I see it all the time. Unless there is a goal, things are not hiked. Not part of the AT, won’t hike it. Not on the 4K list, why bother. Snow, OMG too dangerous. Not XYZ, not worth the time. If that were the case, the Whites would be empty. Not a bad thing sometimes, but people need to realize that is more than the destination, it is the journey. And if you stop because a particular journey is over, why? It is a big world out there. You gotta experience it.
After the Sunday Flu, I dragged myself back to Lyme, NH to visit Holt’s Ledges. Of course the blue sky vanished when I got there. Rough little climb, and short on what I think of ledges. Oh well, another mile down. Still wish i went up to Orford to do some Cube/Hexacuba Oh well, I got out. And I have the weekend, two really.
I did go into work for a bit Wednesday (and lost my solar charger), then hit Wachusett. Didn’t know the moon would be almost full, so on the way out, I decided to go back up. Old Indian Trail i tough, but Harrington is rough and tough. Great workout though. Yup. Summitted it twice. And i saw two friends I had not seen in a while. That was a very nice bonus. I knew there was a reason I decided to go back. I mean the sunset and moonrise were nice, but seeing friends is alway great. I went down the road with no headlamp. Ok a few places, i used it for a minute or two, but the moon was so bright. I followed my familiar moonshadow, something I always enjoy when I do Wachusett.
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| Steep Old Indian, steep but good |
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| Careful, a few herd paths here |
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| Monadnock, lift, and a few communication towers |
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| Maybe I should come back? |
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| I blinked and it dropped |
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| Monadnock again |
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| Gina and I. You never know who you will meet in the mountains. |
I also realized, I need to get back in shape. My lungs were not happy. Allergies and that flu that refused to give up hurt me. I am not going to ever be a speed demon and I will always huff and puff, but I see it like a badge of honor. After everything the last last few years, I should be be happy I am able to hike. It keeps me rooted and strong. And I have been rewarded for the effort.
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| The Harrington after I climbed down the Link Summit #2 |
So Thursday, I had plans, big ones. My body wanted rest, but I wanted out, so I looked for possibilities. Then I heard that Prince died. Another artist from the soundtrack of my youth gone. Thanks 2016. Finally decided on Gap Mountain. Once I got over the confusion of 202 and 12, I was good to go. It starts off all nice and easy, then, it goes up. Steep, but no scrambling, and again, it is worth the effort. And BAM, Monadnock is right in front of you. As are the black flies who do not seem to know what DEET is. Again, I was treated to a sunset and moonrise. Sunset was not as great because of the front coming in, but the moon was incredible. I met a guy who said their was another, better view on another peak. Adventure for another day.
On the way down, I was treated to the best sound, peepers. Loud peepers. And I found a good pizza place. Yes, I was hungry, but it was good. Yeah, my body said it was a couch/blog day today.
As I was surfing today, I came across a post from Cheryl Strayed about Prince’s death. Something I had been thinking about lately. Before the bottom fell out of my barrel, I was well on my way to some sort of greatness. I was going to finish my 48 in 2 years. I was presenting at a conference. I backpacked for the first time. Things were good, not like before, but good. The mountains were good. I am just a fraction of that person who was still not my top self. I had a brief glimpse of that person in the Pemi, but that was only 2 days and shortly extinguished. I hate it. And though things are hard and time/money is limited, I am going be Cheryl Strayed. I am going to hike myself back to the person I know I am. I am going to be that teacher I was in Ayer. I am going to be the scholar I was at UNH. I am going to be that hiker who did 6 high peaks in a week, the joyful person who stood atop S. Twin and Bondcliff the next day. I am going to be the person I was in 2009/2010; full of hope and confidence. I am going to hike all summer, complete a list or two, work on another. Complete a few more AT miles. Maybe thru hike a few trails. Whatever. I just want to hike back to strong, confident self. Sometimes, when you are on fire, people will watch; some will throw gasoline on you. You can either lie there and die or roll yourself back to life. I choose to roll myself back to life. And maybe Prince, Bowie, Glenn Frey, and Maurice White can provide me with a soundtrack back to that life.
I will be back and it will last more than 2 days
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