HWH Profile | Bridgette Mongeon | Admin
How Houston Women Hiking Began
Hi, I’m Bridgette. People meet me and say, “So you are our fearless leader.” Though I may have started the group, I don't feel like the leader. The women of this group make it what it is today.
I started the group in December 1, 2016. I am writing a memoir about my experiences, the women, and how Houston Women's Hiking (HWH) saved my life. My publisher and I hope to have it out by 2024, but here is the truncated version.
For about five years, prior to starting HWH I was on a journey to get to know myself better, to understand myself, feed my soul and allow myself to play. I was also going through the end of a 19-year marriage. I was tired of waiting for family and friends to go hiking with me. They did not like it as much as I did, which was frustrating. So in this liberating time, I got brave and started hiking alone. To be safe, I'd call my daughter and say, "This is where I am. I expect it will take about two hours. I'll text you when I'm out." Her reply was, "Great, Mom, be safe. I have your GPS to tell them where to find your body." I'm not sure how she felt about me going in alone, but I really "needed" to go into the woods. I don't know how else to explain it.
What Does Sculpting Have to Do With Hiking and This Group?
Members are always surprised to find out that I am also a sculptor. In Houston, people would say, “You are kinda famous.” I don’t know about that. My trail of creativity has brought me to some significant milestones, like sculpting The Grambling Tiger for Grambling University and The Prairie View Panther for Prairie View A&M. I have sculpted famous people like B B. King, Willie Nelson, and Bill Monroe, and also numerous children, I also had the honor of sculpting Penny Marshall for the All American Girls Professional Baseball League where I met some of the original players. Probably the most well-known piece is my monumental sculpture of Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter Tea Party in Bellaire, Texas. And many of our members are now following along as I am working on a commission that means so much to all of us. Grandma Gatewood, but more on her in another post.
Through a series of unfortunate events around 2013, I was forced to look for a new foundry and found one in Santa Fe. While making many solo trips to Santa Fe, I stayed with a woman who had a profound effect on my life. She was six years older than me, lived alone, skied, danced, and had a hiking group. Her group was eight ladies that hiked every week in The Santa Fe area. Their goal was never to hike the same place twice in a year. How I loved that. Did Houston have enough places to hike? Could I find a group of ladies? So, on one of those phone calls with my daughter, as I went into a trail, she said, “Mom, you should start a Facebook group.” And Houston Women’s Hiking was born.
Feeling Alone
I want to say it was easy in the beginning, but it was not, and I was still calling Chris to say, "No one showed. I'm going in alone." I was going to hike anyway, so not having people show up was not that big of a deal. What was tiring was posting hikes twice a week and having that happen repeatedly. Though I was hiking, I could feel that the load of "carrying" the group was sometimes getting tiresome.
Trail Angels and Trail Magic
Trail Magic is a term from hiking the Appalachian Trail. It is getting just what you need when you need it. Often these things are provided by Trail Angels. On one hike years ago, it was just two of us that day on the trail. Donna stopped by the trail map."I want to learn these trails. I want to lead hikes." And it was like a cool breeze came down the footpath on a hot summer hike and refreshed my soul. At that moment, I received some "trail magic." I got what I needed when I needed it. From that point, I didn't have to do it alone.
Donna started leading hikes, and then the events opened up to others. I heard things like, "I want to hike with my dog." Another was adamant, "I don't want to hike with animals." At first, the different needs of hikers left me feeling confused. But by members hosting hikes, each could design it just the way they wanted it. Brilliant! I can't say I thought of it. It just morphed. The group is organic in that way.
A Death Notice
I started the group on December 1, 2016, but our family was about to go through the most challenging year of our lives. My daughter's home burned down, and she lost everything in February 2017. That foundry in Santa Fe that had my monumental Alice In Wonderland sculpture went under, and they had my sculpture as a hostage. OFF WITH HER HEAD became very real to me during that traumatic event. I had to go and save her while dealing with walking pneumonia. Thinking back on it, I walked off a lot of fear and frustration on the trails with women in this group through 2017.
That same year - 2017 Houston suffered a terrible blow from Hurricane Harvey. The hurricane destroyed over one-half of Houston's homes and the dance studio where I assisted an instructor in dance. I helped people remotely during the hurricane, but would not help physically because my health was declining. I could only pass on information and connect resources from the comfort of my chair. I could not shake a cough and was concerned.
