Nitty Gritty:
- The Park: Lagoon Valley
- Distance: Not important for this blog, but for those who care 5.75 miles
- Elevation Gain: Hmmmm 800ish feet
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkGW1VkLM5o
The Story:
The plan for some time had been to do a solo backpacking excursion with my dog Tyson this week-end. It was to have been my first solo over nighter and I had been willing myself to do it for a couple of years. I love backpacking, with no concern at all when with others, but for some reason spending the night alone in the woods is a hurdle for me. Some might say…. “uhhhh… Duhhh!” yet others will understand. It’s more about overcoming the mental barrier, becoming stronger, and fully understanding whether it is something I enjoy or not. If I don’t try it, at least once, I will never know!
Anyway, I digressed. As the week progressed, the weather forecast worsened. Snow was predicted, with low temperatures in the 20’s. I don’t mind sleeping when it is cold, all snug in my very expensive sleeping bag designed for such conditions, but the thought of “hanging out” at a lake, in the snow.,….. Not appealing. That I know for sure!
With no sign of improvement in the weather, my solo overnight was again postponed….. There might have been a small insecure piece of me that was relieved. With sun in the local forecast, I decided to take my dogs for a walk and jumped on the chance to do it with a friend with whom I spend little time.
Things over the past couple of weeks had me feeling “heavy”. Mentally, I felt depleted and a bit bogged down. Big changes are on the horizon, for me, and admittedly anxiety was also setting in. Feeling unsettled, I looked forward to some nature therapy.
With neither of us excited about getting up early, we opted to start at 10:00am, because….. Well…. We could. While I had a general route planned, I found myself content with taking our time and going with the flow. We would go where our feet, our bodies, and our hearts took us. This, I found, helped move me some from the rigidity of my recent worries.
Walking somewhat of a loop, we made our way up some hills, to ensure we could count this as exercise, and wandered along the hilltops with occasional stops among the trees.
We shared our stories, encouraged one another, and listened empathically with no judgment. Being out and about for just over two hours, we had plenty of time to catch up, share some secrets, laugh a little, and even shed a tear.
I noticed the warmth of the sun, the flirty songs of the birds, the joy bounding from my dogs, the flowers struggling to show their glory among the browning grasses, the twisted trees, the stinky cows and all the other folks who seemed to similarly be enjoying the outdoors. I chatted with strangers, sharing similar outdoor stories, and even came across a group of backpackers who had made this their plan B (for practice) given the snow in the mountains.
As I stopped to “smell the roses,” which to me is synonymous to taking pictures of the things I was noticing, my friend began to notice herself. When making our descent, I looked up and found myself in complete awe of the stark white clouds, floating effortlessly in the brilliantly blue sky. They looked almost as if they were props stuck there with velcro. Magical.
As I let out an exhale, not unlike the sound of air exiting a balloon, I commented that it helps to “look up once in awhile.” I realized then this is not just applicable when hiking, but also in life…… Insert light bulb over the head here.
Ah ha! I thought to myself…. “You have got to look up more.” Although generally speaking I do a good job at that, I realized I had been spending much of my time “looking down.” With too much focus on the “heavy,” I was missing all the “light” around me.
Returning to the car, I felt lighter. Studies have shown fresh air and exercise are good for both the mind and the body. You don’t have to travel great distances, spend a lot of money or climb tall mountains; Nature’s therapy can be found in your own backyard, neighborhood, City……
Need a reset? Take a step…… and don’t forget to look up once in awhile to notice what is around you at that moment. In doing so, there is less room to focus on the worries of tomorrow, or the regrets of yesterday.
Stay well, my friends, and keep on trekkin’ on.