This isn’t going to be popular, but…
My first official baby-step towards realizing my goal of hiking the 173-mile Tahoe Rim Trial is to get David on the phone with the National Park Service to get the lowdown on Nevada’s and California’s gun carry requirements. Spilled the controversial beans already…
Now, I know that guns are a hot topic, so please don’t go off on me just yet. I’m one of those law-abiding citizens who jumped through all the proper hoops in Tennessee to legally carry a handgun. And, the objective of any goal is to accomplish said goal while staying within the bounds of one’s value system. And this is within mine.
One of the key things you often have to do is work intentionally to lower the barriers to entry for yourself in relationship to a goal. If there is something that is stopping you out, you have to find a way to ease yourself into it, or something to sooth a fear. So, like it or not, I had to find a way to ease my mind that I can take care of myself in the case of badly behaved 2- or 4-legged animals.
Since the loop is half in California, half in Nevada, we figured we need to get in touch with the National Park Service to find out about the guns laws. Oh, and to ask about permits for the Desolation Wilderness while he had someone on the phone – might as well tick one more checkbox on my list.
What David found out from the Park Service:
He found out quite a few things for me…
-Open carry is permissible anywhere on the TRT
-Through hikers are not part of the Desolation Wilderness permit quota – I do have to get a permit, but there is no quota on the through hikers – they can only issue that pass 14 days ahead of me entering the Desolation Wilderness portion – Dave can apply for it for me and hand it to me along the way. It was suggested that I not say that I’m stopping and coming out at any point along the way. I do have to have a permit anywhere along the trail to have a fire, even a camp stove – I get that from California – I need to do an online search and print it out to have with me.
And the result of taking this one step, I have more clarity, more comfort, more confidence; not like “oh, yeah, I’ve totally got this” level of confidence, but the confidence to take the next tiny, incremental step along my path. I’m getting the smallest hints of momentum.
As I was writing this, I got all teary-eyed. I recognized that there is no substitute in life for the people who you can count on to cheer you on to become the best version of yourself. I have a hubby who is frightened for me, and is still willing to get on the phone with the Park Service to nail down some information for me, for us – that will make us both feel more comfortable about this trip.
Whatever your feelings are about guns, for me, it represents my right to protect the only real thing I have of true value – my life. So, he called to see if I can carry (I have my conceal carry license in TN), and I can open carry along the entire route. It’s funny how nailing down just one little piece of the puzzle, a key piece, has already made this venture seem now conceptually do-able. Wow!! This is the thing – with each piece you tackle, each bit of capacity you put under your belt, the more confidence you gain to tackle the next bit.
It’s funny all the things you grapple with mentally. To me, 173 miles through the wilderness is HUGE. But, I think of other people I read about, and it’s a joke, so I start beating myself up – isn’t that crazy!?!? The thing is, we all start where we start, and stretching yourself and your comfort zone all begins from right where you are, right now.
And there’s no shame – the person who has the guts to push themselves into new territory should give themselves all the credit in the world. Because that’s how you build yourself, and that’s the foundation for building out a life that you love, a life that surprises even YOU that it’s so incredible (I have a tendency to look at my own memories and pictures now, when I need a lift, b/c I see that I’ve built a life that thrills my soul – I’m my own aspirational/inspirational character – sometimes I do have to pinch myself!)
I’ve sprinkled some pics from our little hike out on the TRT today – a taster for what I hope is to come!!
Smarter-Not-Harder U 