some thoughts on wild

i enjoy reading.  but it seems that i am truly moved by a book only every other year or so.  i don't know if this says something about me or the state of literature.  regardless, since i am an avid reader, this causes me some sadness.  i would like to be moved more often, to be consumed and inspired by another's story.  when i am in the grip of a story that is changing my life, i am at once elated by its presence and mourning its inevitable departure. 

a few days ago i read the last few pages of wild, by cheryl strayed.  it's about a young woman who hikes the pacific crest trail by herself.  i had been reading it for weeks.  i can always tell when i have one of those life changing books in my hands because i move slowly through it, paging back and rereading passages.  i don't want the end to come.  i think about the story throughout my day and wonder what certain characters would do with the details of my life.  i begin to incorporate elements from the story into my life.  books have inspired me to learn and do many many things, from making mexican cocoa to choosing a career.

wild inspired me to go to the woods, to return to walking trails.  in my twenties, i discovered that i loved hiking, but as a single mother i never seemed to find the time to really commit to it.  we've lived thirty minutes from the blue ridge mountains and appalachian trail for eleven years now and just recently started to explore the many amazing mountains, forests and waterfalls that we are blessed to know.

but it's not just about the breathtaking scenery and fresh air.  it's about the solitude that happens on the trail, even when you are hiking with others.  it's about you, small and vulnerable in the woods but powerful beyond measure in spirit.  it's about trusting that something (bigger, better, different, unexpected) is just around the bend.

my words do not do her story justice, so i will use hers:

"it was all unknown to me then, as i sat on that white bench on the day i finished my hike.  everything except the fact that i didn't have to know.  that it was enough to trust that what i'd done was true.  to understand its meaning without yet being able to say precisely what it was, like all those lines from the dream of a common language that had run through my nights and days.  to believe that i didn't need to reach with my bare hands anymore.  to know that seeing the fish beneath the surface of the water was enough.  that it was everything.  it was my life--like all lives, mysterious and impeccable and sacred.  so very close, so very present, so very belonging to me.

how wild it was, to let it be."

i have it bad

wanderlust for the great outdoors.  a love of the wild open.

from my into the wild pinterest board.

the trails project

we are lucky enough to live thirty minutes from the magnificent blue ridge mountains.  in the eleven years we've been here, we've driven its roads, but rarely ventured into the wilderness from the car and/or lookouts.

that all changed this summer.  after i quit my job, i craved wide open space.  i needed to increase my physical activity and spend more time away from the interwebs.  i needed challenge and fresh air.  i was inspired by the story in wild.  we made up our minds to do one hike each weekend. 

sunday was hike two: fallingwater cascades near the peaks of otter.  on the map it looked like the second-easiest loop (last weekend, we did the johnson's farm loop which included a pleasant surprise at the summit:  an actual 19th century virginia farm, complete with current garden.). 

thirty-four hundred feet sounds easy enough, right?  well, fallingwater was 3400 feet straight down into a gorge then straight back up. 

even though simon, a corgi, has super short legs, he is the best hiker. 

i got my bright purple shoes because they were the most comfortable.  they flawlessly carried me through a three hour hike with absolutely no blisters.  they helped tremendously with wet-boulder-hopping (more on that later).  they are actually trail running shoes, lighter than hiking shoes.  plus if i get lost, rangers will have no problem spotting me.

not the most glamorous picnic:  water, granola bars, nuts and bug spray.  maybe next weekend i'll put some effort into it.  total plug for burt's bees insect repellent:  it works! 

corgi butt.

halfway down, you reach the waterfall, which traverses the trail at the bottom of the loop.  because it's late summer, the falls are a wee bit trickly.  i can't wait to come back in spring to see them in all their glory.  also the trail is lined with a thousand ancient rhododendron bushes.  i am imagining how gorgeous they are in bloom.  although they may make my purple shoes more difficult to spot in an air rescue. 

the great part about the summer falls is that you can go off trail and onto the rocks and water in parts.

my trail buddies.

so at the bottom of the hike, the lower bridge that crosses the falls and loops you back up to the trailhead was washed out.  we were getting ready to backtrack when two hikers came bounding across the falls from the broken bridge.  they told us that once you made it across the falls (fall being the resonating word), the trail was in good shape back to the trailhead. 

for some crazy reason, i decided that i wanted to try to cross the rocks and falls under the washed-out bridge instead of coming back the way we came. lately, i have been choosing risk when given the option.   and quite frankly, coming back the way i came is getting old.  this was a big deal for me.  i'm not very outdoorsy or athletic and there was some rock hopping involved.  i watched ken and simon make their way and i followed in their steps with a weird brand of tentative courage.   i was really proud of myself when my purple shoes set down safely on the trail on the other side of the falls.

after two hikes i find myself wanting more.  i love the challenge and the nature and the isolation.  i love the sound the trail makes under my feet and the big silence of the sky.  ken's been crazy-talking about the appalachian trail for years.  all of sudden, it's not sounding so crazy.

a corgi in the woods

mom?  mom?  where we going mom?

hiking!  hiking!  hiking is my favorite!

follow me!

river walking is my favorite!

log balancing is my favorite!

best day ever.