Well, that escalated quickly.
Ladd and I had a wonderful week of vacation together, and I thought I was about to make a clean getaway from Vail without having to take any hikes. But sure enough, the night before our last day, he said those dreaded words: "Let's go on Berry Picker tomorrow."
Berry Picker is a hiking trail on Vail Mountain, and its charming little name is deceiving. It is rated "Difficult" as far as Vail hikes go, which isn't exactly in the same category of Mt. Everest...but it certainly isn't a fun little romp.
I wanted to ride the gondola to the top and hike down. But both Ladd and Matt, his cousin who with his wife Teresa were in Vail for a wedding, proclaimed that hiking downhill is harder on the ol' knees and hamstrings, so before I knew it, we were walking toward the mountain to begin our hike. We actually started on a trail called Strawberry Lane, which is considered "Moderate," but I knew that soon it would intersect with Berry Picker and things would get a heckuva lot harder.
By the time I took this photo of Ladd, Strawberry Lane didn't feel very moderate to me, and I was already having to stop and catch my breath. Altitude is the pits, man!
This is about twenty minutes into the hike. Behind me (actually, it was ahead of me) you can see Ladd, Matt (Ladd's cousin), and Matt's wife Teresa. I was starting to get the sense that I should have stayed behind and gone to the spa.
Have I mentioned altitude is dumb? Anyway, somewhere in that first little bit of our hike, Ladd and I took a photo. When I posted it on Instagram, several people wondered what happened to my other leg, but I had it wedged behind me, bracing me from falling backward since we were on a hill.
I was faking this smile. I actually really did want to go back and have a day of beauty at the spa. But I didn't. I trudged on. This is kinda how I felt about Ladd though...
Kidding not kidding!
This is further up the mountain---again, my smile is forced. Soon the rooftops of Vail Village disappeared and all we could see was mountain scenery all around.
Here we are as a group. These evil people made me do this!
Eventually we merged onto Berry Picker.
But this name is more accurate!
How can I express to you how difficult this hike was? Again, it isn't like mountain climbing, but it is a walk uphill...for three solid hours. And 3.8 miles. The higher you get, the thinner the air, and it's best just not to try to hold a conversation.
Here you can see the grade of the hill. About 2/3 of the way to the top, I told everyone to hold up and I declared, with a calm, reasonable (and okay, breathless) voice, that I truly didn't think I could make it and that I was going to turn around and walk down---and that I wanted them all to finish without me. I know myself, I told them, and I was really running out of steam. And I was! The stops were getting more frequent, and I could feel my energy waning. I even tripped over a rock and almost wiped out on the trail. I was over it!
But then Ladd did something really annoying. He encouraged me to keep going. "Think of how glad you'll be if you get to the top," he said.
"How can I be glad if I'm not living," I answered?
"It's not too much longer," he added. "I know you can do it."
Then his cousin Matt chimed in and echoed Ladd's encouraging sentiments, and with a big "UGH, OKAY!!!" I started walking uphill again. I'd had a little rest during my protest, enough of a rest to catch my breath. But oh...that last forty five minutes! It was a killer!
A couple of times, Ladd went behind me, put his hand on my back, and literally pushed me up particularly steep inclines. I didn't want him to expend the energy, but leaning on him during those stretches was the only way I could make it.
And then suddenly, we were there. We reached the top.
It was glorious! Rewarding! And here's what I learned:
Life isn't always easy. Sometimes it's actually very hard. You have to stop and catch your breath. You have to stop and rest. Sometimes you have to stop and pray with all your heart, just to find the strength to keep going. You will trip and make mistakes. You will want to give up, not once but several times. You'll wonder what the point is. You'll want to take the easy road and go to the spa! (Haha.) But if you persevere...if you listen to the encouragement of others...heck, if you allow yourself to lean on others...you will get there.
The higher you climb, the better the view! So keep going! And when you get there, how great will your reward be!
(In my specific example, the reward was the best cheeseburger I've ever had in my life, and the satisfaction that I'd completed a darn difficult hike. I couldn't feel my legs for two days, but that's beside the point.)
That's the end of my sermon for today!
Love, PW
Ree Drummond is the founder of The Pioneer Woman and a lover of butter, basset hounds and life on the ranch! Ree started her blog in 2006, and now millions visit ThePioneerWoman.com every month for her trusted recipes and fun family stories. Here’s what she has been up to since it all began:
New York Times Bestselling Author
Ree has written two memoirs (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, and Frontier Follies) plus nine bestselling cookbooks:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (2009)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier (2012)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays (2013)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime (2015)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! (2017)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier (2019)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy (2021)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner’s Ready! (2023)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes (2025)
Food Network Host
Since 2011, Ree has been sharing simple, family-friendly recipes—and the occasional kitchen prank!—on her award-winning show The Pioneer Woman, filmed right on Drummond Ranch. Ree is also a regular judge on Food Network competitions, including Christmas Cookie Challenge.
Founder, The Pioneer Woman Collection
Ree has been creating and selling kitchen and home products at Walmart since 2015 and she’s involved in designing every piece and pattern. The line now includes best-selling appliances (you have to see the floral blender!), plus hundreds of pieces of cookware, tableware, and more. Ree doesn’t like to play favorites but the Agatha print has a special place in her heart.
Restaurant and Hotel Owner
Together with her husband Ladd, Ree has opened several bustling businesses in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, including The Pioneer Woman Mercantile—a bakery, restaurant, and general store that draws visitors from across the country (many come for the biscuits alone!), P-Town Pizza, Charlie’s Ice Cream Shop, and The Boarding House, a charming hotel with eight different rooms decorated by Ree and Ladd.
Media Personality
Ree appears regularly on national TV shows like Today, Good Morning America and more—all while managing to keep flour off her shirt.
Wife, Mom and…Grandma!
Ree’s kids (daughters Alex and Paige and sons Bryce and Todd) are all grown up, and as of December 2024, Ree is the proud grandma of the cutest baby ever, Sofia Scott, born to Alex and her husband Mauricio. Ree still cooks for Ladd (and the kids when they’re home), and she also looks after a few mischievous ranch dogs.
