I met a mom today with her 2 kids, a little older than the boys. She was on the similar spiritual, educational, character building, life experiencing trip. Heather offered inspiration, support and encouragement for all of this craziness. She also gave me some coffee :) Thanks and be well!
Boys were beat on the feet today, so we planned another 5 mi day. I aimed high from Cambridge, but the truth is (which we all suspected in planning) that these first days will make it or break it, and might be the worst. I mean worst in the best way possible though, I mean it is the best; god, so beautiful. So beautiful I can't fold, I can't not keep going. So beautiful, the boys are yelling "moooooooom, stop taking pictures!" which I continue to take, even though I know I'm foolish to think I can show you this. So beautiful, the boys can't believe it. That is saying something.
We stopped for cranberries and apricots and to write a bit at a creek, where we hung out with a few fellow hikers. We broke out our music on today's walk; testing our mini speaker, which ruled, and carried me up the trail. We looked high tech with our music and gravity filter and solar charger, and I bet we eeked a poser vibe with our gun ho attitudes. We filtered water, danced and soon carried on up through a dark forest. Forest: big, towering, fresh and charred, curved and bowing, stubby branch pegs and FACES. Faces on every mangled tree, and amphibious sci-fi creatures in every lying tree, roots up.
Thunder.
Ok I know about this. I learned this. O god, we are on a mountain, and I am running through all my books and tutorials in my brain. We found a patch of low trees, near rocks and set up shelter. This is my first camp in the woods sans grounds and rangers..so every bad thought you can imagine is popping up. Lightning! Wind! Avalanche! Wet! But we did it; we pitched our tent. We played madlibs and told stories, until the thunder and lightening stopped. And it did. And we were ok. I was suddenly brave and cool. We packed up and began again.
That day we walked up to Sunrise and looked out over the world. We passed the time quickly with ridiculous word jokes and video game stories. Peeking over the top of the mountain the boys and I just watched the sky color the mountains. It was big enough to halt the boys' step and chatter. We were in the clouds.
It was 7:20 and too late, so we shivered, put up the tent and ate ramen by the sunset and the mountaintops. Best day.
