not all those who wander are lost...

[chelidon]

My partner and I got back late last night from one of the best trips ever, backpacking up and along a number of the peaks in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. Despite lasting only four days, the trip seemed much longer (in a good way ;>) We managed to nail the timing, so that against all odds we had bunk rooms all to ourselves in each hostel or mountain hut we stayed in (the Boy Scout troop came into Mizpah Spring Hut the day we left...), we had near-perfect weather the entire time we were in the mountains and were off the peaks in time to miss the cold front and big storms that blew through Saturday evening. At the moment the big front came through, we were sitting in a half-hidden candle-lit private booth at a hole-in-the-wall Tex-Mex place just outside the parkland, devouring a huge mound of nachos and some passable margaritas, watching the lightning strike all around, as buckets of water fell and the lights in the place flickered and dimmed. Our little flashlight hiking tent stayed miraculously dry all night, and when we woke up Sunday morning, the storms had passed, and Sunday was another perfect day, which we spent in day hikes and explorations.

My partner did great, barely 10 weeks after her radio-iodine treatment. We both pushed ourselves hard, but not so hard we broke, saw some amazing, beautiful sights, got beat up a bit, and went everywhere we had planned to and then some. My partner's been impatiently itching to be "well" again, and perhaps felt she had something to prove to herself. This was her chance, after recuperating for six months from her cancer ordeal, to see how far she'd come, and to celebrate her health and life. For me, besides the best part of enjoying the sheer joy of spending 4 whole days together out in the wild just the two of us, maybe I had something to prove to myself, too. Coming within a stone's throw of 40, and wanting many more years of active physical pursuits to come, I've been working on getting myself as fit as I want to be. So I ended the trip with a solo run from the bottom up to the peak of Mt. Avalon and down again in 2 hours, despite a wrapped knee still complaining from a somewhat unwise bit of trail-running up on the peak of Mt. Eisenhower on Friday. Now we are both a wee bit sore. Mighty, but sore. Or perhaps mighty sore. Thank goodness for late-night hot tubs, ibuprofin and tasty fermented muscle relaxants... Speaking of sore, I better get off my duff and walk out to the road to check the mail, or I may just lock in position here on the chair ;>

For those who have been sending good wishes, thoughts, and healing energy for Claudia, she has two short messages, from a place of great gratitude, and joy:

"THANK YOU!!"

and

I'm Back! :>

Along with the picture above, here are some more pics from the trip (and I'll post a link to the whole lot of them, along with some more stories, when I get a chance to put them up):

Claudia rock-hopping
View from Mt.. Eisenhower #3
View from Mt. Eisenhower #6
View from Mt. Eisenhower #10
Woods and mountains
Woods in the sun

Comments

[northlighthero.livejournal.com]

You look so blissed out, powerful, and proud -- YIPPEE!

and Claudia: WELCOME BACK!

Love and light and lots and lots of healing laughter

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

:> Thanks! I'm breathing just a bit easier, and I feel like things are getting closer and closer to "normal," though of course it's a new "normal."

[morrigandaughtr.livejournal.com]

So glad y'all had a fabulous time. I can't think of two people who deserve it more.

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. Besides celebrating new health, after having to go through so many hard, painful and scary situations involving physicality, there was something very powerful about intentionally choosing to go challenge ourselves, together, in a very immediate, physical, but fun way. Sympathetic magick, perhaps! And of course, just spending 4 straight days mostly alone was such a rare joy.

[humidcityloki.livejournal.com]

Fantastic!

Stones throw from 40? I'm forty saturday.... junior!

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Bro', you know I've really felt you there over the last six months. Many, many thanks, from me and C both (tho' I know she'll be sending out her own thanks as well).

Hey, old man...in a few short months I'll have caught up to your level of venerable decrepitude, but in the meantime I shall simply revel in my relative whippersnapperish youth from this side of quadragenarian divide!

Ha! I just thought of something to send you now for an early b-day present...hee hee.

[ardaraith.livejournal.com]

It looks like the two of you had a wonderful time!! and such beauty all around. Nice.

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

It was great, and so nice to have a space of time to ourselves. The White Mountains are simply amazing, so majestic, so very, very old... We joined the Appalachian Trail Club and plan to take F with us next year, he's getting plenty old enough to backpack, even if he won't be able to carry all of his own stuff. He's already quite the environmentalist, castigating me this morning for cutting down a couple of ailing trees yesterday to expand the raised beds (and make firewood for the boiler). I tried to explain sustainable harvesting vs clearcutting, and I think he got it, but is still dubious, still in that stage where everything is black or white, and Tree Cutting == Bad ;> Good for him. Speaking of which, time to go drop a big ol' dead tree in the paddock for winter wood...