What Goes Around Goes Around (aka There Will be Mud)

Yesterday, we went hiking with some friends around a lake in the mountain off the Blue Ridge Parkway.  There are a few different ways to get on the trail, and the lake itself is something you cross while traveling on the Parkway.  So, while we had been by it here and there, we hadn’t actually been on the trail itself in many years.

While preparing to go hiking, I tried to remember what I could of the last time I’d been on the trail.  The only thing I could remember about it was that it was muddy.

While I like being outdoors and spent most of my childhood in a tree, or climbing one, I’m not really a hardcore hiker.   Without going into TMI and too many details, I am not the most surefooted person in the world even with a hiking stick.  

Thinking there would still be mud, after all these years, I still took my hiking stick.  It’s decorative, heavy and large.  (If I keep going on trails, I need to get some of those lighter weight collapsible hiking sticks to use!). 

What else did I pack?  Bottled water, snacks, a notebook in case I wanted to write something, and a small purse (very tiny) with some first aid supplies. 

The walk was 2.5 miles.  There were lots of tree roots and slick spots, hard for me - not so much for everyone else.  We saw a snake!  Actually, I spotted it coiled up, resting and hiding.  I was proud of myself for not screaming!

We saw other families, warning them of the snake sighting or saying “Hi.”  Some wore masks.  Some didn’t.  And there were plenty of dogs.  And there was also plenty of kayaks, canoes and paddle boards on the lake.

It was a beautiful day for a hike.  It was simply a beautiful place to be.

I’m not sure why it took us so many years to come back to this trail - maybe because I’m not so big on hiking or walking trails much due to my lack of balance.  It was my friend who suggested we go hike the lake trail because she likes to hike.  I am glad that we went.  I’m all for new experiences or even trying something we did once again to see what it’s like the second time!

It’s hard sometimes to try something new.  It’s hard sometimes to back off your typical weekly or weekend routine.

It was a good way to kick off our weekend (later that same day we helped my Mom clean our her freezer, and then we did the normal morning chores list later that afternoon when we got home) and get out and about.  You can’t have experiences if you never “experience” anything.

And if the worst thing you encounter is mud (and a snake), you’ll probably be fine.  I kept my white and pink shoes out of the mud by the way, and I traversed even the trickiest of muddied spots without landing in it.

It’s safe to say, in life, there’s always but always gonna be some kind of mud and you’ll be better off for having been in it, around it, or near it!