Wild + Free San Bernardino June Events

Here are our June events. Find us on Facebook for more details.

Twilight Hike: Caroline Park

Last night my oldest son and I took a twilight hike at Caroline Park in Redlands, California. It wasn't a very long hike, but we had fun. The park has a few flat areas, but there are defiantly some hills. It was a pretty quiet park tucked into a residential area on the side of a hill. The paths are all dirt, they are good for hiking/walking,  mountain biking, and trail running. 

We would of been home shortly after our hike had I not lost my keys. I will never go hiking again without either a D-Ring for my keys or wearing one of my Macabi Skirts. I have gotten so spoiled with deep pockets, and a zippered key pocket. I hike in skirts, I almost exclusively wear skirts, if not I am wearing a dress. This is just who I am. For being obese I feel pretty lucky I can do these hikes without too much difficulty. Admittedly they are rated easy to moderate. My limits have been pushed, but that it what I need since part of the reason I started hiking again it to purge negative thoughts and emotions. Life with PTSD and anxiety is sometimes very hard for me. Sometimes I can go on like nothing in the world can hold me back, other times I find the thought of getting off the couch to go to the bathroom to be overwhelming. Nature has always made me feel in the presence of God and I feel I need to be in HIS presence more often than not lately. 

Coram Deo

The Saturday of Three Hikes (In Pictures)

McKInley Firebreak Trail

Perris Hill Park Trail

Oak Glen Preserve 

Volunteering In The San Gorgonio Wilderness

 I am trying to challenge myself to do things I have always want to, and this new round of anxiety has kept me from doing. Of course it is scary and I often try and talk myself out of doing new things. Marking things off of lists make me feel like, when I am done what will be next? Now I have come to realize, whatever I want can be next.
I have always loved the wilderness and nature in general. Maybe it's growing up and my stepdad taking us camping and fishing, maybe it's the draw of my favorite saint (St. Francis of Assisi.) Being outdoors has always been something I enjoy, however the heat now bothers me, which is crazy since I grew up in the desert. In the summers we would play outside in the heat, as I got older I would go on walks in the middle of the day and not even think twice about it, even rode horses. As a teenager I still rode horses, and even walked around and in a leather jacket. The cool desert evenings were nice to walk in and gaze up at the stars.
When I left at 18 I got to experience a different kind of climate. I went to bootcamp in South Carolina, there were swamps and trees. It was a different kind of wilderness than the mountains, lakes, and desert sands of my youth. I grew to appreciate and respect it in my short time there. When I was in North Carolina, it was a similar kind of wild outdoors that was in South Carolina. In my time not doing military things I was able to explore the town and nearby towns. It was amazing, when I moved there later my husband and I would walk in the woods surrounding the trailer park we lived in. When he was at work, I often explored in my own. I loved the peace of being alone in the wild. What I didn't love about being in the wild, whether it was California, Kansas, Texas or the Carolina's was the trash and messes people would leave.  There was not much respect, mostly the messes were made by young kids, teens, and drunk college kids. People unaware or never taught why we must respect the wild and why.
I was taught my example by my stepdad, being in the Marines, and just by studying about St. Francis of Assisi and his love of nature. A love that was respectful.
I found out about the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association in the past few years. Honestly, I did not know they had a volunteer component until I read up more on them. Volunteering is something I learned to love in high school. My first high school was Banning High School, and us Broncos had many volunteer opportunities. In the Environmental Club we even got to plant some trees once, of course this was in 1991 or so. Things like that have always had an impact on me.
The San Gorgonio Wilderness is my area to volunteer, and hopefully I can help kids learn about respecting nature and maybe one day volunteering with the group. Now I just need to get my First Aid/CPR so I can start.

Adventure in Faith: St. Padre Pio Relics

Today we ventured from San Bernardino, California to Pasadena, California. I found out a couple weeks ago that St. Padre Pio's relics, or a few of them would be on display for veneration at various places around the United States and St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church was the closets and doable as far as driving distance goes. When you're oldest in graduating, your budget is tight. 

