Has it really been a month since I hiked off the trail?
‘Seems impossible that one month ago today I was lying in a tent on a frosty morning deep in the northern Vermont woods 5 miles from Canada….
As I said, my thoughts these past four weeks have been largely hijacked by popular culture and news stories, such that my walk across Vermont seems a lifetime ago.
It seems fantasy. Not real.
But when I unplug my devices, and withdraw from the unnerving drone of the news, I find all it really takes is a moment’s stillness and a single deep breath to take me back to the quiet of the trail.
Do it now.
Take a deep breath.
Now look at this photo.
You have come a long way today.
You are tired, but content.
You are fed, and you are warm, bundled as you are in an old wool sweater, a little cap on your head, a red bandana around your neck.
In your hand, a steaming mug of tea.
You are alone — blissfully alone … except for the couple of crows who glide in and out of sight … not another sound but their wings, an occasional caw….
You’ll have this night to yourself.
In this welcoming shelter.
… with this little table at which to write.
It will be the first night you have spent alone — completely alone — in the woods. Ever.
You will sleep well and deep.
And come morning, you will rise to a beautiful day.
You will hike in solitude, for hours, through expansive hardwood forests, where,
from the shadows of beech trees, the cheerful ghosts from your childhood will whisper and sing to you.
This day…
and the next…
and the next after that
will be among your most cherished.
For you will have been present. Fully. Present. With each. Footfall.
For you will have heeded Thich Nhat Hanh — whose book Long Road Turns to Joy,
you’ve been carrying with you :
Breathe in and take one step, and focus all your attention…. there is Buddha nature in you.
Buddha nature is the capacity of being aware of what is going on.
Buddha nature is what allows you to recognize what you are doing in the present moment
and to say to yourself: I am alive; I am taking a step.
Anyone can do this.
There is a Buddha in every one of us,
and we should allow the Buddha to walk.
Come, let us walk.
What a wonderful meditation! Thanks. It’s needed in these crazy times.
Thanks, Sallie! Agree: these surely are crazy times…. Glad I could provide a brief respite.
We love your art and your insight. Thank you.
Thanks so much, Virginia!
Beautifully written and insightful. Thanks for digging deep and putting it out there.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read (and comment on) my musings, Mark, and for sharing them, too.
Incidentally, I didn’t grow up in Vermont. [I’m a Jersey girl, actually]. But I have deep roots in New England, and visiting the region always feels like returning home to something elemental. The mountains of Vermont — especially the hardwood forests — remind me very much of the woods I hiked in New Jersey and New York in my youth. I still have family in New Hampshire, Mass and NJ, and now have an ever-expanding “tribe” in Vermont. 🙂
Dawn — thanks so much for your insightful reply. I do love the outdoors and hike a bit with my adult children and friends, but have not done any long-distance or overnights. You’re right — I should get going while the going is good! I’ll check out some women’s trips and get my buddies to go also.
Thanks again…
Lynne
You are welcome — and indeed, Lynne — Get going while the going is good!
Have fun!
Ahhhhhh…peacefulness.
you know it, Sly! 😉
Lovely. And striking, as I look from my screen to my window at snowflakes falling on these wonderful Vermont mountains.
xo
Thanks, Flora. Would love to be back on your porch wrapped in a blanket admiring that…. xo
Dawn — oh, how I envy you! Do you not worry about other people or animals? I would love to go out overnight walking/hiking, but am afraid of everything…crazy people and bears, especially!
Hi Lynn — thanks for reading and commenting!
It surely helps that I’ve had a lot of backpacking experience, even if none of it — prior to this trip — was solo.
But one reason I did this solo hike was precisely because I was kind of scared to do it. And I wanted to work through — walk through — that fear and prove that I could do it. For I’m one who generally believes in facing one’s fears, finding that when I do that, my fears diminish, and even disintegrate.
I decided to solo hike Vermont’s Long Trail rather than some other long distance hiking trails partly because it is generally considered “safe”. In its 100-year long history, there have been very few incidences involving unsavory characters or dangerous animals. There are also a lot of shelters along the way, so that, if you choose to, you can spend each night at a shelter with other people, many of whom have become friends along the way. And the people you meet on the trail are a vital, soulful element of the whole experience.
Only once was there a rumor of an unsavory character at a shelter, and so I didn’t stay there; I hiked on a few more miles and camped somewhere else. A couple of my trail friends joined me there.
My feeling is that you can run into crazy unsavory characters anywhere. If anything, you are less likely to encounter them in the woods than you are “in the real world.”
And as to bears and other wildlife, it’s helpful to remember that they want as much to do with you as you want to do with them. If you encounter them, give them a lot of space and respect. I’ve had a lot of encounters with bears (all in New Mexico), and never was it really an issue; they moved on and I moved on.
I don’t know your outdoor experience, but if you really want to go out overnight walking/hiking, start by going on a weekend trip with friends, or an outdoor club. Build up your knowledge and confidence in your outdoor skills. Maybe start with car camping, staying at nice campgrounds. But please don’t let fear keep you from enjoying the outdoors. That would be a tragedy. Find a way to get out there. — My two cents anyway… 🙂