The best I could explain it was that I felt like I was wearing a helmet of fatigue. The two dozen projects at my day job that require some level of attention each week were leaving me heavy in mind and spirit. There were evenings when I could not get the words in my mind out of my mouth, or when I couldn't recall the name of someone I know perfectly well. Then, late last Saturday afternoon, I got into the woods. Ten minutes into a hike along the Mineral Ridge National Recreation Trail in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, I noticed a lightness in my step and a complete shedding of the emotional weight I had been lugging around for days. The change from what I had been feeling only moments before was nothing short of magical.
Molly and our friend, Rob, followed behind. Their joy and curiosity about the small yellow and white wildflowers just popping above ground, the tidy burn piles strewn across the forest floor, and the stellar views of Lake Coeur d'Alene were infectious. Not one of us hesitated to take a side trail and explore an abandoned mine. As Molly ducked into the wide, low opening blasted into basalt the image of her crouching at the same angle to explore a grotto behind Ribbon Falls in the Grand Canyon came rushing back. How blessed I am to be sharing these moments and to have the means to explore!
The hike was the first in a monthly outing Molly and I mapped out on New Year's Eve. Our 2017 adventures will help us steadily build back the strength and stamina needed for our next big adventure - a 4-day snowshoe traverse through Yellowstone National Park in December 2018.
Yep, my first time in Yellowstone will be in winter, when the bears are tucked away sleeping (just how I like them) and the bison are roaming the park in their wooly coats! We will stay in lodges and have a guide who leads the 4-6 mile treks each day. Because of the warm, cozy accommodations, our packs this time will only be 5-10 pounds. Easy peasy, right?
Not so much. If you've never been on snowshoes, the best way to describe the difference between snowshoeing and hiking is to imagine the same distance taking 2-3 times as long on snowshoes. If you're breaking trail, meaning no one has yet walked along that path since fresh snow has fallen, it's at once delightful, kid-like fun and incredibly arduous. On unbroken trail, your feet can sink a foot or more into the fresh powder. Molly and I had a taste of this on New Year's Day at Mt. Spokane. I dare say we will need to be in better physical and mental shape than we were for the Grand Canyon trek!
The toll that work at the office was taking on me earlier this month I know had much to do with our winter in Spokane. It was extra cold for extra long without our usual sunny days. Sun gleaming off the lovely clean snow is beautiful. Instead, we had a lot of gray and frigid with fresh snow turning quickly to ice. I was cooped up and grumpy. Efforts to workout, either on a treadmill or by putting my bike on an indoor trainer, had little positive effect. Mineral Ridge came at just the right moment. But it did more than lighten my step. It proved beyond a doubt that I need the natural and the quiet of a trail to truly feel human.
Molly and our friend, Rob, followed behind. Their joy and curiosity about the small yellow and white wildflowers just popping above ground, the tidy burn piles strewn across the forest floor, and the stellar views of Lake Coeur d'Alene were infectious. Not one of us hesitated to take a side trail and explore an abandoned mine. As Molly ducked into the wide, low opening blasted into basalt the image of her crouching at the same angle to explore a grotto behind Ribbon Falls in the Grand Canyon came rushing back. How blessed I am to be sharing these moments and to have the means to explore!The hike was the first in a monthly outing Molly and I mapped out on New Year's Eve. Our 2017 adventures will help us steadily build back the strength and stamina needed for our next big adventure - a 4-day snowshoe traverse through Yellowstone National Park in December 2018.
Yep, my first time in Yellowstone will be in winter, when the bears are tucked away sleeping (just how I like them) and the bison are roaming the park in their wooly coats! We will stay in lodges and have a guide who leads the 4-6 mile treks each day. Because of the warm, cozy accommodations, our packs this time will only be 5-10 pounds. Easy peasy, right?
Not so much. If you've never been on snowshoes, the best way to describe the difference between snowshoeing and hiking is to imagine the same distance taking 2-3 times as long on snowshoes. If you're breaking trail, meaning no one has yet walked along that path since fresh snow has fallen, it's at once delightful, kid-like fun and incredibly arduous. On unbroken trail, your feet can sink a foot or more into the fresh powder. Molly and I had a taste of this on New Year's Day at Mt. Spokane. I dare say we will need to be in better physical and mental shape than we were for the Grand Canyon trek!The toll that work at the office was taking on me earlier this month I know had much to do with our winter in Spokane. It was extra cold for extra long without our usual sunny days. Sun gleaming off the lovely clean snow is beautiful. Instead, we had a lot of gray and frigid with fresh snow turning quickly to ice. I was cooped up and grumpy. Efforts to workout, either on a treadmill or by putting my bike on an indoor trainer, had little positive effect. Mineral Ridge came at just the right moment. But it did more than lighten my step. It proved beyond a doubt that I need the natural and the quiet of a trail to truly feel human.
I never heard of anybody spending a winter holiday snowshoeing with bison in Yellowstone, but it sounds like a great idea!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds pretty awesome, but I tell you, after this winter, I'm a little done with cold weather! I'm hoping that more training next year in the mountains and on our snowshoes will prove it's a good choice of an adventure.
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