The Francie’s Cabin survivors retreat was the third trip in Live By Living history, and the biggest to date — 18 people in all. We had a great time, and finally came up with a good term for the participants: “intrepid trailblazers.” I think it captures the spirit of the group. “Intrepid” means “resolutely courageous,” and a trailblazer is one who forges a new track through wild country.

Cancer shows us clearly just how uncertain life can be. Cancer survivors and caregivers are definitely in a wild country. How do we find our way? Well, we don’t control everything that happens to us, but we can choose how we respond to events. We can take charge of our lives, and blaze our own trail.

This trip was filled with new faces, new friends, new vistas. We hiked up the steep Crystal Creek road to Francie’s, savoring the intense flavor of tiny wild strawberries along the way. After fortifying ourselves with more substantial fare at lunch, several of us continued up the Crystal Creek drainage to Lower Crystal Lake, which is guarded by Father Dyer Peak, Mt. Helen, Peak 10, and the ridges to Pacific Peak and Crystal Peak. We explored an old miner’s cabin, walked around the lake, and made our way back to the cabin just in time for some Qigong, followed by appetizers!

After dinner, we sang along to the fine guitar work of Jason King, and joined in singing a number of ‘80s “power love ballads.” Several folks enjoyed the sauna.

Sunday, we started the day off with Qigong, and then took our pick of hikes – a few people went back up to Crystal Lakes, while the rest of us hiked along the Wheeler trail south to the Mohawk Lakes drainage.

Along the way, we picked wild raspberries, and gathered a few porcini (King Bolete) mushrooms.

We stopped at Mayflower Lake before ascending the steep, rocky trail to lower Mohawk Lake. It was a challenging ascent, but everyone did great! And what a beautiful scene for our reward.

Monday, we wrapped up with one last Qigong session and a brief reading from Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Then, we hiked back to the trailhead and daily life, fortified by nature, fresh air, and new friends.