Cairn Connection

Cairn Connection Women's Hiking, Backpacking, and Outdoor Adventures and Education. My 21 year old son, Shamar, took his last breath moments after the crash. Why Cairn?

On Tuesday, May 15, 2018 I came home from work to learn the most devastating news any mother would hear. My son was driving down Rancho California, in the hills of Temecula, and a truck pulled out in front of him. Since then, I have grieved and I have lived, for him. I planned his Celebration of Life, which was held at Harveston Lake in Temecula, and then I began my journey. My journey of hiking

to heal. That summer I backpacked 150 miles from Tahoe to Yosemite, I took my step son up Mt Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48, to leave some of my son’s ashes on the summit. I went on a solo backpacking trip to Rae Lakes in the Sierra. I took my first international trip. We went to Peru and I climbed to 15,090 feet and spread some of my son's ashes on Salkantay Pass on the way to Machu Picchu. We also took a trip to Tanzania to climb the tallest mountain in Africa. We climbed to 19,340 feet to the summit of Kilimanjaro, where I also spread some of his ashes. I quit my job as a Vice President, Branch Manager of a local Credit Union office of 20 years, to find my purpose in life. I took CPR and Wilderness First Responders courses. The following summer I backpacked Mt Whitney 3 times, backpacked a 55 mile loop in the Sierra, backpacked 55 more miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, did the High Sierra Trail and part of the John Muir Trail, I climbed the tallest mountain in Arizona, Mt Humphreys, and backpacked Big Pine Lakes, and I did the SoCal Six Pack Peaks. September 2019 I created Cairn Connection. Cairn rocks are the rocks balanced on each other on the trail, which helps lead hikers when the trail is hard to follow. I want to help women who are dealing with loss and want a positive outlet for their grief. I offer weekly walks, hikes, backpacking trips and backcountry education. I host painting, goal setting events, and meetups to have coffee. I hope you come hike, meet other women who understand you in a safe place, and learn to live again.

Our last day in Iceland we enjoyed another hot spring.
01/24/2025

Our last day in Iceland we enjoyed another hot spring.

Iceland is pretty amazing. Even in winter.
01/22/2025

Iceland is pretty amazing. Even in winter.

More photos from Iceland 🇮🇸
01/22/2025

More photos from Iceland 🇮🇸

Iceland wasn't on my list, but I'm glad I hopped on the Social Hikers trip with Jeff Hester. I was worried about Iceland...
01/22/2025

Iceland wasn't on my list, but I'm glad I hopped on the Social Hikers trip with Jeff Hester.
I was worried about Iceland in winter, but it hasn't disappointed me.
Hopefully, I can get some Trova Trips planned for Cairn Connection.

01/01/2025

Happy New Year! 🎆
What was your highlight of 2024?
What do you have planned for 2025?

Some of you know I have been working in the Eastern Sierra and living in my van for the past year now. If you ever come ...
12/18/2024

Some of you know I have been working in the Eastern Sierra and living in my van for the past year now.
If you ever come up to Lone Pine or Bishop and want to connect, let me know.
Hopefully, I will put together some camping and backpacking trips in August and September again, up here.
Please use this group to plan local hikes and make new hiking friends.
Let me know if I can help with anything.
I hope everyone has a happy holiday. 🫶

So thankful for all of you. All the support, all the trips, and all the laughs.
11/28/2024

So thankful for all of you. All the support, all the trips, and all the laughs.

4 days of hiking, hot springs, good food, and laughs around the campfire. Thank you everyone who joined the adventures i...
09/16/2024

4 days of hiking, hot springs, good food, and laughs around the campfire. Thank you everyone who joined the adventures in Bishop this past weekend. Temperatures are getting cooler and possible snow showers are arriving this week.

Be bear-aware 🐻 As you visit bear territories, please make sure to stay bear-aware. *Use bear boxes when available. *Emp...
09/10/2024

Be bear-aware 🐻
As you visit bear territories, please make sure to stay bear-aware.

*Use bear boxes when available.
*Empty your car of smelly things.
*Keep food, ice chests, backpacks, drink cups, chapstick, and sunblock out of sight in your car.
*Lock your car doors (bears know how to open car doors).
*Don't leave your open trunk unattended (bears like opportunities).
*Don't leave food unattended at the picnic table.
*Don't leave your backpack unattended.

If you see a bear, keep your distance.
Make noise.
Appear big.
If the bear doesn't respond, throw rocks toward the bear, but do not hit him/her.

A fed bear is a dead bear.

Doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you keep going. I recently had the chance to hike out of Cottonwood Lakes tra...
09/04/2024

Doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you keep going.
I recently had the chance to hike out of Cottonwood Lakes trailhead to Old Army Pass to the Miter Basin and onward to Mt Whitney. I had not hiked much this summer due to my Achilles pain. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to summit Whitney, but I was going to try. While on the trail there was a cold snap that hit the Sierra. Temps were going to be as low as 10 degrees on the summit and there was going to be snow in August. I was afraid I was going to be cold, since I had my summer gear. I took my time and listened to my body. I arrived at Crabtree Meadows Saturday, the day of the storm. The skies looked ominous. I usually try to camp at Guitar Lake which places me 5 miles and 3000 feet from the summit. But with the cold temperatures, I decided to camp lower. The next morning the skies were clear, so I had all the time to make it to the summit. I kept an eye on the clouds, none developed. Camping at Crabtree put me 7.5 miles and 4300 feet from the summit. I decided to wait and see how I felt at Trail Crest junction. Once I arrived I was able to drop my backpack and use my light daypack. Many people were moving slow and taking many breaks on their way to the summit. I continued to watch the sky for clouds and thunderstorms. It was still clear. After a few hours I finally made it to the summit. It was my 14th time. I grew emotional as I was visiting some of my son’s ashes on the top. This journey reminded me of my grief journey. It’s a slow journey and it will never end, but if I just keep going. Some days are better than others. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. 👣
If you are going through a rough time. Just remember, you are not alone and just keep going. It’s okay to take time for yourself. It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay.
Sending you love and support 🤗

We are headed to Bishop in 3 weeks! We will be camping, making new friends, connecting with old friends, eating deliciou...
08/20/2024

We are headed to Bishop in 3 weeks!
We will be camping, making new friends, connecting with old friends, eating delicious potlucks, and laughing a whole lot! We will be hiking Bishop Pass, Piute Pass, and Lake Sabrina areas. Come join the fun!

What's your favorite pass in the Sierra? It's hard to pick just one. But Kearsarge Pass is pretty spectacular. It's a sh...
08/20/2024

What's your favorite pass in the Sierra?
It's hard to pick just one. But Kearsarge Pass is pretty spectacular. It's a short 5-mile hike to the pass with lots of lakes and flowers along the way.
What's your favorite pass??

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Murrieta, CA

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