The prompt for today is “Hike.”
I love to hike, especially alone. There is a deep sense of completeness that comes from tackling difficult things alone and being alone in the elements; hiking brings an added element of danger that satisfies my slightly adrenaline-loving alter ego.
I will never forget a solo hike I did once. It was at a nature reserve pretty close to my home at the time. I was battling a few inner demons and felt the need to escape into Mother Nature. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going or what I was doing. I simply packed a sandwich and headed off.
I chose the longer of the two trails and gave myself over to the experience. I am quite a slow hiker. I like to stop and explore interesting things along the way, so the 10km hike turned into a few hours.
By the time I was about three-quarters of the way through, the weather had turned. The sky had turned dark, and the temperatures had plummeted. I started to get a little nervous. I was completely exposed on the side of a mountain, and if there was lightning, I could easily be struck.
I picked up the pace to try to reach my car, but the rain started before I could finish the trail. And man, did it rain! Sheets of icy water poured over the landscape… and me. At first, I fought against it. I tried to run, to get out of it. To repel it somehow.
But then something quite wonderful happened.
I accepted it.
I suddenly stopped and looked around. The nature I had been appreciating a few minutes before had been transformed into a crystal wonderland, coming alive with rich greens and deep browns. The timpani was all around me. For once, I didn’t have to watch structured, rehearsed musicians playing tired pieces from the distance of a stage. I was in it. I was a part of it.
And it was beautiful.
I stood for a moment and soaked it in—literally. Then, slowly, I began to make my way along the trail again, sensing every scent, every movement, and every change in the symphony unfolding around me.
I reached my car and poured water from my boots like a cartoon character. (I half expected to see a fish pouring out with the water!) And back in my hometown, I settled in for a cup of coffee at a local diner. I was still in my wet clothes and freezing, but it didn’t matter.
As I switched on my phone and slowly returned to the “normal” world, I reflected on the hike.
I had faced my demons, but, just like every time I hike alone, it had not been in the way I had expected. Nature is so often a mirror for our inner world. It is our home, the place we should return to as frequently as possible to reset and recharge.
I have returned to that spot and others, and every hike yields a new experience. I must admit that I have checked the weather report each time, though! 😉
