Another Day Hike on the AT

Last weekend I re-visited to the Appalachian Trail in an attempt to hike double-digits on a day hike (a feat I have yet to accomplish and one of my 2019 goals). Unfortunately, I miscalculated the start date of daylight savings and was only able to eke out 9 miles before sunset.

My reward for trying (other than soreness, strength, and the satisfaction of a whole four and half hours in the woods by myself) was getting out of the woods in the magical time of around a half hour after sunset. The autumn leaves lit up in a show as the fiery sky allowed its last traces of light on the day. It was breathtaking.

I chose the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown to listen to on the hour-long drive to the trail. Mindfully choosing audiobooks in order to ponder new thoughts and ideas in the silence of my solo hikes is a ritual I have written about before. However, the day prior, I also got the lucky chance to meet one of the legends of rock climbing, Alex Honnold, who has greatly inspired my thinking and approach to life. Alex made a whirlwind trip from El Capitan to my climbing gym and back again in order to give a talk on the impact of giving, to share some cool new stories, and to sign autographs.

Over those 4.5 hours on the hike, there was a lot of time to think. The gratitude I felt from manifesting the dream I had to meet Alex (and more specifically to shake his hand) was palpable and a feeling I carried with me the entire hike. But, more importantly, his words stuck with me. During the talk, he spoke about the privilege of being born into the comfort and relative safety of a developed country and the moral imperative that drives his own philanthropy. He approaches life with gratitude, not only because he is living his dream, but also because it is what allows him to make the biggest impact.

Essentialism echos these sentiments in its own way. It is a book about mindfully curating a life that fires you up. McKeown emphasizes the importance of creating time to think, something that Alex had plenty of time for on one of his deep water soloing expeditions, which he told us ultimately inspired him to create the Honnold Foundation. McKeown advocates focusing our energy, time, and efforts on the tasks and ideas that allow us to make the highest possible contribution to the world. In a capitalist meritocracy of “more, more, more” where burnout is a badge of honor, he asks us whether busy is the enemy of true productivity. In pursuing fulfillment there is another path. It is to define what is essential and to relentlessly focus on only those things, saying “no” to everything else.

So, my hike became an opportunity to further refine my intentions and to let go… I resolve to continue to use my time to write, to teach, and to protect the natural world and its inhabitants, aiming to always lead with gratitude. I will also remember the necessity of carving out time to think, to ponder, to enjoy nature and the gifts of being alive.

The Lucky Ones

My mother always made a big deal of birthdays. A festive tablecloth came out on the birthdays of family members, vinyl white with rainbow streamers, balloons, and “Happy Birthdays” painted on. A glass cake tray sat on the table and presents overflowed even when we didn’t have a lot of money. Joy abounded on birthdays. I remember most my mother’s smile while she watched us open gifts. I now have minimalist leanings and often prefer not to receive gifts. But, my love of birthdays and the bliss that accompanies them still grows on that foundation of gifts and excitement originally given to me by my mother.

I find it a challenge to communicate the variety of gratitude my birthday brings without feeling like I’m sounding cliched. But, the thanksgiving is visceral. My body exudes recognition of ALIVENESS while also acknowledging each year, each moment is one closer to the end. It’s overwhelming and invigorating in a way that begs me savor every moment. A quote by the Biologist Richard Dawkins may help to explain:

“We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here.We privileged few, who won the lottery of birth against all odds…”

This year I took a day hike with my husband and sister to a section of the Appalachian Trail. We ate a picnic lunch at the summit, bouldered outside for the first time on some menacing rock stacks, and visited a nearby lake (you can see it in the above photo from the summit). They plucked four leaf clovers in the grass bordering the beach and we surveyed the new landscape the light created as the sun dipped behind the trees.

The entire day felt perfect. I felt overjoyed in a way I have not yet felt since moving back to my home state and experiencing the loss of my mother-in-law. The complex battles I have been fighting with anxiety, grief, and depression in the wake of the losses of her friendship/motherhood and the safe home my husband and I created in Oregon have been some of the most challenging of my life. But, as we drove back home with the western sky ablaze behind us, I listened to the words of Rebecca Solnit drift through the car as she spoke of hope in the dark. And, for a moment, I felt such a desire to hold on, to preserve the satisfaction and wildness I gathered from the hike.

Instead… and with great joy… I let it go.

4 Ways to Boost Your Nature Connectedness

Looking to expand your connection or re-connect with the natural world? There are many reasons to spend more time in nature, including stress reduction, creative inspiration, health, and overall wellness. Below you will find four ways to boost your connection to nature and get better in touch with your natural instincts.  

1. Take care of a plant.

Whether you are brand new to caring for a plant or you are running out of space in your home to put them, consider how much houseplants can teach us about our connection to nature. Consider the warmth and color they add to your home and the satisfaction you feel from sharing your energy and time to care for them.

For those new to houseplants, the most important advice I can give you is: never give up. Focus on forming a relationship with your plant and a commitment to its survival will follow. Have questions about the health of your plant? Answers are never more than an internet search away. Good, hearty beginner species to try include: philodendron, pothos vine, peace lily, snake plant, lucky bamboo, and Christmas cactus.  

If you have one or more houseplants already, spend some time examining them up close. Focus on strengthening your relationship to your plants or consider treating yourself to taking home a new species you’ve had your eye on. Examining the intricate and obvious differences between species will breed an appreciation for the abundance of diversity in this world.

2.  Get creative.

Express yourself creatively using nature as a tool or as inspiration. Stack stones, collect items to build a mini-shrine and reflect on the time you’ve spent present in nature, journal, draw, paint, take photographs, collect and arrange bouquet of wildflowers. The possibilities of what you can create are as endless as the discoveries you will make as you spend more time in the natural world. 

3. Take a hike.

Take a hike like you’ve never stepped foot in the woods before – play, experiment, touch, let your curiosity lead you and you’ll be amazed at the new things you find. Pay attention to the micro-world, spend some time in the dirt or sand or turn some rocks in a stream. There are stories in every puddle and under every decaying log just waiting to be experienced. Spend some time, also, in the darkness … and look up! Stargazing will enable you focus on what is big and beautiful and mysterious in a tradition that goes as far back as human existence. 

Think about joining a hiking group. Websites like meetup.com and local community groups offer a chance to connect with others while you connect with nature. Many parks and nature centers also offer free or inexpensive guided hikes or plant walks with experienced naturalists. Here, you can bring the questions and curiosities from your own hikes and learn to see the natural world from a different perspective.

4. Celebrate the seasons.

Yes, even winter can and should be celebrated! Eat seasonal foods, decorate, make seasonal flower arrangements, pay attention to the weather and small changes in the natural world around you. Indulge in and appreciate all the nuances that constitute each season. Experience them completely and then let them go. Each season is fleeting – for the good OR bad – and this teaches us a powerful lesson on living in the present.