The Kepler Trail Team
Today i want to tell you a little bit about each of the team that came to Kepler with us, because it seems like many of us don’t go ahead and try things like this adventure; not because we don’t want to, but because we don’t think we can. Everyone has their “stuff”, and our Kepler trekkers are no exception.
Each and every participant that comes on our adventures has something to over come, and they’re all like you! So if it’s insecurity, self doubt, or fear holding you back – IntoYou’s adventures are the place to overcome it.
Kass had knee surgery a year ago. She signed up from the hospital. It was her 4th knee injury and she had only just rehab’d enough to start walking again when we started training. The training was HARD too! I asked the team to be able to do 15km, two days in a row, before starting the training for this trip because we were going to start loading them from the start. Kass had a much steeper training curve than most, and made it to the end in pain, but with an amazing attitude. I wasn’t surprised, though, as she had come to Annapurna with us just 6 weeks after one of her earlier knee surgeries!
FAB Fiona broke her foot a year ago, and yes, it was in the gym. She was couch-ridden for weeks and to this day walks with a limp when she wakes up, despite months of rehab, mobilising, physio, and more. She has embraced the challenges with such a wonderful, open mind, that it isn’t surprising that she has accomplished everything she set out to do. She was always up for a laugh, even when she was in pain, and just kept putting one foot in front of the other… and look at her now!
Rocket Rod had such a wonderful time on the Milford Sound track that he came back and signed up for Kepler, despite it raining the entire period of his Milford experience! He’s Clare’s dad, an ex-athlete, and doesn’t have the same confidence issues that the rest of us might struggle with. However he has come back from a debilitating illness, and managed the annoyance of plantar fasciitis to complete this trip – as I said, all of us have “stuff” (except perhaps for Jen).
Amazing Jen is neither old, chronically ill, overweight, or suffering from self doubt. She does however, have frequent daytime naps – and i am certain that this is the fountain of health! She’s the exception and that’s part of why we call her amazing Jen! She’s had her fair share of “stuff” through the years, and the best analogy I have is her Mary Poppins bag. Right now, she always has just the thing in that bag, however she had to pack and discard an awful lot of sh*t to get the hang it. She’s adventurous, interesting, and fun, and 100% not interested in what someone else thinks..
Brave Dave has been on many of these trips, and throughout the years has managed obesity, surgery, and the physical recovery from the surgeries. This time is no different except that the challenge is looking after a loved one at home who is being treated for a life threatening illness. He’s brave, nurturing, and a stoic support for all who walk with him.
Justine came to this program with a shoulder injury, and after a shattering personal event. She’s been nothing but reliable, fun, and cheeky despite a few days of severe pain. She tried so hard to teach us how to use radio’s properly but she’s either a terrible teacher, or we have problems with our brains, and the outcome was no one really learned. Justine also came to Nepal with us in 2018, which was an ordeal (to say the least), and you can read about here!
I didn’t really know Ali until this trip, but in our training she was fun, a fast walker, and now that I think of it, she always had exceptionally pretty hair. She has taken time out from a demanding, high pressure corporate job to be here, and while the digital detox was challenging, it was also a blessed relief. I also learned that her silky strands stay silky even at the top of a mountain with several days sweat…
Cindi is also neck deep in stressful life events, yet has hardly missed a training session. She’s a single mum, working full time, and the rock of her family. As our “camp mum” she’s been doling out massages, hugs, and support, while juggling the mental stresses of what’s going on at home. She’s positive, resilient, and always has time for others.
Carol owns her own, very successful business, is a mum to four boys (now men), and still manages to mountain bike, hike, and adventure all over Australia and the world. She’s a little hurricane of energy! Carol also came to Nepal 5yrs ago, you can meet her further here and read those adventures here.
This trip was Karla’s first sporting adventure as well. Karla has always been sporty, and has carried a deep resentment to the “pretty, popular” girl at highschool for campaigning and winning Sports Captain despite never participating in sport at the school. However Karla was still terrified of the unknown, and the prospect of this adventure was daunting. She’s had sore feet, sore muscles, sore brains, but she’s also maintained a steady, supportive, and bubbly attitude that has endeared her to the whole group. In fact, she has multiple social engagements over here, going for a cup of tea with one group, a coffee with another, a bailies with another, and so on. It is not hard to see why she always has a lunch, dinner, or brunch engagement at home!
Which brings me to me. Whenever I get home from these adventures, I meet a variety of people, old and young, fit and not-so-fit, who say “gee I’d love to do that”. When asked why they don’t, they usually come up with a variety of reasons akin to what our team above is dealing with right at this moment:
“I’m not fit enough”
“I’m not strong enough”
“I hurt my foot”
“I need to be here for my kids/mum/loved one”
“I can’t leave my business”
“I’m too old”
and so on… All of these reasons are valid, but if you really did want to do something, they are also possible to overcome. I look to people like Turia Pitt, who learned to run again after horrific burns. She literally overcame one obstacle at a time – she doesn’t sweat, so how is she going to off load heat when she runs? Her burns are really right around her joints, so how is she going to mobilise the skin, tendons, and ligaments to make the running action possible? and so on.
People will say to me “yeah, but you’ve always been fit” and that’s true. However I have also had a bowel resection (and recovered from it), removed a tumour that weighed half a kilo and was the size of a grapefruit (and recovered from that surgery), experienced three hernias (and surgery, and recovery), prolapse, stress incontinence, ruptured discs in my spine, and mental illness. Sometimes multiples of these at once.
To be here, on this trip this week, I had to manage care for my children, an inflammatory bowel condition (and the consequences when I got it wrong), a back injury, and plantar fasciitis; one step at a time.
So, if you would reeeaaaallllyyy like to do something like this, believe me, you CAN. We simply need time, persistence, and a bit of mental agility. All of the reasons why you can’t do it might be true, but they’re simultaneously NOT reasons why you can’t come along; they’re simply blocks, or hurdles, that we need to overcome to make it possible for you.
Now, you’ve got a few weeks to let that settle.
We’ll probably be going to Nepal again next year, and details will follow in the coming weeks.
Are you ready to give it a crack?
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