THE BIRTHDAY HIKES - 8

Birthday Hikes
Wed, Feb 12, 2014

Day 43 of my News Year’s Resolution and The Birthday Hikes. 

Generally on my daily hike I follow a dirt road from my house down towards Silly Mountain. Near the base of the mountain there is a trail which takes off and joins into the main Silly Mountain trail system.  Since my trail is not a part of the main trail there is a rock blockade which has been placed across the trail junction to keep Silly Mountain hikers from going off the main trail and getting lost on my off-shoot trail.  

Today there were some men working on the intersection of the two trails and wearing official looking shirts with a SALT insignia on the shoulder.  “Well, this doesn’t look good” I said as I approached the boulder blockade.  “What; the trail” asked one of the men?  “No, I mean the boulder blockade.  I hike over from Gold Canyon and this is where the trail meets in with your trail system”.  “Oh yes” said the man. “No, we are just doing some trail maintenance.  I know what you mean though.  I don’t know why they didn’t make a trail outlet for the Gold Canyon residents who hike over here from their homes.  There are a lot of hikers who come over using that trail”.  We talked and he told me that they were with SALT, the Superstition Area Land Trust, and were just doing some trail maintenance.  “Are you familiar with SALT”: he asked?  I told him that I was and that I had helped put in some of the Silly Mountain trails.  We talked some more and I told him about my BIRTHDAY HIKES, and that I had come over to shoot some pictures for a youtube video I was making.  I gave him my card, and told him that in about two weeks he could catch the video on my web site if he would like.

After talking a while I said goodbye and went looking for some other willing participants to film in my video. When I first recorded my “Acts of Kindness – Silly Mountain Thoughts” audio I had no idea that I would later be turning it into a video.  As such I was now in search for someone to re-enact the incident which had happened and I initially made the recording.

It wasn’t long before I found three ladies coming off the mountain and I stopped to talk to them.  I told them about my Birthday Hikes what I was going to be doing.  After telling them why I was shooting this particular scene of the video and what it was about, they all agreed that they would like to participate. 

We shot the video, took some stills and in general had a great time.  As we parted I gave them my card and told them that I hoped to have the video up on youtube in a couple of weeks. 

On my return trip off the mountain I came to the fork in the trail where I had met the SALT workers doing trail maintenance.  To my surprise there was now an opening in the rocks and a well maintained trail at the intersection with my trail and the main Silly Mountain trail.  The workmen were about 50 yards down the trail working on another section, so I yelled out them “Hey; thank you”, pointing to the newly opened trail junction.  “You bet’cha Gary.  Have a great day now”.

Ninety-eight percent of the people I meet along the trail are good natured, of good mood, and out hiking to have a good time.  The other two percent seem to carry all of their problems along with them and are leery of anyone who comes along seemingly having a good time.  Rarely do I come across that sullen two percent, but occasionally I do.   They are the ones who can reach down in their bag of disappointments and hardships clear back to the beginning of time if necessary just to prove that there is nothing to be happy about and that there is no good in the world.

They like to carry “rocks in their backpack” if you will.

Travel with the ninety-eight percent; enjoy the day.

Life is good.