So far

So far, there will be 5 other brave women joining me on my Birthday Hike to celebrate 7 decades on this crazy place we call Earth.

This is a huge surprise for me. I know all of the gals from the gym at one time or another. Two of the ladies are going to do the MammothMarch at the end of June which is a sponsored and paid event in South Central Wisconsin. The hike is 20 miles to be completed in at least 8 hours. Not a race, just a day of hiking with others. MammothMarches are held in most of all the lower 48 states that I know of.

I don't want to pay a big chunk money right now for a trip, the hotel room, the entrance fee for a t-shirt and a badge or goodies they are giving out. I figured to do this on my own and celebrate privately. I'm not a huge fan of fanfare or crowds. 

I feel quite blessed in life to have 5 women to join me on this crazy hike. The two that are doing the MammothMarch next month in Wisconsin. They are experienced hikers for the 4 to 5 mile range so this is a test for them.

One gal has never really hiked before so I'll be making sure she is okay. 
[I showed the newby a hydration pack, she was going to use one of those string back packs and put her water in it. The strings would eat up her shoulders so I sent her to the store to grab a hydration pack.]

Another one who is a new person to hiking asked what she thought was a dumb question. What happens if I have to go pee or ????

Bring TP and a baggy to collect your TP. Leave no trace. Not a dumb question.

Good shoes that are ready for the trail. There are plenty of rocks, roots, and things to trip on for half of the hike. 
A light backpack for water.
Good socks.
Water. Water. Water.
Some energy bars.

Water.
First aid kit.
Water.
Bug spray [though it shouldn't be too bad]

While at the gym, the coach came up and said that she and another CF member were 'going to try to come' too. But they didn't want to do the whole thing and 

how long will it take? 
What time will you be done?
[Me thinking...how the heck does one
judge time on an event like this?]

'Welllllllll,' I said, 'I guess I can tell you more when we complete the hike.'

'This is not a speed hike, I know that one of the folks that is coming along has never hiked. I will hike with her abilities in mind. Her pace will be our pace. I do not leave others behind especially if they have never hiked these trails which can be confusing. 

If you or others don't feel we are going 'fast enough' then by all means make sure you have a map and go ahead.'

Well how fast would you hike it?

Me...thinking for a moment. 
'When I hiked 11.5 miles just over a year ago for speed and endurance, I hiked it in 3 hours and 24 minutes. I was pushing it all the way.'

Coach seemed to think on that.
'I averaged 18 minutes a mile with best paces at 13 minutes a mile,' I replied. Half of the terrain on this hike will be very demanding and the last 4.5 miles will be on a paved trail.'

Coach then launched into her reason for wanting to cut it short or for not going. It entailed a long explanation about grandkids and parties and whatnot.

I shrugged. 'Look at the route, bring two vehicles one for the start and park one near a trail that you want to end at. Oh. And make sure you have a physical map. Those trail changes can be tricky.'

When I hike for speed, I go solo. I don't want to watch out for someone else. It is just me, the trail, and a clock. I love competing against myself. This may be one of the reasons I loved Cross-Country in College so much.

No one really believes me when I tell them the map and a compass would really make their hike easier.

I have spent 10 years hiking with others who have various skills and most of them were new to my kind of hiking.
I enjoy it, I relish it.
I love it.

I'm excited about this 'group' hike. Hopefully we will get along without any mishaps. In the fall, I will re-hike this same route just to see how fast I can do it solo.

Surprise surprise

When I called Social Security to deal with Rich's monthly payment vs my monthly payment which is called Survivor Benefits, the person that answered was a total Grump. He kept saying 'you can go to the website' and do this. He interrupted me a few times. 

The thing is, I wanted to see or talk to a human and not do it online. So cold.

He gave me a date for a phone interview and repeated that I could do this at the website.

So I figured it was going to be a monumental hassle and I expected a phone call from a stern voiced person. I recieved a letter telling me the appointment time and what they would need.

Though to tell you the truth, the letter really left many items out. I'll get to that in a minute.

The phone rang and a very chipper woman said, "Hi! My name is Mallory and I'm from the Social Security Administration and I'm going to help you today."

I nearly dropped my cellphone and fainted. WHUT? 

She was going to help me? 

We went through details. 

Things you do need to know if you have been remarried, or previously married. How long were you married previously. When were you divorced? Date of Divorce? Where were you married, where were you divorced. Is your previous husband alive? What is your previous husband's birthdate?

When was your husband married and for how long? Date of Divorce? Is his previous wife remarried? What is the previous wife's name? What is her birthdate? Was your husband a Veteran? Which branch did he serve in? 

Marriage Certificate? Did I have one? Date? Mother's maiden name? A few more easy questions and that was it. 
Other than they needed to see the Marriage Certificate.

I replied that I had an appointment on Tuesday not far from their office. She said, 

"OH great! Could you bring it in and then we will copy it and your file will be closed! Type your social security number into the Kiosk and we'll jump you to the front of the line so you can hand us the certificate and we'll copy it and you can be on your way!"

Of course they had the bank info. Oddly enough, that was on my letter.

When I got to their office, I did as they said. I spent approximately 5 minutes waiting and then was on my way. The security guard was pleasant, the lady behind the window was pleasant, and the process was painless.

So the questions regarding marriage and divorce are things they need to know. While dealing with the VA, we had to show proof of my divorce, his divorce, and our martial certificate years ago. I had gathered all of those papers [which included the final divorce papers from the court] and had put them all together in large clip that resided in my lockbox.

All of these items have been essential items to have when negotiating through the death of a spouse. There should be a class regarding these things. 

It may a lot less complicated if you have never been divorced and remarried. However, you still need a notarized marriage certificate to physically show them or send it in. They will return those papers to you.

Face the facts. We will all go through at some point in our lives with the death of a loved one. No one wants to talk about it. No one likes to discuss it. But Rich and I were always open about these things and I was the record keeper. 

My surprise was how pleasant and cordial Mallory from the Social Security Administration was and I will say, it was comforting to do this with a living breathing human. Call me old fashioned, but I like to speak to people when discussing issues. I don't like a screen that asks me questions and asks to fill in the blanks.

So cold feeling.

I do wish that there was a class that people could attend to figure out how to negotiate everything that happens when a loved one passes.