I usually enjoy hikes for their meditative quality, where there is a summit of a view that I consider “the prize.” At the summit, I usually enjoy some good coffee, chill music, and journaling. Today’s hike wasn’t that at all.
The first part, the ascent, was a good one — sufficiently challenging. I took photos even though the views were obscured by rain and fog, When I passed an inviting bench dedicated to George Wallace who died in 2008 and loved the sea, I made a mental note that I wanted to revisit that bench on my descent so that I could enjoy that coffee, music, and journal.
But things got tricky when the trail diverged and there was no trail marker to indicate where the path continued. So I picked the path that veered to the left since the one on the right went over some rocks and I didn’t think it would be a good idea to climb rocks after it had rained all day yesterday and continued to mist. The rocks looked slippery and I didn’t want to fall, especially since I was by myself.
Soon, I lost the path. It just evaporated. I turned around, saw one red trail marker, and proceeded down the mountain. But then I encountered a slippery rock that was my only way down — and I fell. Thankfully, I am a trained hike faller — and I fell on my bum. Then, I realized that I was really lost — I was in a thicket of ferns and more rocks. I could feel my legs start to shake once my brain caught up with the anxiety that was building up in my brain. I then grew concerned that I would be late in keeping my promise to make my husband breakfast when I got home. I started to pray.
And then my training kicked in. I heard cards — which meant I wasn’t too far from the road. I was in a descent — which meant that I would hit the trail soon. Which I did. And when I did, I thanked G-d.
As I started walking down the trail, I thought that “the prize” as finding the trail again and trusting in G-d. But then, I encountered one of the viewpoints on the trail that looked like a throne of rocks. And so I pulled out my coffee, listened to some great lofi, and began to journal.
Sometimes the prize is challenging youself — sometimes physically, sometimes mentally.
maine mountains and yoga 
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