Step and Rest

My 24 hrs. plus to share with my husband was perfect!  Saturday brought rain instead of a hike.  But, the rain brought a little more time to poke around in Olympia and linger over lunch.  The rain made our cozy cabin and with a fire a happy retreat.  A dry Sunday sent us heading for The Olympic National Park.  No kids or dogs to guide our hike this time!  So, we went big.  To set out for the wagon wheel lake climb just inside the staircase entrance.

View from the (almost) top

Six miles round trip doesn't seem like a lot for a day hike.  It seems like a lot more when the elevation gain of those 3 miles in is 3200 ft.  Wow, it was tough.   One of the most difficult in the entire park.  But, so rewarding.


Like any physically challenging endeavor  requiring a good amount of endurance, the first 20 minutes or so always seem to be the hardest.  It isn't the physicality so much as the mentality at this point.  Such was the case yesterday.  "What did I get myself into?  If it is this hard now, how much worse might it get? Why am I even doing this?  I hate hiking!  When can I rest?"  ....and on and on. 


During my monkey brain circus, my wise husband mentioned that he was using a technique that he learned years ago in a class with the Mountaineers, "rest with each step".  So simple and so transformative.  Very yogic too.  I was amazed how instantly I realized that through the challenge, there was calm.  My body was working, but it wasn't screaming after all.  That was just my mind.  As I start a new week, certain to be filled with both peace and challenge, I plan to take that with me.  Whether struggling with an unhappy child, feeling overwhelmed with to do's, or dealing with the unexpected, I don't need shut down, hide or panic. There is always time to rest with each step.