June 12, 2019
Trails: Tuckerman’s Ravine, Boott Spur Link, Glen Boulder Trail
Standing among the delicate alpine flowers against the backdrop of Mt. Washington, even with the annoying swarms of black flies, brings me out of my day-to-day schedule, my everyday worries and crazy mental head games and into a world that fills me with hope. It seems like the hike up, which in this case was on Tuckerman’s Ravine Trail and then the Boott Spur Link, requires so much focus and energy that I can’t think about anything else but getting up the next boulder, so all my worries and everyday head talk go away to make room for maximal effort. Then when I reach the top, the vastness of the blue skies and endless views coupled with the tiny pink and white alpine flowers huddled so close to the ground fill me with wonder and awe. Anything is possible here, now. My heart is full with the possibilities. The hike down the Glen Boulder Trail is a combination of wonder and effort, especially on the above tree-line trail where I can see a string of cairns winding down the open mountainside. Near the end of the hike it becomes all about the effort, because I am tired. We arrive back at Pat’s car at Pinkham Notch and she drives me an hour to my car in Ossipee. My body is buzzing and it feels so good to sit. Then I drive two hours home, my heart still feeling the wonder of the hike while my head takes care of the driving. When I arrive home, I am stiff, and I walk like my body is broken, but my heart is still full.
It’s the day after the hike and I’m still more in the mountains than here. That is grace.