking at how great it was to have these “deep talks” at Deep Lake. We both agreed we would not forget this conversation.

We noticed big clouds developing above us behind Temple Peak. So we quickly deflated and packed our rafts and our bags and starting descending toward Clear Lake. It thundered behind us and we moved quickly to get lower and into the forest. We had wanted to cast a line in Clear Lake – to catch that fish for Pa-Grandpa – but with the thunder and wind, we hiked briskly past the lake and started descending toward Big Sandy Lake.

Once at Big Sandy Lake, the clouds gave way to blue sky, but only above Big Sandy. We could see dark developing clouds over our camp above, so Wolf suggested we try fishing at Big Sandy Lake. “It’s blue sky over us now. It’s a sign. We should at least try,” he said.

We fished for 10 minutes, to no avail. We didn’t spot a single fish and the water was a little rough. Still, it was a nice, sunny break, and if nothing else, we had tried.

We loaded our packs on again and started the 500-foot-vertical-feet-grunt back to our camp.
Once at camp, I made “Mommy’s famous Epic pancakes” for dinner. Tons of them. Wolf snarfed several of them enthusiastically, and I was right there with him, snarfing epic pancakes.

Then, we walked down to the watering hole to do dishes and refill our water bottles. We were spying small brook trout every time we refilled, so Wolf asked to bring his rod and try one more time to catch a fish in honor of Pa-Grandpa’s birthday. Lo and behold, after about 10 minutes of teasing the fish with a fly, he caught one! We snapped a quick photo, sent out a salute to Pa-Grandpa, and then let it loose.

Back at camp, I shared the poem, IF, by Rudyard Kipling. As I hoped would happen, Wolf loved it. It really resonated for him. So much so that he asked me to video capture him reading it with Mitchell Peak in the background. I video’d him reading IF, and listening to him recite the poem, in our camp, was dream-like. (If you’re interested, the video is at the end of this post)

Then, we each did some writing in our journals. A few minutes into it, Wolf started crying. I asked him if he was okay, and he walked over to me and embraced me, and said, “Thanks Mom. I am just so happy. Thank you for everything.”

I told him it is an honor and a privilege to be his mother, and I thanked him for being him. I remarked at how I can still remember, so vividly, the first time I met him, “and now look at you. And look at us!”

We made a small fire and finished off our s’mores. How else can we wrap up our last night of the expedition?!

I think to myself: It doesn’t get any better than this.

Throughout this adventure, whenever I have complimented Wolf on his hiking, or what a great young man or leader he is, he has often responded by saying, “Thank you. I get it from my great parents.” Or, “I get it from my epic mom.”

Here’s what I know right now: The part of me that is the best version of me as a Mother… I get that from Wolf, (and also from Hayden and Fin.)

So at the end of today’s hike, when I complimented him on another great day, and he responded by saying, “Thanks, I get it from my great parents,” I responded by saying, “Wolf, I get a lot from you, too.”

I thought back to the goals we shared as we started down the trail, and felt good, like we got what we came for. Wolf grew. I grew. We grew. And we had a lot of fun, too. I will never forget our adventure.

When we entered the tent for our last night at camp, Wolf fell asleep almost immediately. I, on the other hand, had a mind that wouldn’t turn off.

One of the biggest struggles I have, on an almost daily basis, is wondering if I’m a good mom, and worrying about whether I’m a good enough mom. This isn’t unique to me. I know from all of the women in my life, personal and professional, that we struggle with whether we’re good enough. Men, also, have these struggles. I know because I work with men and women who struggle often with their inner critic(s), often times in the context of their role as a parent.
As I lay there with Wolf sleeping in my right wing, in our tight quarters of a tent, I feel something I don’t often feel – proud of myself. Not only proud of myself, but proud of myself as a mom.

I have had lots of ideas in my life, and many of them have been good ones. But this mother-son Rite of Passage expedition was one of my best ideas, ever.

Thank you so much for reading and sharing in this particular journey with me.

Here’s the video of Wolf reading the poem, IF:

• Categories: Adventure, Family, Life and Leadership
• Tags: backpacking, epic adventure, mother son, motherhood, parenting, rite of passage
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