Let's Take a Hike

You have so much to be thankful for. Take a minute before your start and breathe in the cool mountain air, hold it, now breathe out. Again. Allow yourself to feel the air filling your lungs, take in the notes of pine or sage. The way that it feels clean, and cold. The way that cold air actually has a scent. Roll your neck down, eyes closed, feeling the burn as you lengthen tight muscles. Three deep breaths. Now allow your head to gently stretch down towards your right shoulder, now your left. Feel the way that it loosens the band that runs down the side of your neck, through the shoulder and down towards your shoulder blade. Now stretch your arms straight up and over your head linking your hands, cold fingertips touching, feeling the muscles burn a little bit through the triceps. Now lower your hands and clasp them behind you back, rolling your shoulders back and feeling this open and stretch the chest. Lastly, steady yourself on a tree or fence or the hood of your car and bring your foot up behind you and grasp your right ankle in you right hand, allowing your quads to stretch. Gently holding for five seconds as you listen to the quiet rustle of forest animals, the tweeting of birds all around as they go about their business repeating their simple call. Lower your right foot, steady yourself and repeat with the left. Allowing this simple stretch to prepare your body and mind to be cleared of worries and doubts, stress and sorrow.

Pick your trail, being aware of the footprints left behind by others, other hikers, other animals. Your pace is your choice. Maybe you like to take it slow having time to notice as you walk along, the new growth of plants or moss. The unfurling of flowers as they prepare for a new day of sunshine, the bees buzzing along, starting their daily work. Perhaps you want to push yourself physically today, finding satisfaction in the burn of muscle and the noticeable thump of your heart as it courses oxygen rich blood through your veins. Either way, it is your choice, this is for you. Your life and your actions are a choice, how you choose to react is a choice. Today you choose to hike and enjoy an hour of quiet meditation surrounded by beauty. You begin your journey seeking clarity and quiet solitude.

Look! Do you see it? A curious Cottontail Rabbit sits and watches you as you pass, nibbling on the small buds of a low growing plant. Now you notice it, its paw prints as it hopped along the same path that you are taking today. Their whole focus is on food and shelter, survival. Musing on how different life would be if your whole day was consumed by trying to stay alive. But this is the same, retreating to the woods for a short time seeking mental survival. You begin observing the prints left by the other travelers before you both human and animal, the triangle shapes in the tread of hiking boots, the delicate hoof prints of deer. Now as you move along the dirt path, finding a comfortable rhythm, your eyes are up hoping to catch a glimpse of these quiet creatures. There it is, curious, beautiful, majestic. It watches you as you pass, always watching, keen ears rotating like satellites as he listens to your every move.

You see a destination and set your goal for this personal journey, the big rock. High on the mountain it sits, your personal light house for the day. Accomplishing this goal will feel so good. You start to ascend, feeling the burn in your thighs and calves and welcome the strain. Up and up you go, finding comfort in the solitude as you continue to look for signs of forest mammals. Enjoy the peace as you continue to move both body and mind away from the hustle of cars and schedules, deadlines and responsibilities. They will still be there when you get home, but right here, right now is for you. The clarity that comes when you take some time for yourself to reflect on creation is priceless, allowing your mind to focus on the life and growth all around. Taking notice now of your shoes, the dust, the mud, the satisfaction that movement brings.

Now you begin to concentrate on not slipping as the path becomes steeper, distracted as you dig your walking sticks in to maintain balance. The addition of two extra legs becomes your holy grail, this journey's key to survival. Pause, look behind you, find a place to rest for a minute and take some time to see how far you have come. Look at the contrasting crystals in the large granite boulder, so beautiful, solid. Breathe in the fresh air allowing it to cleanse your soul, take a drink of water and notice how you can feel the cool liquid travel past your tongue and down your throat. Maybe pour a little down the back of your hot neck and feel the way that the breeze helps to increase the cooling effect. Watch the birds hopping from branch to branch, swooping and diving into the bushes. How many different birds have you seen today? One more deep breath before you make the final ascent.

Here you go, pace yourself now, careful with your footing. Now instead of the heel-toe gait you are digging in with your toes first using the muscles in your calves to continue to propel you upward, increasing elevation with every step. You focus on the end goal as your quads begin to burn, screaming at you to stop, but you don't. Digging in hard with the walking sticks urging your arms to join in on the accomplishment of reaching that boulder in the sky. It's a wonder how it ever got there. Earthquake perhaps, millions of years ago thrusting it upward? Who knows? It seems like a miracle that it stays put. But you stop the mental wrestle with this query because you made it! You crushed your goal! Sit, sit on that rock. You deserve it, take in how far you came. Observe the bustling city down below and know that you escaped it, if only for a short time. Close your eyes as you sit and reflect on all that you are grateful for, listen to the birds singing their happy tune. Perhaps today they are singing for you. And breathe, deep breath in through the nose, out through the mouth. Again, smell the roses, blow out the candles. Life is good.