where do i start?

after a 4-day hiatus in the woods, i am sitting down at the machine to try to encapsulate the last few days. honestly, i don’t know what to start with.

from friday to monday i travelled into the back country of manning park with 5 friends (steph, rob, thi, nathan and autumn – hooray for them, good travelling companions all). we did the heather trail which winds 21 km (each way) through alpine meadows and over mountain ridges to inviting lake nicomen which reflects the surrounding mountains as if a mirror. the four days of hiking, sunning, swimming, eating, and general frollicking in the meadows were a much needed break from the days of toil spent here in my government-issued cubicle, and i am loathe to be back in civilization caressed only by the memory of the inner critter freed for a moment.

being two days away from the closest car or computer is the most freeing experience i know of, to shed the baggage of our society and take only what we can carry for our shelter and sustenance on our backs is empowering in a way i have found nothing else to be – this trip for me had special significance to me for several reasons – one being that it marked exactly one-year since i broke my ankle on the juan de fuca marine trail, and was the first multi-day trip i have done since then. with encouragement and support i was able to complete this trail (42 km in total) with only minor problems in the joints of my right side. my ankle still has a tendency to swell when put through it’s paces, but i suspect that is just a matter of time and conditioning – and i know now that i have to get back to the gym!

from mid-july to mid-august is the best time of year to hike the heather trail, as the snow is mostly melted and the alpine meadows are in full bloom. indian paintbrush, valerian, lupins, arnica, purple heather, and cottonballs all dot the fields at different points in the trail, a miraculous bio-diversity in such a fragile eco-system. mountain panoramas are stunning along the way as well, passing through a saddle or turning a corner brings a new tableau of peaks to the eye’s refreshment throughout the journey. the air is pure in the mountains, though not as cool as i expected, with the sun reigning the days and turning my skin several shades darker (and in a few areas pinker) than when i started out.

we ate wonderful dinners each night, the first night being the most decadent feast of sushi made with smoked sockeye gifted to me last year by the people at tseil-wa-tuth after i completed my fisheries course there. my hiking companion brought a beautiful merlot to nip on into the evenings as we watched the voluptuous moon rise into the sky. so clear were the nights, our tents were bathed in shimmer like the silver of a fish, and on the second night we witnessed a shooting star with a tail that crossed the sky wide before it disappeared into the ink.

a great calm came to me while swimming across the small lake in the heat of the day, playing as an animal around large woody debris and the scattering trout sparkling. there is no more compassionate touch than cool water to soothe the ache of civilization from one’s heart.

although my joy was tapped deep by being cradled by the earth, a secondary (but no less important) source of happiness was an integral part of my trip…. after two and a half years, i have met someone significant who is available to me – and he made this hiking trip really very special in so many ways.

his name is nathan – and (believe this or not) we met via the internet and have been chatting back and forth for the past few weeks – by email and over the phone we made an emotional and intellectual connection that seemed very powerful – and we put that to the test by meeting in person on the friday start of this hiking trip. yes, that’s right – we had not met in person until the day we were to start on the trail.

i was doubtful this would be the best way to meet someone for the first time, since 4 days in the woods with someone can
be fairly intense, but he was optimistic and for once in my life i relenquished control to the universe. i was not dissapointed with the reward, as i can not imagine anyone who belongs in my life more than nathan. i am floored by this turn of events of course, having decided it likley i would spend the rest of my life alone – and am still adjusting to the fact i am officially dating someone for the first time since darren and i parted ways. the only small hitch (which feels like it’s for the best) is that we don’t live in the same place and in fact, are both moving within the next few weeks (he to north-central washington and me to the sunshine coast). we have agreed to giving ourselves a year in our respective homes before tackling the bigger questions around the distance – but we both know we can’t sustain a long-distance relationship forever. he is canadian, but can also work in the US – so the options for him are open. i’m not so sure about mine because i don’t want to go there just yet, i have to get through moving at the end of the month.

i returned to work today calmed by the mountains and the cool breeze, and amazed by my new connection and relationship – feeling blessed by the place where i live and the people who are a part of my life past and present – and looking forward to the future without feeling weary.