A Walk in the Trees

4/27 Hike 4 Holden Arboretum ~2 miles

I've been thinking a lot about moments. About how we only get so many, and we can only have one at a time. There's nothing profound about time, time is just a fact. But there's something so important about how we piece our time together. When life is nothing but a string of experiences and feelings, all of a sudden the big picture isn't so overwhelming and the future is so much more exciting. It's all holding hands and laughing and swaying with the trees.

Today I went walking in the trees and I got to do it with the woman who has held me in her branches through all the times I couldn't keep myself rooted. The drive to Holden Arboretum became memory lane as we embraced the nostalgia of early 2000 pop, not even a little embarrassed to know every word. A stroll through the gardens took us to a series of suspension bridges. After the temptation to sway and rock wore off we were eye to eye with the Spring canopy. As cool as that was, the highlight was climbing 202 stairs to summit an observation tower. Each level took us from trunks to branches to sky. Clear blues and flat lands gave us a range of views covered with the newest greens.

Having extra time meant we could make extra moments. Walking through a bog with a weasel and finding a natural play area too great to pass by. Following spruce trees to catch up on our Oms. Today's moments were all trees and skies, songs and talks, strung together with quiet walks.

Walk to Talk: Hike 3 (52 Hike Challenge)

4/21 Hike 3 Chestnut Ridge ~3 miles

Ohio may not have the views like mountain country, but I'm lucky enough to live very close to some great walking trails. Chestnut Ridge has been one of my favorite places to run for years. The hill in the back is a personal challenge and gauge of my current fitness level. Today I decided to slow it down and take these trails with a sense of peace, rather than a competitive spirit. As much as I like discovering new trails, returning to this spot and finding the beauty in each of it's seasons is refreshing. Today shone vibrant spring greens even as the sky dulled over with clouds. April has been more flowers than showers and I'm eating up the glories of each day.

Since moving back to town within the last six months, I've reconnected with a lot of faces from my past in one way or another. Today, I invited an old co-worker and friend to go walk with me. I've found a great deal of comfort in reaching out to others' personal experiences when I'm facing a new situation. After kicking some things around in my mind for some days, I knew she could shed some light. Hiking has been a huge blessing in my life as I continue to dive into new spaces and today was no exception.

You Can Walk There (52 Hike Challenge: Hike 2)

4/18 Hike 2 Walk around town ~2 miles

It's been bugging me for a week that I kicked off this hike challenge, immediately went on three breath taking hikes, and then didn't walk as far as the front door for days. I'm not saying I haven't been active, but I haven't made the intentional trek I've been planning. So when I woke up today and the sun was shinning and the breeze was cool and I had an errand to run within a mile of home I walked there. Because it's close, because the weather is beautiful, because I'm fortunate to live in a safe neighborhood, because I can. And it was just what I needed to see how blessed I am to be capable. I'm able to stand up and walk, I walk for work (mostly in circles) which allows me to make an income so I can take journeys to beautiful mountain trails. Walking is what my body is designed to do, and I've figured out how to use that design to bring myself a bit of happiness.

First I walked to run my short errand. And then I walked to the tennis courts. And then I walked to lunch. And then I walked in my back door, up the stairs and to my lap top so I could share the joy my simple Hike 2 brought to me today. Not every hike is an epic journey, but every walk is good for my heart.

Life's a Bus

How big do these impulses get before I have to let my dreams come to life?

Sometimes life chooses which dream I pursue next. I can plan and manifest, I can set all kinds of intentions, but if I don't pay attention when life say it's time, how will I live out any of my dreams?

I had just spent a whirlwind weekend involving a 28 hour round-trip drive to NH to experience a winter climb of Mt. Washington. Still elated from the exhausting summit, I was driving to work and smashed my lovely Toyota Camry to pieces (not my fault, ok!). I was pretty heart broken; over 100,000 miles of adventures together and plans for double more, all shredded. Once I found out there was no saving her it was time to start looking for a new car.

"I want an van, and I want to live in it." What? I said that? I did, and I did it with a lot of conviction. It's a thought that's been kicking around my mind since college. 'Well', life said, 'go for it'. Thinking I should take the more "responsible" route, I considered using my insurance money to buy a nearly identical Camry, and the thought made me sick with dread. Actual fear. It took a couple conversations to understand that fear was screaming at me not to miss the opportunity life was so willingly giving to me, right now! Like, 'Are you stupid? Don't let this go?' So, I didn't.

I bought a bus. I saw my first craigslist add for a mini-buse and was attached. I went for a test drive and was infatuated. I made an offer, paid my cash money, and made my first "adult" purchase, and I was obsessed. Meet Russel, we call him Rus the Bus; 2002 Thomas Collins mini-bus.

The first adventure Rus and I will be having together is making this bus a home, one project at a time. So far my man power (dad), and I have removed all the seats and created an entire open space to design. Next up, insulation and flooring! Say posted for our progress, and if you need 7 two-person vinyl bus seats, check out my craigslist add.

