Winding down

To have gone from just 2 weeks prior having never hiked or solo camped before to taking on a 30 mile trip in 48 hours was a big accomplishment for me. The original plan was nearly 10 miles shorter with an extra 6 hours to do it in, yet I pushed myself to go farther, faster. This was not at all without consequence. Of the 32 miles I traveled, I can staunchly remember maybe 5 sightings. I’m sure there were hundreds of interesting things that I straight missed in my goal to put up numbers. That wasn’t what this trip had been about, merely what it had become. I literally missed the forest for the trees as I pounded out mile after mile, nearly as if watching a movie in fast forward. You get the gist of the story, but you don’t really grasp the emotional connection with the characters. That’s exactly how I feel now, having sat down and condensed my trip into a handful of paragraphs. I had just spent 48 hours in the wilderness and although I’ve achieved quite a bit, I don’t feel fulfilled. I missed the mark on this one. Does this mean I am done hiking? Absolutely not.

Now don’t get me wrong. I saw some really cool stuff. Wildlife I had never seen before, bizarre growths off of trees, crazy rock formations, and spectacular views. Although I may have seen them, I did not appreciate them because I felt rushed. Nothing was rushing me, but myself, for I had a feeling that I couldn’t stay for too long and take in the beauty of my surroundings.

What I have taken away from this adventure is that life is not a race and should not be treated as such. I had set out with a plan and decided that it wasn’t enough, inevitably missing the point. Yes I can hike 8 miles in 3 hours and choose to hike another 6, or I can hike 8 miles in 6 hours, take in what the trail has to offer and chill out a bit. I think over the coming outings I will find out what my happy medium is and not limit myself to racing around in the woods.