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| Views of the great smokies; pictures from an iPhone never do a good view justice. |
It has been a few weeks since my last post, and rather than dive into talking about my new job I want to write about the mountains. I had this idea in my head that this would be an epic post with lots of metaphors and connection of mountain life to reality, but I think I will keep it simple and just write about my feelings. I was inspired to blog this morning after a quick morning yoga practice on my balcony. The weather was cool, and the wind blew causing a calming sound of trees rustling and leaves falling. The sound reminded me of the quick backpacking trip Stephen and I took in the smokies last weekend. Nothing compares to the sound of mountain air. You haven't experienced true peace, until you wake up to a sunrise in the mountains. The air is crisp, the sky is a constant display of changing colors, and you can hear the wind so clearly. It's not loud, it's a different level of silence. Last weekend was not my first experience waking up in a shelter on a mountain side. A year ago I was on the AT with a friend and we settled in for the night in a lean-to on Chairback Mountain in Maine. I remember waking up thinking, I could get used to this!
Being in the mountains has always given me great peace and happiness. Some people have the beach, some people have the spa, I have the wilderness. I don't care about being wet and cold and even dirty. It's what I like to call "Type 3 fun." You endure a bit of a suck to experience great joy. Isn't that what life is all about? Oh hey, maybe there will be a few metaphors in this post. Last weekend gave me a little bit of optimism about living in North Carolina. It helped to lift my spirits and made me want more out this state. I felt comfort and familiarity after being in the smokies, I guess you could say I re-charged my batteries. I will say, my mood has greatly improved since starting my new job. I feel like I am moving forwards and not sitting still anymore. This is thru-hike, so there is still a long way to go.
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| Connected to the A.T.-Go forth, go north! |
I constantly feel a pull to the mountains. Being stuck in the apartment gives me cabin fever and when I need relief I close my eyes and re-visit the sound of the mountain air. When work stresses me out I reflect on sitting at Baxter peak of Katahdin and look down at the rest of the world, where problems seem so small and insignificant. I have this vision of running away sometimes when I get depressed. Just pack my bag with a sleeping bag, tent, and my raincoat and run away to the wilderness. If I end up dying, at least it'd be in a place I loved so much and felt so much comfort. True, that's rather morbid but I always snap out of it.
The moral of this post is that I'm getting better day by day. Celebrating optimism and feeling hope again. I will always have the wilderness and I will always have the mountains to bring me peace.
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| "The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."-John Muir |
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