More about Sheryl: Zipfy Riding at the Spruces in February 2008

Two Favorite Hymns

Because I Have Been Given Much

Because I have been given much, I too must give;
Because of thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live
I shall divide my gifts from thee With every brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been sheltered, fed by thy good care,
I can not see another's lack and i not share
My glowing fire, my loaf of bread, My roof's safe shelter overhead,
That he too may be comforted.

Because I have been blessed by thy great love, dear Lord,
I'll share thy love again, according to thy word.
I shall give love to those in need; I'll show that love by word and deed:
Thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed.

by Grace Noll Crowell

Lord, I Would Follow Thee

Savior, may I learn to love thee, Walk the path that thou hast shown,
Pause to help and lift another, Finding strength beyond my own.
Savior, may I learn to love thee--Lord, I would follow thee.

Who am I to judge another When I walk imperfectly
In the quiet heart is hidden Sorrow that the eye can't see.
Who am I to judge another? Lord, I would follow thee.

I would be my brother's keeper; I would learn the healer's art.
To the wounded and the weary I would show a gentle heart.
I would be my brother's keeper--Lord, I would follow thee.

Savior, may I love my brother As I know thou lovest me,
Find in thee my strength, my beacon, For thy servant I would be.
Savior, may I love my brother--Lord, I would follow thee.

I LOVE people! I have opportunities to meet new people often and I thrive on it! I have a wonderful, kind husband and four children, one son in law and two grandkids - all who are really great! I have many loyal, good friends. Whenever possible, I love helping people. It's a satisfying feeling to make someone else happy and try to help lift their burdens. I love the outdoors - especially the beautiful mountains that I live so close to. I have a lot to be grateful for. I am "Crazy Sheryl" - CRAZY in a "high energy, productive" kind of way.

My Outdoor Recreation Business....How it all began....

I was born and raised in Holladay, Utah with my wonderful parents, a great brother and two beautiful sisters. I have lived in Utah and Colorado most of my life. I have a kind, loving husband, four fantastic grown up children that don't give me any grief, a wonderful son in law and TWO of the most precious grandsons in the whole world! As you can see I have a lot to be grateful for.

Since I lived at the foot of the mountains all my life, I often wondered where the trailheads were and how difficult they were to climb. Unfortunately, for many years I just wondered about it but never did anything.

In February 2003, I got hooked on hiking. I was dealing with some very difficult and stressful relationships in my life. I wanted to run away from home or go eat a ton of food at my favorite restaurant – which ever would relieve my pain the quickest!

Luckily, my favorite restaurant wasn’t open and I had important obligations later that day that I couldn't get out of so running away from home wasn't really an option. However, I knew I had to get away from all mankind, at least for a few hours to decompress.

Feeling full of despair and hopelessness and not knowing where to go or what to do, I sat in my car and started praying to God while I was crying. I looked up at the mountains, specifically Mt. Olympus, a popular 9000 ft. mountain that I lived at the foot of. I suddenly felt a clear impression in my mind and in my heart that I needed to go hike that mountain!

"Why didn't I think of that", I thought to myself. I immediately drove straight to the Mt. Olympus trailhead and started hiking! It was the only trailhead I was familiar with. I didn't have the best shoes on OR a water bottle or food, (like I tell all my hikers to bring.) I felt like Forrest Gump. I just wanted to hike until I could hike no more, until my legs fell off.

Fortunately for me I didn't have to go too far since I hadn't been hiking before and my leg muscles got sore quickly.

That experience on the mountain was one of the best things I ever did for myself in a time of crisis. And, as they say, the rest is history!

Because it was a drought year, I was able to climb about 1 - 2 miles up Mt. Olympus without any snow on the ground. It's a 4000 ft. climb to the peak in about 3.8 miles. I never hiked anywhere near the peak but I hiked up that same trail four times during the months of February and March of 2003. I went by myself since I didn’t know who else would go with me. It felt so good to be hiking, even with all the muscle pain, but it was uncomfortable since I wasn't fond of hiking by myself and I knew it wasn't really safe.

It's a challenging mountain to climb but it was just what I needed to help me deal with my crisis. I don’t recommend people hiking by themselves. In Utah, because of the rugged, isolated terrain and wildlife concerns, just minutes from the busy city, it can be dangerous and risky. There really is safety in numbers. (At the time, I wasn’t very familiar with the trail or how difficult it was. I know better now and encourage people NOT to hike by themselves or with people who aren't familiar with the Wasatch Mountains.)

When I got home after that first hike, I could barely walk! It felt SO good to have pain in my legs, instead of my heart. I was able to release a lot of negative energy. While on the mountain, I spent a lot of time meditating and praying while I hiked.

After hiking four times by myself, I decided it was such a GREAT experience that I started my own hiking group!

That's how I my mind works. I don't think to join another hiking group, which is the most logical thing to do, I just decided to be a hiking guide, effective immediately, and start my own hiking group.

Since then, one person after another person has joined my hiking group. I currently have over 800+ people in my Hiking Group. I have met hundreds of incredible outdoor enthusiasts who not only hike but they do lots of other things with me i.e. bike, snowshoe, camp, ski, travel, kayak and come to my Dutch Oven Dinners that I cook! I have learned about the safety factors, risks and dangers of being in the mountains and how to prepare for each outdoor adventure. I find great satisfaction in teaching these same skills to others who join me.

I have SO many cherished friends who are outdoor enthusiasts. I have learned so much from so many awesome people. Sometimes we have nothing else in common except for our love to be active in the outdoors, and that's all that is needed!

Much of the past several years of my life has been spent in outdoor adventures/recreation of all kinds. I continue to meet many new people weekly who join us in our local outdoor adventures as well as our international outdoor adventures.

I highly recommend people getting involved in outdoor recreation. It's a great way to decompress or just be reminded of what a beautiful world we live in. It is one of the most healthy and inexpensive things you can do for yourself.

By the way, the crisis with the relationships, that got this whole thing started in the first place, resolved themselves soon after I started hiking. It was all a great blessing in disguise! Good feelings replaced bitter feelings. I was able to forgive, forget and replace all the bad feelings with the miracles that come from adversity!

I'm extremely grateful that I chose to "head for the hills" instead of having an ugly confrontation that would result in saying or doing something I know I would later regret.

2.18.2008

Zipfy Riding at the Spruces in February 2008