Hiking

These past two years I have hardly seen any of my friends. I have become best friends with the mountains, the trees and its many inhabitants whom at times I see or hear if I am in the right place at the right time. I had coffee with an old co worker/friend the last week of 2021. It gave us that feeling of normalcy that we used to have on more regularly scheduled visits. I have to say I enjoyed it a lot, but it still didn't have the same feel. I can't pinpoint if it is that we haven't been able to have coffee in such a long time or if I've changed due to restrictions set upon us and didn't notice.

I'm sure many of us have made changes in one way or another. For myself my hiking and the outdoors were my saving grace. I have always liked the outdoors, but with covid I made a plan on heading out weekly or more sometimes. It kept me sane with a goal in sight. I also signed up to the 52 Hikes Challenge, and I have just done so again for 2022. I loaded my log and with that tried to fill it out to the best of my knowledge. It is fairly flexible as you can do it on your own or join with other like minded individuals. My like minded individual is my brother who just happens to love the outdoors.

My hiking was gradual as my brother first picked fairly easy hikes up to 2 hours. My hardest hike was almost 5 hours with me getting back to the car totally disheveled, exhausted and sore. It was not my finest hour, but my grandkids were proud of me and still tell teachers that their grandma went on a 5 hour hike. I haven't done a 5 hour hike since then as now I am more comfortable around the 3 to 3 1/2 hour mark or shorter if it's a steeper climb.

When we almost finished one hike, I remember sitting up on the mountain in a clear, rocky area looking across at the next mountain feeling very accomplished. There was nothing else in the world at that moment. It was beautiful out - blue skies, the quiet, slow breeze and no one as far as the eye could see. I don't think I can ever give up hiking easily anymore.

The calmness it brings to the soul, the strength it brings to your body and the added bonus of hearing or seeing the animals that live out there bring me so much inspiration. I think that I am much better person than I was before. Now after a couple of years at least, I can see the inner changes as well. It helps me with viewing the world under a more positive light most of the time. It's been a slow process maybe as hiking itself can be as well, but I don't dwell on the happenings of the past or even of the present day news anymore. I was always looking into the past trying to make sense of some happenings that occurred, but now I just enjoy my time as it is. The hiking has done a lot to get that in place.

I also meditate and have done that for many many years but done in conjunction with hiking, I find the results are magnified and strange as this sounds, I feel stronger in many ways. For some reason being out in the mountains gives you that feeling that you are a part of something mightier than your own thoughts, covid and anything else out there floating around out there trying to push you off the peak. I am not sure why I felt that our coffee wasn't the same, but I guess really it's because I am not the same. I don't think going for a coffee really does it for me anymore. Now if you want to go for a hike...that's another story.