TRAIL TALK

An Interview with Kathy Dupuis  (KHC member since 2017)
As Interviewed by Lori Rilkoff
June 2020

In this third segment in our series of interviews with fellow KHC members sharing their experiences and tips with new members, you will meet Kathy Dupuis.

Kathy is relatively new to KHC, but she has become a passionate hiking advocate in the short time since she discovered the club in late 2017.   Her enthusiasm and love for the activity is evident as she talks about her experiences with KHC and how it has changed her life.   Kathy currently holds the position of Secretary on the KHC Board of Directors and it was her comments at a recent Board meeting about how her social life has greatly improved since joining KHC that prompted me to ask her to be this month’s Trail Talk feature member. (That’s fellow KHC member Paula James with Kathy in a photo taken at Wells Grey in 2019).

LR:  What was your previous hiking experience prior to joining KHC?

KD:  Well, it turns out that being married to someone extremely impatient, who insisted on fishing in remote lakes way out in the bush, prepared me for hiking but since my divorce, I had not hiked at all. However, I had been dancing in high heels quite a lot at the Grotto. This is not easy. I bet even Peter Frew would find it difficult… (note: Peter was Trail Talk’s featured KHC member in May 2020).

LR:  How did you hear about KHC?

KD:  After a rough couple years of trying to find out what I actually liked to do, I decided to pursue things I’d always wanted to – like taking tennis lessons and joining a hiking club. It was still winter, in 2017, when I was looking around on the Internet and found the Kamloops Hiking Club. There were a few other clubs that offered hiking but their photos scared me – everyone looked like they’d just come of Everest or something. On the KHC site, I saw some friends that I knew when my kids were small so that encouraged me to sign up.

LR: How long after that did you start hiking with KHC?

KD:   I didn’t actually go on a “hike” for over six months. Still, it was cool to be able to tell people, “Oh, yeah…I’m a member of the Kamloops Hiking Club…” and then just change the subject if they asked me what hikes I’d been on.

LR:  Do you recall the first KHC hike you did? Was the experience what you thought it would be?

KD: On that first hike, I got to the parking lot and saw people getting out of their cars and they all looked fit. I nearly drove of right then but I knew I would spend the day weeping about the unfairness of life if I chickened out so I went over to introduce myself. Turned out they were a friendly bunch and I was offered a ride by someone who has since become one of my best friends! The hike was tough as hell, I’m not going to lie. It was Kalamalka Lake,up over hill and dale, and it seemed to go on forever. I had the wrong clothes, a ratty backpack, and boots as old as dust. I was able to help out a fellow hiker who developed a hideous blister, though, and got advice from the fellow hikers about packs and boots that would make hiking much more comfortable for me in the future. When we stopped for lunch and I was able to finally look up, I was stunned at the view.

LR:  What is it about hiking that appeals to you the most?

KD:  Sharing an experience, being out in nature and seeing it through the eyes of others who know the names of the mountains or how old a tree might be or what kind of an animal or bird we see – it’s so fascinating. I am grateful for the hike leaders, who know the direction of our destination – it’s always a surprise to me as I don’t pay attention to my surroundings as I hike. I look up and – what?! No way! Unreal that some vista is spread out in front of me…or, even on the hikes without a vista, there are trails that I cannot believe exist, some story around the history of the place, or an animal sighting. Often, we are the only group out there. As I sit with the others and hear them talk, I am just so not in my living room. That amazes me. I think, “I’m actually outside doing this!” Having this organization and people willing to share their love of hiking and the outdoors is such a gift for me.

LR:  What is one of the best moments you’ve ever had on a KHC hike?

KD:  There have been so many I can’t choose just one! Stopping for beer samples on a brewery hike (yes, there was such a thing)…having someone point out the smallest owl in the world on a beautiful, sunny hike…learning the Prime Directive on a very long hike…seeing a ptarmigan after a very difficult hike up Flatiron…sliding down a hill on my butt on a night snowshoe with 17 women and hike leader Ernie Carson…mostly just hearing the stories and being a part of the banter, feeling included.

LR:  How do you feel being a member of KHC has had an impact on your life?

KD:  Joining KHC and actually going out on hikes changed my life. I met friends through KHC that had gone through similar personal situations and suddenly, I wasn’t alone with my grief anymore. When you’re heading out carpooling (I sure hope we can do this soon!) or hiking in front or behind someone or on lunch break, you get a chance to talk to others and get to know them. Soon I found one or two favourite hike leaders and ended up seeing familiar faces on the hikes and snowshoes events. Now, these people have become my friends and we often go on
other hikes or walks together, out to events (when you could do that sort of thing!), paddle boarding or just meeting up for Friday night appies somewhere. So I haven’t lost any weight! I do feel happier, though, and I feel that my life is so much better since I joined KHC and traded in my high heels for hiking boots.

LR:  What would you say to a new KHC member who may be hesitant to come out for a first hike?

KD:  It IS scary to try something new and there is a possibility that things won’t work out quite the way you imagine it the first or even the second time but if you stick with it, you will discover new things about yourself and your abilities. You’ll meet new people and slowly, before you even realize it, your life will change and you’ll be the
one featured in Trail Talk in hopes of encouraging someone new to take a chance and come out hiking!

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