Overall, my life is good despite the human condition (in other words it's a roller coaster ride but I'm doing it). And for the sake of my sanity, hanging by a thread here, I continue to hit the trails. Not often (not even once a week), but always just in time before the nut cracks. Trails always put things into perspective and give me a calmness (though momentarily it might be!). I don't recall a lot right now from these trail adventures but because I keep stats and photographs which I post online here, I have a record. Amazingly, I can look back on the pictures and memories and get me some residual calmness.
So, with relief, I am back for now, writing to the internet about my time wandering. Writing, it seems, also gives me perspective and calmness. But writing is much more difficult than miles on my feet or any strenuous hill. This is why I haven't been writing. I haven't had the strength. I have been haggard. Thank God for the gift of wandering. It has helped bring me back here.
Cathing up, there was . . .
March 23: 4.64 miles on hike with my youngest son and his friend in Aliso Canyon. They took the bushwhacking creek route, I opted for the single track above the road. It was good to get out. And it was good to let the boys do their own thing. Later and us three explored the caves of Cave Rock Trail.
March 31: 10.75 miles, again in Aliso/Wood Cyns Wilderness. The hills and meadows there were still saturated with green and peppered with white, orange, yellow, and purple flowers. I took on Mentally Sensitive, the steepest trail in the park, and its spring flower splendor was like none that I've seen before on that trail.
April 4: 3.86 miles, not on trails, but instead a walkabout down to Monarch Beach. I took pictures, but didn't post them anywhere. It was an emotional day. At the furthest point in my loop, I received some news and wanted to get home, so I phoned my husband to pick me up at the library across the street from the Pacific Ocean.
April 5: 17 miles, Santiago Truck Trail to Old Camp. Santiago Trail was bursting with flowers, so much so it was distracting (I had to stop often to take in the beauty) and that slowed my trip some. Took lots of video too, but have not strung the clips together yet (and I probably will not when it's all said and done). What a memorable trip this was. A life saver!
April 27, 11.37 miles not on trails, but instead on the paved walkways of Six Flags Magic Mountain. I had a great time chaperoning an overnight music competition for my youngest son's orchestra. What a blessing the weekend was. I learned and reflected much, which headed me in a good direction. The day at Magic Mountain was also quite nostalgic. It's been 35 years since I've been to that park. I think that I enjoyed it most this time. And yes, I took in a few rollercoasters. I love/hate the shrieking terror of rollercoasters. I cannot resist. (Can you believe I walked more than 11 miles at an amusement park!?)
May 12, 12.24 miles, once again in my backyard known as Aliso/Wood Canyons. Did a loop that I haven't done in a while that involved a trail named RockIt (which includes a wonderful rocky climb). Spring flowers were still blooming in abundance. It was another magical hike. Something that stands out from this adventure: At Top of the World, I saw a woman with a cat on a leash in the park. As I resituated my pack, I saw the cat run up into a tree with the owner still holding the leash. And then I witnessed a drama unfold as the pet owner and a friend, as carefully as possible, YANKED the cat off a branch and out of the tree! All was well in the end.
And this brings me up to date, my most recent hike:
May 29, 10.02 miles along an old favorite, Arroyo Trabuco Trail (with a detour along Loop Trail). I have fallen out of physical shape, but I can still pack in the miles. I was a bit more fatigued than normal, but that's okay. I can handle fatigued -- that's my modus operandi. Fatigue is well worth the benefits, and this last hike greatly benefited my state of mind. Work and other life matters are slowing down. I am beginning to see an end to things, and possibly a begining to other things. I took lots of pictures of Arroyo Trabuco and I worked through many concerns and ideas in my head. Most of the time though, I didn't think about a single stinking thing.
At last, I am caught up on my blog and other things in life (like I finally got my truck legal to drive!!). I also just finished a week off from all teaching. Next week I return on to a reduced teaching schedule. That means I can work on items to get myself situated on the straight and narrow toward hope, acceptance and calmness. Yay for summer vacation. The key here for me is to keep a schedule and some kind of structure. I want to get organized, do some "spring" cleaning, some reading and more writing. And most important of all, I want to get in more trails.
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