Did I say the hike last Saturday was a 5 hr. hike? The hike expanded to 5.59 hrs., and I'll jump right into the reason it took longer than expected: my husband has a bad memory. He assured me it would take "no more than 5 hrs," and perhaps he would still insist it is a 5 hr. hike from the base of the college to the highest peak in GA, if a fit hiker doesn't stop for pics along the way and keeps the goal ever in mind. Determined, however, to "look up, look in, but never look down," I wanted to enjoy the views, take some snaps for this blog, and not get caught up in reaching the destination while sacrificing the blessings of the journey. On the ascent during this fine winter day, we alternately savored gorgeous views of the valley below and Brasstown Bald above; penetrating warm sunlight that raised the temperature by at least 10 degrees and contrasted the freezing northface temperatures, and which in turn created frozen sculptures of ice along jutty rock surfaces forcing themselves into the trailway; and picked our way though wet spring bogs, greatly appreciating what the feet, wagons, and horses of previous generations had plodded through on this same stretch of mountain. This part of the hike was a success, and I was singing the praises of God's creation and my own determination, both which had put a spring in my step.
We reached our summit, the parking lot, without issue. There is a .6 mile mostly paved trail to the visitors' center from said lot, but the 6.7 miles up the wagon road was enough for us, and after a 10 min. rest and foot check, we needed to head back home. I had a school dance to chaperone that night, but more importantly, I had food to cook and eat, and knees to rest and perhaps ice down. Read that last sentence again. In it you will find the root of all my problems that day. I had an agenda, a finish line, a distraction. I imposed on myself the goal of getting down, in, well it wouldn't be 5 hrs., but surely 5.5 at the most. My feet and legs refreshed after removing my boots and doing a few stretches, I took off like a thoroughbred out of the gate. Woo hoo! Downhill all the way! Boom, boom, boom went the boots. Clack, clack, clack went the poles. We even passed up some other hikers going down that we had passed earlier while we were going up: they were still crawling their way down-aha, success! We were passing others! Yet it wasn't just the boots slamming down the path, it was my knees grinding up what were once fairly dependable joints. Would they ever be the same? And praytell, how could this trail have now turned into such a hazardous riverbed full of ankle grabbing traps, with rocks the size of angry children's clenched fists, scattered ever so generously for mile after mile? How quickly my perspective changed. Vanished was the happy-go-lucky girl who had obviously worried too much about all this Camino training. In her place was a scared, underprepared newbie hiker. That should have slowed me down, but instead, I LITERALLY dug my heels in and walked faster. "If I get done sooner, I'll have more time to rest tonight after injuring myself from going too fast." Whatever.
We made it to the car just a few seconds under 6 hrs. To be brief, after reading it time and time again, we were given the gift of a reality check. Set a slow pace, keep to that pace, and enjoy the moment. Let my Higher Power take care of the rest. Don't worry so much about the destination. Doesn't that stand true in all our lives?
As a final note, this trial hike reminded me I have the heart, the desire, for the Camino. Further, my body held up. I recuperated miraculously fast, and after waking the next morning at 2 A.M. to aching knees and a slight ankle sprain, by the next afternoon I was feeling relatively decent. For me the hike was ultimately about remembering what I already knew: the various trials I go through on the trail and through life produce patience, and that's a great thing. Within the New Testament of the Bible, the writer James speaks of endurance in its full effect, when believers are "lacking nothing." We were made to be complete. Buen Camino!
We reached our summit, the parking lot, without issue. There is a .6 mile mostly paved trail to the visitors' center from said lot, but the 6.7 miles up the wagon road was enough for us, and after a 10 min. rest and foot check, we needed to head back home. I had a school dance to chaperone that night, but more importantly, I had food to cook and eat, and knees to rest and perhaps ice down. Read that last sentence again. In it you will find the root of all my problems that day. I had an agenda, a finish line, a distraction. I imposed on myself the goal of getting down, in, well it wouldn't be 5 hrs., but surely 5.5 at the most. My feet and legs refreshed after removing my boots and doing a few stretches, I took off like a thoroughbred out of the gate. Woo hoo! Downhill all the way! Boom, boom, boom went the boots. Clack, clack, clack went the poles. We even passed up some other hikers going down that we had passed earlier while we were going up: they were still crawling their way down-aha, success! We were passing others! Yet it wasn't just the boots slamming down the path, it was my knees grinding up what were once fairly dependable joints. Would they ever be the same? And praytell, how could this trail have now turned into such a hazardous riverbed full of ankle grabbing traps, with rocks the size of angry children's clenched fists, scattered ever so generously for mile after mile? How quickly my perspective changed. Vanished was the happy-go-lucky girl who had obviously worried too much about all this Camino training. In her place was a scared, underprepared newbie hiker. That should have slowed me down, but instead, I LITERALLY dug my heels in and walked faster. "If I get done sooner, I'll have more time to rest tonight after injuring myself from going too fast." Whatever.
We made it to the car just a few seconds under 6 hrs. To be brief, after reading it time and time again, we were given the gift of a reality check. Set a slow pace, keep to that pace, and enjoy the moment. Let my Higher Power take care of the rest. Don't worry so much about the destination. Doesn't that stand true in all our lives?
As a final note, this trial hike reminded me I have the heart, the desire, for the Camino. Further, my body held up. I recuperated miraculously fast, and after waking the next morning at 2 A.M. to aching knees and a slight ankle sprain, by the next afternoon I was feeling relatively decent. For me the hike was ultimately about remembering what I already knew: the various trials I go through on the trail and through life produce patience, and that's a great thing. Within the New Testament of the Bible, the writer James speaks of endurance in its full effect, when believers are "lacking nothing." We were made to be complete. Buen Camino!