Alone In a Group ( Letchworth Hike)

Overwhelmed throughout this weekend. I've hit a 'hikers' wall'. I'm burned out and exhausted and stressed out. There's too much to do and not enough time in the day to do it.

(Turns out that things are working out anyway. Harold (dog) and Lola (cat) will get some excellent care while I am gone. Just needed an afternoon to myself. )

Letchworth State Park

   Had a challenging hike this weekend in Letchworth State Park. I faced several hurdles to complete this hike.

• Early rise time at 5:15 a.m.
• Long commute to the start point at 1.5 hrs
• Steady downpour of rain
• Hiker's wall (in that it's getting exhausting)

  I had the fortune to be with some good people (Karen the hike leader and Ryan - another hiker). Together we decided to pursue the 6.5 mile hike despite the starting conditions. I'm glad that we did. We hiked under the verdant coverage of hundred foot trees overhanging the trail. We walked through primal forests which were devoid of the hustle and bustle of humanity. We climbed a 500-ft elevation change and enjoyed the challenge to our bodies and our spirits. We walked in the rain and admired how it changed the forest around us.

A Stream-of-Consciousness Sonnet

Hundred foot trees, their foliage providing an emerald canopy
against the rain which is stacked up on the leaves
dripping down on us. An over-flowing covering against the storm
overwhelmed by the elements.

Altho' not performing its duty, the color saturates the forest floor
and as we walk along, the forest appears more primeval than 21st-century.
There's no one out here but us three. We are not talking or chatting
or putting any audio pollution into this pristine place.

The rain turns out to be not a hindrance or an annoyance
but an addition to the ethereal mood of the trail.

'Man' maintains the trails but if stopped, nature would quickly reclaim
the strip of manufactured walking space for us.

From Alice to Ocean ( Alone Across the Outback )

    In the beginning I had known at some level that this could happen. It had frightened me then. I had seen it as a chaotic principle and I fought it tooth and nail. I had given myself the structures of habit and routine with which to fortify myself and these were very necessary at the time. Because if you are fragmented and uncertain it is terrifying to find the boundaries of yourself melt.