On this Mother’s Day, it seems meet and right to honor all the different kinds of trail moms out there: biological, cosmological, or otherwise. Over the last 47 years, I’ve been blessed to behold trail moms of all kinds who have made my trail life richer, sweeter, and fuller. So here’s a nod to all you Madres del Sendero out there.
Thanks to the logistical geniuses who expertly arrange sleeping bags, coolers, and tents in the backs of station wagons, SUVs, and Honda Accords, while managing not to forget toothbrushes, stuffed animals, and sunscreen. You even managed to pack the snacks within reach of a buckled child, and you consistently and miraculously produced tweezers, bandages, and liquid IV from a hip pouch during a hike. C-17 Loadmasters have nothing on you.
Thanks to the culinary magicians who can whip up homemade GORP (Good Ole Raisins and Peanuts) tailored to each person by expanding the acronym to include craisins, mango, cashews, and butterscotch pieces. You can turn a Mountain House gut bomb into a delightful dinner with the addition of a few fresh herbs that you hauled 11 miles through two river crossings, and you never forget the smores, whether it’s roasting marshmallows over the log cabin campfire you built or a Jetboil flame, thus sacrificing the butane you had saved for your morning coffee.
Thanks to the leadership gurus whose Excel packing lists are the stuff of Disney legend, whose trail research makes each hike feel like a ranger-led program, and whose interactions with noisy neighbors, bureaucratic apparatchiks, and rattlesnakes demonstrate a remarkable bal- ance of confidence, grace, and prudence.
Thanks to the high adventure guides who push us a little further, luring our little legs to the scenic overlook with the promise of more M&Ms. You pull us a little higher by letting us bring school friends along on our assault of Enchanted Rock, and you take us a little deeper into the wilderness by giving of your time and money to make sure we see the Grand Canyon, Old Faithful, or the Chisos Basin.
To all you moms out there who plant the love of trails in our hearts by reading us Hatchet, Little House on the Prairie, and The Wind and the Willows—thank you. To all you moms out there who made adventure possible by giving up your weekends to be a troop leader, a mentor, or a chaperone—thank you. To all you moms out there who are there for us on the trail whenever we scrape a knee, break up with a romantic interest, or just need someone to listen—thank you. To all you moms out there who show us what a strong, confident, competent, vulnerable, humble, graceful, kind, and fun trail guide looks like, even as you try to figure it out on the fly—thank you. Thanks for being our trail mom, and we can’t wait to get back out there with you for the rest of our lives!
