Weeks 42 and 43 - The Final Countdown

No, friends, I promise “The Final Countdown” does not refer to election day this coming Tuesday.  Although it could, and heaven knows I’m certainly excited for that to be finished.  Fear not, that’s all I’m gonna say about everyone’s least favorite subject these days.  There is a much cooler countdown going on in my life… the countdown to the end of my 52 weeks of the ledges!  I started this journey of documenting my hikes and career transition musings the first week of January, 2016.  Last week was week 42 (11...) this week was week 43 (10…) and you see where this is going.  Only 9 more weeks to go and I’ll have officially completed my mission.  Woohoo!

Crisp gray days like today are some of my favorites for hiking.  From the warm, comfy indoors, it seems a little dreary through the windows, but from the trail in the great outdoors, working up a sweat on the uphill of a hike is a welcome warmth and uptick of the heartbeat.  The haze of a lazy November weekend dissipates for a bit as the cool air and rawness of the wilderness sharpen my senses to help me hustle up and down the hill. 

Last week I got to enjoy the company of my dad, the original hiker of my memory, on the trail.  I was so glad to have both my folks in town for the week, and it was a treat to share this hike with my dad.  Hiking with him is a bit like hiking with myself.  There are no pretenses or expectations.  We can walk in silence or we can chat it up.  When there is conversation it can get deep and meaningful if that’s how we’re feeling, or it can be light and topical.  Its just easy, clean, relaxing.  Which isn’t to say that we don’t have our moments of contrast or conflict… but that just doesn’t seem to happen on a hike.  There seems to be an unspoken reverence for the woods and fresh air, and I’m honored that I got to kick off my countdown with him.

There seemed to be a marked difference in the trees between this week and the last.  Namely, they’re dropping, falling and being blown or rained upon to their next destination: the ground.  My little mountain is edging closer to the look (and feel!) of winter, with bare branches and various shades of simple browns, grays and white.  But as for today, the trees held on to a good handful of their leaves, and had a lacey-ness about them, as they just barely started to allow new sights to come into view for the winter, sights previously kept secret by the lush greens of summer and reds, oranges and yellows of peek fall.

As we make our way towards the holidays, towards the end of 2016, and I make my way towards week 52 of my journey, here’s my intention and hope for us all.  May we take the time to soak it up and love every last minute as much as we can.  May we stay grounded and grateful through this busy time of year, and keep our eyes, hearts, and minds on what matters most.  May we let go of what needs to go, and seek out what makes us happy and tuned in to love and each other.  May we take the time we need to pause here and there, and get out to enjoy the outdoors in whatever ways we can.  May we have the courage to stay focused on what makes us FEEL good, so we can continue to bring about more good to those around us.  Its cyclical my friends!  Light yourself up, so you an light up the world!  That’s my plan, and I’m stickin’ to it.  ;)