Eager to unplug from the challenges of running a medical start-up, fortysomething HelloMD co-founder Pamela Hadfield is prepping to hike the John Muir Trail from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney this summer, intending to use only CBD- and THC-infused products to reduce pain and inflammation along the way.
Hadfield, a mother of three who launched HelloMD.com with her husband Mark Hadfield to serve medical marijuana patients in 2014, has never before attempted this kind of physical challenge. She will rely on products from her company’s delivery line to support her during the 211-mile hike, slated to begin July 28 and end Aug. 19-21. An avid Marin County hiker, Hadfield started the season by taking local 30-mile two-day treks around Mt. Tamalpais and the adjacent Tennessee Valley watershed to prepare for her journey.
Established in 1915, the John Muir Trail parallels the crestline of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, and was named to honor the great naturalist and conservator who helped to create our national parks system, including such iconic places as Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and Mt. Rainier.
A former migraine sufferer who found she could control and eventually, eliminate her headaches with CBD and cannabis, Hadfield says that she would not have been able to do this trip when she was younger. “There is no way that I would have allowed myself the possibility of being trapped for days in the wilderness with a migraine,” she says. “It’s only because of microdosing THC and my consistent CBD use that I can even contemplate such a trip.”
Hadfield didn’t use cannabis as a young woman. “It made me too anxious,” she says. “But now, I prefer microdosing. For me, it’s about keeping inflammation at bay and being able to enjoy the moment with plant-based medicine. Cannabis is one of nature’s greatest superfoods. It helps me to achieve optimal wellness in addition to a healthy diet, exercise and a good night’s sleep.”
Hadfield plans to hydrate on the trail with water mixed with low-dose THC-infused Atlas Edibles drink packs. She’ll take her 20:1 Rosette CBD tincture daily for inflammation and have her 8:1 Care by Design CBD-infused vape pen at hand for any unanticipated pain.
Hadfield says, “Taking the time to do a 21-day hike is an absolute luxury. Not many people are able to unplug from day-to-day stress, have a complete digital detox and experience nature in this way. I also look forward to pushing my physical and mental limits.”
Having CBD and THC with her to ease the pain is merely an aid. “I’m thinking of it as a reboot for body, mind, and spirit,” she says. “Sometimes we just need to eject ourselves from the world and gain a new perspective.”
She adds, “Preparing for this trip reminds me of my favorite John Muir quote, in which he speaks of nature reunifying the body. Like so many of us caught up in the modern world, I’m more than ready for that.”
That quote:
“There is not a fragment in all nature, for every relative fragment of one thing is a full harmonious unit in itself.” —John Muir
This article was provided by our advertising partner HelloMD.