We got there and there was what seemed like an okay sized line, and no shade. Well, little did I know that the line was longer than it appeared, and my anxiety started to get the best of me. Between the heat and my worry, the crowd, and fear that something awful was going to happen I almost talked my way out of making into the church. This is what anxiety does to a person. I had been counting down the days to go, to be in the presence of his relics. I have a connection to him since as long as I can remember. His stigmata spoke to me. Since I was a small child, during times of extreme emotional distress I would get pains in the middle of palms of my hands, and on the tops occasionally. I never know why. When I was about eight or nine I saw an episode of Unsolved Mysteries with him in it, and I thought to myself he must know what Ia m going through. Jesus knows my worries. No, I do not think my pains are stigmata and I never started bleeding. I will say at that young age I was worried about bleeding.

When I started my catechism classes my teacher Sr. Irene gave me a book on Padre Pio. I thought it was coincidental. She also gave me a book called Dinosaur Divorce. My parents had been divorced for roughly five years, but it still bothered me. I was 10 when I made my First Holy Communion. She told me one day Padre Pio would be a Saint, and I agreed. I never told her about my hand pains. She prayed a lot with me though, and I wanted to grow up and be a nun like her only not as grouchy. She was old, but she loved teaching all of us wild kids, mostly from homes of divorce.

When we got into the parish, my eyes welled up knowing I could possibly see his glove. There was a glove there that he worse to cover his stigmata, it was fingerless. Overwhelmed with anxiety from the crowd, and overwhelmed with the presence of the Holy Spirit I felt like I was going to pass out. My body got hot and tears welled up in my eyes. This was probably not the day to wear eyeliner, my mind tried talking me out of making my way to the relics but lots of Hail Mary's and fanning got me through. It probably helps that St. Padre Pio is the Patron Saint of Stress Relief. He must of intercessed for me. Tanni was in front of me, and although she is only four she seemed to know how special this occasion was. I got to see, and through glass touch his glove. We saw another relic and I left full of emotion. 

Tanni left with a glow in the dark rosary a lady gave her after she prayed the whole rosary with her, and I think we all left a little better. No kids arguing or crying on the way home. It was a peaceful ride, and we ate Del Taco. 

While battling anxiety as bad as I have had it these past few years, I let it keep me from my faith amongst other things. Life can not be lived giving into fear.

More on Padre Pio: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=311

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Essentials For Hiking

What to put in your pack.

First Aid Kit*Lighting*Waterproof Jacket*Hydration*Hat*Waterproof Matches*Compass*Water Purification*Multitool/Knife*Waterproof bag

These are items that should always been in your pack. I will do another post at another time aboout additional items you may need depending on your trip.

PS Always carry a map of where you are.

Mostly Home

All pictures are from my home. We stayed home today except when we were busy picking up the high schoolers, medications, husband from work, and a short stop at the park. We are working on some serious mental health issues with one of our kids who for some reason keeps having issues with med refills. This time this child went into crisis mode and we almost had to hospitalize until the psychiatrist office intervened. Thank God! It's not something as a family we take lightly. We are trying to find ways to make time for outside as it's helpful for all of our mental, physical, and spiritual health.

With the weather going back up to normal May Southern California temps I am trying to plan our outside adventures better. Even though I was born and raised here I have developed a sensitivity to the heat. A few of my kids are the same way, nobody needs to get sick just to explore. Thank God for the mountains. 

I feel like I am getting a cold and do not have time for that. I just want to feel better all the way around. My husband went and grabbed me some unhealthy treats to cheer me up, some sugar free candies and diet orange soda. Today I spent a lot of time looking for my FitBit watch band, it has disappeared. If all else fails I will order this next payday. 

Dia de Las Madres Hike

 

Today I took my kids and my dog on a hike. It was pretty fun, but challenging for some of my kids. It wasn't strenuous challenging, it was the more like a fear of heights thing. The three who were scared worked through it and the decent down was easier. It's a good thing to challenge yourself, even as a child. I still get nervous sometimes with heights.

6 kids

1 dog

1 mom 

1.02 mi (started my tracker late)

26.12 minutes

Urban Hike to Patton State Hospital

I

.62 miles 13.58 minutes Just Me