My goal was to make it to the speaking engagement as a keynote speaker for the Texas Art Educators in Galveston in November that year. I'm not sure how I spoke without coughing. I finally went to the doctor. She said, "You are very sick. I'm sending you to the hospital. If you go home, you could die." I had made a lifestyle change about five months before that. I was exercising regularly, changed my diet, was doing acupuncture and much more. I'm convinced, had I not done that, I’m not sure I would have come home from the hospital. They sent me home after five days, tethered to oxygen, and hiking was out of the question. I could not even think of walking across the house. Even though many said, you should rest if you have pneumonia. I got on the treadmill daily, walked only at the speed of turning it on, and worked up to slowly walking 20 minutes a day.
In January 2018, at the pulmonologist and still on oxygen 24/7, a doctor, with a poor bedside manner, said, "You have Interstitial lung disease (ILD) , and if it is idiopathic, you probably only have two years to live." I can't believe I thanked him, paid my bill, and walked out.
The Cost of Breath
2018 was a year. Instead of hiking, I felt I was crawling to health. When you have to think about every breath you take and the cost of each breath, as you now have to pay for the air you breathe, it is disheartening. Give thanks, people, right now if you can breathe. Many people can’t. I do remember putting that tank in my camelback and trying the trails. But when it costs for each tank, I could not do that as much as I would have liked.
I was maintaining, but with what they say is a progressive disease that would slowly suffocate me. I had to accept that I could die from it. However, being told you might die can be a blessing. It makes you look at your life and what you do and prioritize things. I’m in a very self aware stage of my life. I do whatever I want. I do things that make me happy, fulfilled, and healthy. And I give thanks for everything. After that horrible visit to my doctor I was filled with worry about how I would die. I found my body began healing when I changed my thoughts to living fully.
My portable oxygen concentrator was one of the best gifts I have ever received. It is a machine you carry that takes oxygen from the air and puffs it up your nose. It is costly, running around $2,000. And I can’t believe we found a used one and a friend bought it for me. This was liberating. I could hike again. I could get back on the trails. So, for many years, before leading a hike, you would see me don my nasal canula, hoist the 5 lbs on my back and ask, “Does anyone have any limitations?” I think this unfortunate experience made a difference for the women in the group hiking with me. I think it inspired them.
I had a new commission when I came out of the hospital, and I was unsure how I would ever complete her. Actually, they called the day I went into the hospital and said they signed the contract. What a commission of strength, it was the matriarch of matriarchs, Eve- yes, as Adam and Eve—14-foot tall. I was unsure how I would ever do it. It took me over six months to even think about it. And I worked hard with my interns, who helped me move the entire studio to a warehouse set up, and climb scaffolding and ladders with my oxygen. I also began to realize how healing the woods can be for many. I have seen many women in Houston Women’s Hiking heal from various things while committing to hiking.
I have since weaned myself off the oxygen and do many things to help my lungs. I still have a low lung capacity, but I'm hiking right now without oxygen at sea level. Though lately, I have been testing my 02 on my hikes. I am learning that just because I can do it doesn't mean I should. The heart and the lungs go hand in hand, so I'm watching.
I outlived what the doctors said, and I keep hiking along and saying I'm living life to the fullest. I have even taken up kayaking and I camp once a month. I actually can't believe I purchased a kayak after my diagnosis. Thanks again, Donna. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I would be kayaking with my lungs.
Sure, the way I do things may have changed. I have many stools around my campsite, as bending over makes me breathless. I also don't kayak rough water. I recently purchased an electric bike to help me get up the hills and not worry that I could be stranded with shortness of breath. My son-in-law and I recently biked the road between Buescher and Bastrop State Parks. FYI, go Bastrop to Buescher if you do this, as it is more downhill. It is about 11 miles with lots of up and down. I made it with the pedal assist on that electric bike but had to push it uphill the last ¼ mile.
See You In The Woods
I am staying active camping, kayaking, and making memories with you ladies and my family- Priorities. And if ILD has taught me one thing: life is precious, don't waste it! Don't wait for someone else to do the things you love to do, do it NOW! We at Houston Women's Hiking are your people to support you in those things.
I like to lead mindfulness hikes in the arboretum - Central, and back trails of memorial park. I prefer to go out on weekdays as the parks are so busy on the weekends. I also will lead a kayak event from time to time and love to have socials.
You can't admin the love, caring and trail magic in Houston Women's Hiking. It is you, you are all trail angels, helping each woman find their best potential, and I'm so honored to be a part of this incredible family of women. See you in the woods.
I don’t do facebook due to privacy concerns. How do I hook up with your group? I couldn’t find you on meetup. Please email me at the email given to submit this comment.
For the safety of our members, our group operates completely out of a private facebook group. We screen each new applicant with a series of questions.