Healing in the mountains

Ok, it is getting a bit dusty in here.  Not many pictures, especially from today in the rain.  I have done some hiking.  I was introduced to Watatic.  A wonderful little peak in Ashburnham, MA.  It is the northern terminus for the Midstate Trail in MA and the start of the Wapack Trail in NH.  If you go on one trail, you can stand in NH and MA.  I was also introduced to the joy of Spring.  Ice covered one week and MUD the next.  It is a great hike.

I made a return to Wachusett, a trip to Wachusett Meadow as a co-lead, and my first trip to the Middlesex Fells as a co-lead.  What can I say about the Fells.  Well, it is PUDilicious.  OMG so many PUDs.  And more PUDs and when you think you are done, another PUD.  Plus, it was pouring for  while.  I was wet, cold, and well my mood has been lousy lately.  I am very glad I did the hike.  It was what I needed in so many ways.  It has been a long few weeks.

I think my breakthrough came through when I did a Pack traverse the other day.  I normally gain stress weight when school starts, but in the last few weeks, it has been a pint of Ben and Jerry's pint a night type of stress.  Luckily, I have the best kids in the world.  Some who I have had since they were Freshmen, they are will graduate next year.  I look forward to having them in class, they tolerate the techniques I impose on them from my RETELL class.  They tolerate my enthusiasm for certain subjects and listen to my music.  YES, many have downloaded Pete Seeger's Little Boxes.   One year, they staged random Duck and Cover drills.  So yeah, I love my kids, even if they push every single button possible and invent a few more. Through all the changes, Common Core nonsense (where is History?), RETELL class, and well them, it has been a tough year.

I had decided to lead a hike on the Packs a while ago.  My friend John does it every Thursday and the last Thursday of the month is a potluck cookout.  I had done this before in sketchier conditions and expected it to be hard, but doable.  I had not clue how near impossible it would be.  Every up was a nightmare.  Pain, shortness of breath (more than usual), exhaustion.  It was a complete mess.  Food did not help.  Hydration did not help.  I was not the slowest, but I truly struggled.  When I struggled up North Pack, I had a small epiphany.  First, I needed to lose weight.  My body could not keep up with my new mass.  But the baggage was more than a few pounds of fat.

I had to face my situation.  I had not broken down.   I cried, but it did not help.  I needed to realize the reality of what was happening to me.  I had to face the fact that I may have to make some very hard decisions.  Decisions that might radically change my life in the next few months.  Then I told a friend what was going and things started to improve a bit.  I did not go back to my summer peakbagging form, but it felt good to get things off my chest.  Of course yesterday I felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck hauling a few other Mack trucks.

Through it all, I realized a few things.  A)  I need to do a lot more work before I continue my 48.  Maybe 5 pounds will make a huge difference.  B)  I need to get out more.  A whole lot more.  Easier said then done.  With the Spring Hiking Program, my RETELL class, and well traffic, it is hard to get to away.  And away is what I need.  I can grab a few sunrises here and there.  And with my WFA-SOLO next week (May), I can see the sunrise in Crawford Notch.

The mountains are healers.  They are tough, they may hurt you, and they will humble you.  But if you are paying attention, they will heal you.  Too bad responsibility does not allow me to be in them more often.