Tag: hike

This morning I hiked for several hours on the Appalachian Trail/Long Trail in the Green Mountains in Vermont. Most of the trail looks something like this.

Because of that you need to pay attention to where you are going.
The last thing you want to do a mile or more up the trail, with no guarantee that you will see anyone else, is to take a misstep and twist your ankle or fall and hit your head. So most of the time you hike looking down. But, that way of hiking comes with a cost. If you only look down you may miss the markers that designate the trail.

Or, even worse, the beauty which surrounds you.

The trick, I realized, is to make sure you take the time to look up.
But, this is not just about a walk in the woods, is it?
The trick, you see, is to make sure you look up.

“It’s All Uphill”

I recently completed a five day hike on Vermont’s Long Trail – the roughly 280 mile trail running the length of Vermont from Massachusetts to the Canadian border.
Each day I hiked 8-9 hours which translates to 12-15 miles.
Some of the hike was wonderful.
Mountain vistas.
Pristine lakes.
Silence and stillness not found in my everyday life and world.
Some of it was just plain hard.
Hiking up to mountain summits.
Hiking down again.
Only to do both all over again…sometimes several times in one day.
And, some of it was…well…boring.
Especially when I was tired.
One foot in front of the other…
Step after step after step…
Until I reached my destination for the evening.
When I started my goal was to eventually hike the entire Long Trail.
To tell the truth, there were moments when I was hiking when I said to myself that maybe these five days were enough, but then once I was home I picked up the Long Trail guidebook to read about the next section of the trail.

Anyway…
After five days hiking, here is some of what I learned…

You hike looking down at your feet.
90% of the trail is roots and rocks and you spend your time looking where you will step.
But because you are looking down so much, I soon realized that it is important to stop periodically and to look around. To look up.
To look at the forest.
To notice the way the sun shines through the canopy of leaves.
To pay attention to the stillness.
If you don’t stop to look around what is the point of being in the woods?
Even looking down in order to watch where you step there is much to notice. The iridescent green caterpillar in middle of the trail.
The fallen tree covered with moss which is slowly becoming soil in order to become a tree again.
The animal’s footprint left in the mud alongside the trail.
And, finally this…
When hiking, at least in the mountains, you need something to help you keep your balance and so trekking poles are invaluable.
To lean on when you are tired.
To slow you down as you make your way down the mountain.
To help you keep your balance when the rock shifts unexpectedly under your feet.

Five days.
65 miles.
Roughly 200 more to go.

https://paulalcorn.com/its-all-uphill-i-recently-completed-a-five-day/

The Trick Is To Look Up

Several things I believe:

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Several things I believe: