A few girlfriends and I went
out to the desert yesterday. We arrived
4ish and it was still pretty hot so R asked if we wanted to trek down to the
river, we could go for a swim and hike back up for sunset. She showed us what she said was a trail, a
wash (where the water goes down to the river) only it was not clearly visible to
me and it was quite steep. I took a deep
breath and said yes we can try. They
ensured me that we could turn around and come back at any time.
I did not have the proper foot wear, but the Teva’s were
okay. R & L were very good and
supportive, lending a hand when necessary providing for stability in stepping
down or up. We went around Cacti, trees
and bushes climbing down a rocky slope, with the occasional sliding rock. It was very intense for me and when we got to
a more level plain I broke down in tears.
I told myself, breathe into it and feel it. It was difficult to identify the
feeling. There was fear, but I was safe
now, why fear? I had to climb back
up! (I do not have pictures of that part
as I did not have a camera and did not ask L to take pictures until
later.)
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| Me and R looking at the dogs up on the Basalt Rock we are about to climb! |
The next climb down was a bit
different. We were on the largest
piece of basalt rock that I have ever seen and there were large chunks broken
off that created a make shift stair way.
I am talking 1000’s of years of wear over this rock with small trees
beginning to grow out of the cracks.
Anyhow, it was a bit daunting but do able I thought. (picture taken of that rock on the climb out)
The final stretch was simply
walking through sand and around big boulders that had fallen ages ago. Once at the river we put our feet in the water
to cool off and eventually we soaked ourselves entirely. It was a beautiful spot to hang out with the
girls. Here is a picture L took at the
river.
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| Yeah, I climbed that with help from my friends! |
When it was time to return we
worked our way back up to the Basalt Rock where the girls again supported me in
climbing these huge steps almost too big for me to reach my foot from one to
the other. But we did it. (to the left is another picture of that rock)
Then walking towards the desert part of the
trail and noticing the big steps I would need to take and the maneuvering
around prickly things I took a deep breath and asked if we could go slowly. We
proceeded on. We arrived at the top just
on time to watch the sunset.
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| Our arrival on top, as the sun was going behind the mountain. |
It was an amazing and
beautiful experience. I must admit when
I first looked at what she said was a trail I wanted to say no. I was scared, a bit terrified even, but I did
not want to let my friends down. I also
knew that I could trust these two, I have known them both for many years and I
have hiked with both of them before. In addition, I know that we feel the most alive when we push ourselves beyond our comfort
zone. As my Hunny says, “There is a fine
line between excitement and fear.
Breathe into it and feel it.
Breathe again and feel the next feeling…” I faced this fear of doing more than I
thought my physical body could handle.
If I had thought about it I could have done the “Rocky Dance” when I made it to the top. I felt that
good that I had climbed down to the river and made it back up.
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| We also got to see the moon rise and howl like a wolf! |
Spirit provides us with
opportunities to stretch ourselves, to move beyond what we think our limits
are. It’s up to us to take advantage of
those opportunities to move out of our comfort zone and experience life in a
new/different way. Sometimes it takes a
leap of faith to move in a new direction.
Stop and look for support people. I bet they’re all around you. I could not have done that journey on my
own. With two friends helping me along
the way I was successful and I look forward to the next opportunity to move
beyond my boundaries.
Let Spirit Lead you to your
next adventure!
In Gratitude,
Linda G
