This portion of the post was written last August, but was never published.
One thing that has always helped me get to my roots, to remember who I am at my core, is time spent in nature. I can breathe more fully, relax a little, and let my mind slow down. When I am out in nature, I tend to be a bit more present to the moment. I take in my surroundings, noticing the colors, the smells, the sounds. Nature is my sanctuary.
On Sunday I went out for my second-ever solo hike. I drove for what felt like ages out in the middle of nowhere, took a turn onto a wrong forest service road, found the right forest service road, and parked in a mostly empty gravel lot. I was so far into nature that I hadn't had cell phone service for at least ten miles. Normally, such circumstances would make me a little nervous (what if I get abducted? what if Lucy and I get eaten by wild animals?), but I felt completely at home among the trees.
I set off down a dirt path along the Falls Creek trail. I soon came to a peaceful creek where Lucy dragged me down to the water so she could sniff out all of the wonderful smells. It's times like these I wish I knew what was going on in her little brain. I took in all the scenery, not believing the bright shades of green that were before me. I couldn't wait to see what came next.
Lucy and I trekked along for another mile and a half. We walked over dried up creek beds covered in mossy rocks and past many a fallen tree. I found myself imagining what sorts of fairytale creatures inhabited these woods, as I often do. I could see water sprites playing in the pools of the creek, and small trolls hiding behind fallen trees.
Eventually the trail became a constant incline, wending around corner after corner. I began to wonder if I'd taken a wrong turn when I could hear it. It's what I came for. Falls Creek Falls.
I can be a fairly excitable person at times, and the anticipation of seeing a waterfall is one such time. I love waterfalls. I live for them. They are absolutely my favorite natural feature. One of the things I really love in life, is that feeling I get when I am walking a trail and I can feel the waterfall before I even hear it. It's like a faint drum pounding, and I feel it in my gut. Pretty soon I will hear the light pounding of the falls, and it grows louder until I am standing before something that is terrifyingly beautiful. I love that feeling.
On this hike, I relished that feeling. Which was great, because it was a while before I rounded a corner and was afforded a glimpse of the falls through the trees. I'm not exaggerating when I say it took my breath away. Was this waterfall for real? My anticipation grew as I approached the waterfall. I finally came to a rocky overlook where I could stop and stare at one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen.
Call me a nerd, but I felt like I'd stumbled into Rivendell. I could just imagine all the elves living in cliffside dwellings on the other side of the falls. I also began to ponder my love of waterfalls, something that feels so deeply rooted within me. Perhaps it is my Swiss blood, the memories of my ancestors, that makes me feel so at home with waterfalls.
This portion of the post was written today, June 2015.
This past weekend, my bf and I ventured out for one of my favorite hikes- the one I posted about above. I haven't hiked since last October, and I hadn't worked out in just about as long. Folks, I'm out of shape.
Bf doesn't care much for hiking, but I convinced him this would be an easy hike. I told him it was mostly flat, it was roughly three miles, and I would buy him a beer for every mile we completed. I also wanted him to see how much fun Lucy has in the woods.
Unfortunately, I chose a very hot day for a hike (it was around 90 degrees F). The air along the creek was noticeably cooler than in the sun, but we had a rough time most of the way to the waterfall. Oh, and did I mention I'm out of shape?
That "easy" hike proved to be challenging for this body that has a few more pounds of fluff and less muscle than the last time she hiked. Funny enough, my bf was the one who was always a few paces ahead of me when I'm normally the one speeding along. In short, my bf found this hike to be easier than he thought it would be, whereas I found it harder than I'd remembered.
One thing that remained the same was the beauty of the waterfall itself. It was at least ten degrees cooler by the waterfall, which provided a nice respite from the heat. I was still amazed by the grandeur of the falls, and still felt lucky to have found them. Even luckier was sharing this beautiful place with someone who makes me incredibly happy.
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