a hike

yesterday, for the first time in over a year, i set out on a hike.  a hike on a trail with a gentle incline, and not intended to be very long.   the site:  mohonk mountain and a trail called "bontecou crag."  i've hiked it many times before so i knew what the early part of the trail would be like and it seemed just the thing for me at this stage of my hip's healing process.

i set off in my yellow, high-top converse sneakers with cane in hand.  the evening was soft and warm.  the views of the valley and mountain ridges to the west as i passed through the fields of grasses and milkweed early on were gorgeous.

my footing was sure and strong.  what a thrill to be in the woods hiking again.

i hiked up to one of the carriage trails on a narrow path and then decided to descend on this carriage trail as the slope would be more gentle.   one or two mosquitos insisted on buzzing around my head during most of the walk.  the descent was much longer than the ascent.  for a while i wondered if i was headed in the right direction.  was i on the right path?   mostly an issue because i was walking with a cane remember!  going too far out of my way was not advised.   i began to explore the parallels to my larger life at the moment - including the mosquitos who so well represented the nagging, pesky and useless thoughts that can circle my mind.   with that recognition, i took the opportunity to shift my focus, to sidle over a little to get out of my own way.  i looked around some more and enjoyed the landscape i was in, talked to the trees and smaller plants, sang, followed the sun...  and very soon found i was indeed on the right path, and out of the woods and on my way home.

i walked for an hour and a half!

it was really a fine day.  the hike and a healing session with a peruvian shaman shared the middle of the day.  and i started the day with homemade buckwheat-quinoa flour pancakes piled high with fruit and nuts, and finished with the "wizard of oz" - ha! fun to giggle through that old childhood favorite.