I have been busy late at night with an event this weekend then I got sick. So, I neglected my writing. In order to make up for that I am going to write several mini articles. I know I have been slacking, but I am trying to keep as close to the challenge as I can. I thank you for your patience and for checking up on me.
Today’s Hike
I had a meeting in another town that is a little more than an hour away. Every time I have to go to a meeting, I dream of stopping along the way and going hiking. However, most of the time, the meetings get over after dark or at sundown, so I drive home instead. Today I had plenty of time to take a hike and no commitment to rush off to.
I could have stopped many places, but I chose to stop at a local lake where my family goes camping in the summer. Again, I could have stopped many places, but I went all the way into our camping spot because I was hoping to find a place where I would not run into a single person. This wish was fulfilled. As I was hiking, I did think how no one knew where I was. I should have let someone know where I went in case I got hurt or, with my luck, ran across a snake.
There is no trail. Instead, I hiked along the shoreline for a while. The water was low, so I circumnavigated the island, crossed through three camping spots, and climbed a hill to follow the power line road. The shoreline hiking reminded me of the Lost Coast. I hiked on sharp rocks, gravel banks, and sand, but this terrain was different in that it wasn’t very soft. I didn’t sink half a step for every step I took. The rocks didn’t tip and turn at every step.
When I turned away from the water, again it reminded me of the Lost Coast bluff hiking. Every time we turned away from the water it was to climb a bluff. The ground is firmer and there is shrubbery. I jumped at a few moving shadows half expecting some critter or snake to be on the trail.
I made a loop out of the hike by following the roads until I was once again on the beach heading back toward my car.
I have only hiked this area when camping. It was a great experience it hike it by myself and in the stillness of nature.
Hiking Clothes
I am asked often about what I wear hiking – if there is something special that is needed. I think we are over loaded with having to have specific equipment for so many different things that we can let not having the appropriate clothing keep us from enjoying a hike when the opportunity presents itself.
I have specific clothing I hike in when I go on a planned long hike or backpacking trip. This is partly because I want to keep the specific stains and stench to a limited amount of clothing. But I also choose clothing for temperature and comfort. I ask myself questions: Will it keep me protected from the sun, wind, rain? Will it help alleviate chafing? How fast will it dry? And what does the weather call for? Then I can plan from there.
But, for the spontaneous hikes or short hikes after work, I wear whatever I have on. Sometimes this is a mistake, but I make it work. I keep a pair of hiking shoes and socks in my car at all times. In the fall and winter I have an extra jacket, buff, and gloves. Sometimes my pants are too long and they drag in the dirt. I have stopped that by, keeping hair bands to blouse out the bottom of my pants with. Sometimes I wear dresses. On these days, I wear shorts or leggings; this takes care of the bottoms. Then I either have to preplan and bring a shirt, or if it is a skirt, I can just wear the top.
Today was one of the skirt and top days. I pulled up to my destination, slipped off the skirt, and put on my shoes. Left with a sweater to wear, I was glad I was completely alone. Along the way, the 70 degree day got to be too much to be hiking in a sweater, so I slipped it off. Thankfully, my daughter had talked me into getting a bralette. So I was out at the lake in basically a lacy sports bra and my biker shorts. I’m sure that if anyone would have been around, I would have been embarrassed. But, I was quite comfortable by myself.
Emotions
To continue with my move to intuitive eating, I need to look at my emotions. As I stated before, I think, I don’t always recognize the things I am feeling and what that physically feels like. I thought that one way to learn this for myself is to list my feelings I recognize and how they manifest in me. Then I am going to have to look at the other feelings and become honest and forthright with them.
Feelings I know:
Anger – agitated, heated, adrenaline pumping, tight jaw, maybe tight muscles, silent
Sad – crying, silent, want to be alone and hugged at the same time
Frustrated – this is a weird one, I want to fight and cry, my mind seems foggy or overloaded
Hangry – shaky, hungry, angry because I haven’t taken care of the hunger, hurried, easily upset
Emotional – I don’t have a true emotion for this, I can laugh or cry just as easily, usually have low ambition
Ambivalent – don’t really care, don’t want to do anything, nothing makes me excited, food is blah and I keep looking for more
Content – I wake up with a smile on my face and just jump into the day, smiles come easily, there is nothing to nit pick
The rest, I’m not so sure of anymore. I have numbed my feelings by eating over them, stuffing myself with food instead of whatever I emotionally need. This I want to fix.