Since our house in CT sold, and we bought one in Iowa, and my seminars are over for the year; suddenly much of the pressure is off and we had a slightly down week before us. I realized perhaps I could fit in my annual walkabout after all!
I threw together a pack in about an hour and downloaded a map of the CT section of the Appalachian Trail I hadn’t hiked yet and was ready to go after baking a fresh baguette to strap to my pack and grabbing a can of chili.
I made two mistakes though in packing - I forgot a flash light and I grabbed my cheap hiking boots that I had not previously walked extensively in. I will never again walk extensively in those podiatry iron maidens. After the first four hours walking it was pain in every foot step. Literally.
But there was no turning back: 30 miles and 6 mountains peaks stood between me and the car that would take me home.
There was some great stuff to see. Crazy orange fungi, red salamanders, yellow snakes, deer, bugs, classic New England churches, old farm houses.
Not to mention the amazing vistas, up high with the falcons riding the same thermals that are blowing through my hair.
At night I met up with my friend Spencer (he who was hiking same trail in the opposite direction from me; we both situated our cars on each end of the trail).Spencer actually got in after dark using his flashlight. We slept in a nice lean-to. However, it wasn't nearly as good a sleep as I would have expected for being so beat from a long day of walking - the ground seems to get harder as I get older, and sleeping outside brings all sorts of strange noises .
I hit the trail a little after first light and swapping maps with Spencer.
Day two started off with three mountains. Killer to climb, but great views. Luckily I didn’t just have just boring, sore feet to occupy me. I got amazingly winded making the mountainous assents (some day I’ll actually get in shape before going on these hikes). And for variety, my shoulders started aching from carrying my 30 pound pack. Then on the descents, after the third peak, my bum knee came back to visit me; a new kind of pain at each step. My knee held out until the last, and highest, and steepest descent on the last day, and then I almost died going down that hill. Things officially stopped being fun at that point. It was a good thing I was hiking alone so no one had to hear my grunts and snarls. I tell you though, grimacing really does help you move through the pain.My blistered feet had become so passé at that point. I was more disturbed that I’d run out of water four hours earlier and hadn’t passed another water supply since. A fresh apple never tasted so good when I remembered I had one left and ate it.
(I did a much better job capturing the serenity of the hiking experience than I did the struggles)
Anyway, the hiking was gorgeous. I was the only person around for miles, utterly surrounded by nature with only a barely marked trail to show that civilization existed. The vistas were awesome, the weather was beautiful, and the food nice and humble. I got to spend a lot of time thinking about the path of my life and how to strike the right balance between all my responsibilities. I climbed to the highest point in Connecticut and knelt in prayer there - and I’ll tell you, it’s different on a mountain top. It was amazing. I think everyone should go on a walkabout once a year.
I like you!
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