A couple weeks ago my friend, Jen Saunders, asked me if I would like to help escort Delma to the top of Table Rock. Delma is 71 years old and has always wanted to do this hike. She even had it scheduled when she was in her thirties, but a storm canceled her plan. Then life got in the way and it never happened. At 71 Delma decided to make it happen!
Table Rock is not just an 11 mile hike. The top sits at over 11,000 feet! To get there, you climb straight up a mountain; over 1000 feet of elevation per mile for 4 miles! Then, after the great reward of the Teton views, you still aren’t done. You have another 7 miles back on a less steep, but very technical downhill trail.
We set out with Delma at 6:00 in the morning, and over THIRTEEN HOURS later, Delma completed her goal! I wish I could share every amazing experience we witnessed along the way; the look of determination on her face when things got tough, when she fell a couple times and got right back up and carried on, the moment she reached the top, how she knelt down and thanked her Heavenly Father for so many things, how the biggest complaint she issued was, “I’m ready to be done.” I could go on and on, but I’ll wrap it up by saying that Delma has serious grit and determination. It was inspiring to watch, and I’m honored that I got to be part of her day.
The really great thing to me is not that she made it to the top (although that was awesome), but that at 71 years old, she had the courage to give it a try, and take the first step. She reaffirmed to me exactly how I want to be at that age.
* Bonus- We had to walk right past a beautiful mamma moose with twin babies, and we saw 4 bears! It was a rad day!
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| 6:00am start time in the dark. |
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| Climbing up the face trail is no joke. |
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| A hand up the really steep part. The pictures just don't capture how steep it was. |
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| We met another 71 year old lady hiking up it with her daughter! She had done it many times. She gave Delma some encouraging words, and carried on. Fun to see so many ladies out there living life to the fullest! |
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| This is the point on the trail where you can first see Table Rock, and you realize how far you have to go to get there. |
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| Delma kicked butt through the rock field. However, she kept looking up and wondering how she was going to get to the top. We assured her there was a trail, but told her to just focus on where she was right at the moment. |
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| This is the hardest part of the climb. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little worried about it. This ended up being where Delma did the best! She would set a goal spot to make it to, then start walking, and not stop until she reached the spot. I was so impressed! |
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| There is a little bit of rock scrambling to get to the very top. I was nervous about this part too. Once again, Delma handled it like a champ! |
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| She made it! This was a really great moment! |
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Jen and I were talking and when we turned back around, we noticed that Delma was on her knees saying a prayer of gratitude to her Heavenly Father. What a humbling thing to witness.
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| We were a great team! |
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| 😂😂😂 |
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| On the way down, we passed a mamma moose with twin babies! I see moose all the time, but this one just seemed so pretty and healthy looking. |
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| With about a mile and a half left in the hike, we had a bear walk right past us! It was so cool! I stayed totally calm and just said, "Um, there's a bear." I pulled out my bear spray, but it wasn't the least bit interested in us. We ended up seeing 4 bears that day. One on the drive in leading to the trailhead, this one on the trail, and two on the drive out, in a meadow. |
Another great day in the mountains!
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