Feels Like Home

4/8-4/9 Hike 1.3 Appalachian Trail:Carvers Gap-Over Mountain Shelter ~11 miles

Every time I see a white blaze I feel like I've just walked in my front door. The AT is home, and always welcomes me back, in both community and energy. My short out and back hike across the Roan Highlands in TN was like a sigh, satisfying on the exhale, but I don't think there are enough miles to scratch the itch that a thru hike creates. Our route was from Carvers Gap over Round Bald and Jane Bald (elv. 5800 ft) to Over Mountain Shelter - The Barn. The elements in these mountains are so diverse that I was floored by the views, the shining skies, and the snow hanging around in patches. Also, the mud. Wet trenches of trails that had seen too many foot prints. My first trek across these mountains in 2015 were socked in clouds and rain and during a frustrating conversation a fellow thru hiker reminded me that if the mountain chooses to share it's secrets we are blessed. This day I was blessed.

At the shelter that night I sat back and watched this seasons Thru Hikers perform their chores, create meals that only a calorie deprived nomad would find delicious and eagerly accept snacks and beers appearing as trail magic after their long walk. About 350 miles into their hike, dynamics were forming; support teams, families, loves, relationships that they may or may not value to their full extent yet, but clearly were already becoming highly important to their walk. My heart ached for that camaraderie, that bond, and that adventure which only a leap of faith can take you on.

We watched the nearly full moon rise, we laughed around the fire, and I know I was miserably cold in my sleeping bag during a nearly sleepless night. But I also know I sat up in the early morning to see sunrise from my bed, and at this moment now, I cannot recall the discomfort of that night, or any of the other hard days and nights along the Appalachian Trail.

52 Hike Challenge

There's this thing, maybe you've heard of it; take one hike a week for an entire year. Or 52 hikes within a years time, the schedule is all your own. Call it a challenge, and I'm interested. Accepted.

I've decided to start my year of hikes the first week of April, surrounding my birthday, knowing that one year from now I'll be entering my 30th year with 52 more hikes under my belt. Sounds like a badass kickoff to me. So among the other things I gifted myself this year, I'm giving myself a challenge, a goal, peace of mind, exercise, and a little bit more freedom.

Speaking of freedom, I took a bit of that this last week and drove to NC to visit Hiccup, my trail soul-sister and greatest hiking partner. We took several killer hikes during the week, but I'm choosing to count them all as my first hike of the 52 Hike Challenge.

4/4 Hike 1.1 Grandfather Mountain ~12 miles

Third time's the charm! I've made my way to the Boone, NC area twice before with the intent to hike Grandfather Mt, but both times been waylaid by bad weather. This time it was bluebird skies and sunshine. And since we didn't actually plan to hike Grandfather, it turned out to be the perfect opportunity. We staged some vehicles at trail heads and started up the Profile Trail. I guess I forgot, but hiking is HARD! Several miles uphill and a wrong turn later had us at unbelievable views and scrambling over rocky outcroppings. This is an adventure hike for sure. We climbed ladders and hoisted ourselves up with cables. Getting to the Mile-High "swinging" bridge (it did not swing- major disappointment) was only half way. Back through the rocks, up and down more ladders and a quick view off Calloway Peak took us to the Daniel Boone Trail. A few more miles down hill was our reward for being sunburned, hungry, and happy to find the bus.

4/5-4/6 Hike 1.2 Mountain to Sea Trail: Linville Gorge ~6 miles

I'll just throw out there that these were our main hiking plans and they were the least successful, in a certain perspective anyway. We spent the morning staging cars again for a planned 20 ish miles and 2 nights on the MST through the Linville Gorge and over Table Rock. We maybe didn't do our best research on this one...  After a few miles of hiking down the steep, muddy gorge trail in a pretty persistent rain we got to the "river fjord" What river fjord? Yes, that's exactly what we said. This is why you should read your guide books. As if the described 60 yard, knee deep crossing didn't sound fun enough, the weeks worth of rain leading us to the river made the realistic crossing about 100 yard across and waist deep at first step. We laughed a little. Hard pass, please. The good news is, the rain had temporarily stopped. We back tracked to a spruce forest campsite with a killer view of Table Rock across the gorge and set up for the night. I scavenged some decently dry wood and after struggling for an hour to light a fire, cheated my way to flames with some paper and hand sanitizer.

That night laying in my tent, rain beating the nylon, I watched lightning silhouette the frail structure keeping me dry. Thunder echoed through the gorge with enough power to shake the mountain under my sleeping bag; the heaviness of it shook me a bit too. I was warm, dry, and curled into a very pleasant sleep despite my exposure. Our morning was just as incredible as the the nighttime storms cleared to sunrise beyond Table Rock and lightened my disappointment of not walking over those distant ledges. Not this time.