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Just Breathe

Something strange happened by about day 2.5 of the hike.
As far as I was concerned, it was a miracle.

The second day of the hike was a purgatory of aching muscles, stiff limbs and trail shock for me.
But a rhythm of hiking settled in for the group.
Chris and Christina struck out together. They were the fastest and nimblest on the hike.
Then Lon followed a short way behind them.
And I was somewhere way back there, anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes behind. It all depended on the terrain.
My trailmates graciously waited for me to catch up for breaks and for meals.
Chris and Christina were exuberant, their boots eating up mile after mile. And Lon was his usual competent self, dealing out the food and checking on his trialmates' feet when appropriate.
I wasn't exactly thrilled about mile after mile on my own. But every so often, I'd come across a solo hiker -- always a male -- who seemed to want nothing more than solitude.
Usually, the solo was scruffy, thin and deeply tanned. They passed quickly, walking to a beat that they'd probably established 100 miles ago.
The second day was another challenge, but I made it through. At some point, I noticed that I could breathe.
Not only that, I could sustain my own rhythm with little to no trouble for miles.
I started noticing the almost surreal beauty surrounding me, enjoying the sky-blue pools and rocky crags piercing the sky above me.
Maybe all that working out wasn't in vain after all.
I was finally enjoying myself, and I felt I could depend on my trailmates to cheer me on and never make me feel crummy because I was the snail of the pack.
Any gripes they might have had about that, they kept to themselves.
Anyway, as Christina told me later, "We weren't going to go all Darwin on you."
It was more about a group effort, made more enjoyable by the diversity of experience and personality among us.
Chris was the joker. Pair he and Christina up, and they were a comedy team.
Lon was quietly cheerful and pleasant to be around.
I was just breathing.
And that was the best thing that had happened to me since the trip began.

Posted by at 11:26 AM | Permalink