THE BIRTHDAY HIKES - 7

DAY, AFTER DAY, AFTER DAY

Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014

Today’s Hike:         5.4 miles
Total Miles:            62.6 miles (3.8 miles ahead of schedule)

Going out on a hike today was not one of my main priorities; in fact I have plenty of other things to do and I think that this will be one of those “day, after day” hikes.  However, the weather is good, and I don’t particularly want to fall behind with my accumulated mileage. It’s so much easier to stick with the program rather than try to catch up.

My philosophy is “Just Do It”.   Even though I may be down in a funk, doesn’t mean that others are feeling the same way.  Perhaps if I go out and just happen to meet someone who is a little more upbeat than I am at the moment, I just may gain some of their positive energy and improve my outlook.  We shall see.

I have a small portable hand recorder that I have been carrying along with me on my hikes to record any fleeting bits if inspiration that may come my way; so far there’s nothing, but I do have high hopes.  More on that later.

The trail I take to Silly Mountain is a dirt road which goes two miles from my house down to the parking lot at the base of the mountain.  About 1 ½ miles along the road there is a small unmarked trail which branches off and joins into the Brittlebush Trail of the mountain trail system.  From there you can either go up the mountain towards the top, or you can follow the trail back to the parking lot; for the past fifteen minutes I have been debating whether to go on up the mountain, up a lesser trail which would eventually go back to the parking lot, or to just take the trail which takes me directly back to the parking lot and then back home. Life has so many decisions that have to be made; especially for a tired man.

I decided to take the unmarked trail which joins up with the Brittlebush Trail and then make further decisions as whether to go up or down when the time came.  As I approached the trail junction there was a group of four people making their way down the trail towards me.  They had found something funny because I could hear their peals of laughter coming from at least 150 feet away.  When we met up I told them that it looked as if they had found Br’er Rabbit’s Laughing Place up there.  In unison they all looked at one of the ladies carrying a hiking stick; “She’s the one that found it” they exclaimed.  We all laughed and started talking about what a good day it was for a hike.  

The lady with the hiking stick noted that if anyone gave her any trouble about her laughing she could always take them out with her stick.  I fully agreed with her and mention that was why I always carried my two hiking poles.  Well that led into the topic of my canister of bear spray that I had dangling from my pack.  Quite innocently she asked “Have you ever used it”? “Oh yes” I exclaimed.  “I have bear spray and I’m not afraid to use it”.  I then proceeded to tell the story of how I was attacked by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone Park and how after I had stared him down I emptied my entire bottle of bear spray on him.  Wide eyed and intent on my every word I finally had to burst their bubble and tell them that it was just a fiberglass replica of a grizzly bear.  But I was ready if a real one should ever approach too close.  Yes, a good time was had by all.

One thing led to another and I told them about my New Year’s Resolution Birthday Hikes and how what seemed like a good and easy idea at the time had turned out to be a bit of a chore; you know, every day, after day, after day, after day.  By the time we were finished we all were having a pretty good time.  I even gave them one of my Grandpa Hyde’s Multi-Grain-Bread (Best Bread Known to Man) business cards with a reference to my travlinmanblog.blogspot com on it for their reading enjoyment.

As we readied to part ways, one of the group asked if he could get a picture of me with the rest.   “That old man on the mountain” I guess. Sure; it had been a good encounter.

Well I am still left with the decision as to which way to go; up or down?

.....What the hell; it’s a good day, I’m going to the top. 

JUST DO IT

Happiness is contagious; pass it on.

Gary Hyde