It’s springtime and Earth Day! It has been a year since I embarked on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) from the southern terminus at the US and Mexico Border. Last spring, I made it to Cuba, New Mexico, then had to leave the trail due to a foot injury.
Previously, in June 2024, I wrote:
Although I feel frustrated, having a consistent [physical] therapist, a home base, and structure to my day and week helps me stay grounded. It allows me to trust that I am getting better and will get back on my feet when the time is right. It’s not just yet.
After 10 months since then, the time has come! I benefited from rigorous physical therapy while I visited my family in Tokyo for a few months in the summer of 2024 and early 2025. I learned that the root cause of my foot problem was from impingement of my right shoulder and hip, which I likely had for a while, leading to a slight abnormal gait. My physical therapist mentioned that it would take me at least a year to learn the correct way to walk; however, he said, “Good enough to go. You’re ready.”
He assured me that I would be okay. I am relieved and excited. At the same time, I am not as confident as I was a year ago. I am nervous! My body is also going through menopause, which significantly impacts sleep quality, joint flexibility, muscle recovery, and many other functions of our being. I am learning to collaborate with my new body and reminding myself that a willingness to take time, slow down, and concede is a skill.
I will be resuming the CDT journey from Cuba, New Mexico, where I left last year, soon, since the snow level in the San Juan Mountains in Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado is below average this year.
I look forward to another season of freedom to explore our beautiful planet!
Appreciation: I have had many people who have supported me since I left the trail, and I am very grateful for their generosity and kindness. With their help, I could focus on healing and planning to resume my trip. Special thanks to my family in Tokyo for their support, to Bhavana for her friendship and the sweet home she shared with me, Kelly and Francis for offering help to ship my resupply boxes, and Beverly and Brian for providing me with storage space, all of my trail angels who are willing to help me on the trail for their support: Zoë, Carrie, Ben, Liz, Kenzie, Beth, and Ava.
Best learning: Hormones control so many functions of our being! After my injury, I developed joint pain in my wrist and hands out of the blue and started having poor sleep in the summer of 2024. I sought out different medical care, but none worked until my sister mentioned that she had something similar after giving birth to her daughter and said, “Maybe you’re going through menopause.” After testing my estrogen level from the blood test, my doctor confirmed this, and she put me on HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) to ease these symptoms. Within a week or two, my sleep got better, and my joint pain went away. I had no idea how the sudden drop in our hormones impacts our body so much. I am still learning about this new phase of my life, and I’m curious to know how I do on the trail!
Challenges: As we get older, our ability to heal also slows down. The biggest challenge is to accept the process and stick with the discipline to care for healing.
Disappointment: My foot doesn’t feel 100%.
Exciting moments: The time I had with my family in Tokyo and Bhavana was precious. I cherish every day moments of life, which include laughter, tears, warm meals, acts of service out of love, and good conversations. Being part of my niece’s first camping trip in Japan in the summer, watching murmuration with Bhavana and her son as our evening rituals in Petaluma in the fall, going on my sister’s family vacation in Maui in the winter, and seeing cherry blossoms in Tokyo in the spring are some of the specific exciting moments.
