“I just read your 5/30 update about Golden. Besides the fact that we live here, there are many specific connections from your post to share with you! If you are still here, we would love to see you tonight or tomorrow morning. We are actually leaving town tomorrow afternoon to fly to New Zealand and Australia for the rest of the summer, so hopefully a quick visit can work out,” said Casey, my friend and former NatureBridge co-worker, over a Facebook message. 

Since I came to Golden to tend to my injury, I have been experiencing so many serendipitous moments. When I read her message, I thought here is another one. I haven’t seen Casey and Matt, her husband and my friend, for years! I knew they were in Colorado but had no idea that they lived in Golden. What a chance that Casey read my blog post a day before they left the country!

A week before I received Casey’s message, I reached out to Wendy and Morgan, my friends in Boulder, if I could stay at their place when Carrie came back from her vacation. Boulder is 30 minutes away from Golden. Morgan works in Golden and he commutes to Golden a few days a week so I could get a ride with him. There is also a bus between Golden and Boulder. They said of course I could stay with them, giving me a sense of ease.

Two days before Carrie returned from her vacation, Jen, who gave me a ride to Eric’s home in Denver, asked to meet me at the Golden Farmers Market. I told her that I would move to Boulder unless I got lucky to find a host in Golden. “I have a house and I have an extra room. You can stay with me. No problem.” I couldn’t believe it. Jen has a cat and I am allergic to cats so that may be the only issue. That evening, while I was at the party that Eric and Matt hosted in Denver, I received a message from Casey. I messaged Casey back and said, “I’m in Denver tonight. I don’t have a car so I’m spending the night here. I’ll get back to Golden ASAP tomorrow morning.” Casey messaged me and said, “We can pick you up in Denver and bring you back to Golden. We could do that either tonight or tomorrow morning, whichever you prefer.”  

An hour later, we were riding in a car together back to Golden. Casey had so many interesting things to share. First, Andrea, my PT, was the therapist that Matt was seeing when he hurt his shoulder last year. He also praised Andrea and her excellent ability to assess and treat his injury. Second, Casey saw me while I was hitchhiking at a local supermarket on May 31st. “I was turning into the parking lot and saw a hitchhiker at the bus station. This person had a Cotopaxi backpack and looked like a hiker and oddly on crutches. I thought I wanted to check out this person.” She went shopping first and by the time she came by the bus station, they were gone. Casey said, “When I read your blog, I thought, oh my god, that was Miho!” She continued to share how she ended up reading my blog post. Her parents were in town and that prompted her to share my website with them. They live in West Glacier and Casey was telling them that when I get to Glacier National Park where CDT ends, they could support me. “I wanted to show them your blog posts so they have ideas on where you are and when to reach out to you,” said Casey. For some reason, the blog post wasn’t loading so she gave up and forgot about it. That evening she reached out to me, she finished packing for New Zealand and sat down on her couch with her phone. “It rarely happens. I am always getting ready till the last minute. But I was done packing so I was looking at my phone. I never closed the browser of your blog post and it was loading. I read it and learned that you are still in Golden.” She immediately messaged me after she read my blog. So, there we were. Connected. Catching up. A miracle. Another serendipitous moment.

On the car ride, I asked them how they felt about having me stay at their place while they were gone. The next morning, Casey asked me to come over and they walked me through their apartment. Matt asked, “Do you want a car?” They have a SmartCar, an electric vehicle, that they use for commuting. He showed me how to use it and gave me a key. “This will help you get around easier, especially going to PT,” said Matt. I still like riding FlexRide and having a vehicle as my option has been very helpful. 

I stayed with Jen for a few days and I started having an allergic reaction to her cat so I moved out of Jen’s place to Matt and Casey’s apartment. Since then, it has already been two weeks, and almost a month since I started physical therapy with Andrea. 

These past four weeks went by so quickly although my days are very simple. There are ups and downs as is for any injury recovery. Last week, I was feeling better so Andrea directed me for a trial hike three days in a row. At the end of my third day, I was in pain and thought there was no way for me to get back on the trail on June 30th, the timeline that Molly, My PA-C, gave me a month ago. For the next three days, I was limping again and in a lot of pain, feeling down and disappointed. When I saw Andrea yesterday, she assured me that I didn’t re-injure myself. “Remember, you were in a boot and on crutches three weeks ago,” said Andrea. Although I feel frustrated, having a consistent therapist, 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. 

Appreciation: Andrea for doing everything she can to help me heal and get back on the trail, Matt and Casey for letting me stay at their apartment, Jen for offering her extra room for me to stay, Mike at the Community Center for inviting me to meet Japanese group in Golden, FlexRide drivers for being friendly and daily conversation to check in with me.

Best learning: Accept what I cannot control and cherish what I can control. I don’t always get what I want – this is part of life. Although I feel disappointed and sad about not being able to return to the trail on June 30th, having a structure in my life in Golden helps me stay focused on making the best out of this time.

Challenges: Myself. Self-doubt is the biggest obstacle to the healing journey. I can see a spiral down to the dark place. Catching myself and staying above the spiral the moment I see myself falling into it.

Disappointment: My body is not ready to hit the trail on June 30th.

Exciting moments: When Matt and Casey reached out to me and we had a chance to see each other right before they left the country. Seeing wildflowers and wildlife during my trial hike on North Table Mountain.