Yin and Yang

Total walking miles last week (6/16 through 6/20): 61.3 miles
Total training miles this weekend (6/21 - 6/22): 30.1 miles

Yin and Yang.
The dictionary describes yin-yang as two complementary forces making up all aspects & phenomena of life. Examples include light and dark. Without light, there can be no dark. They complement one another. As the sun rises in the east, one side of the mountain is filled in light; the other side is hidden in shadow. But as the day progresses, they slowly switch; one now in the light, the other now in darkness.

As I consider my adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail, I keep thinking about the lessons I will have to learn. 

This weekend, as Patti and I walked the trails around Lake Sawyer, I was thinking about how I approach life. 

I am very goal oriented. 

I like to have a plan. 

I like to follow the plan.

I have an image in my mind about what something should be; not necessarily what it is, or what COULD be.

I am afraid that I will be so concerned about the goal, that I will miss the journey.

Will I skip going off trail because it wasn't a part of the plan?

Will I push ahead to "hike my own hike" when others invite me to join them, even though it means not making the miles I had planned? 

Will I slow down enough to enjoy the wilderness; will I let it seep into my soul?

Do I have patience enough to wait? 

     To wait for the stream when the water is too high?
     To wait in the shade when the sun is too hot? 

     To stay an extra day when the weather is too severe?

     To listen to my body when I want to push on?

These types of decisions scare me. 

Light and dark; Earth and sky - Our shadows in the morning sunlight

Trees reach for the light; roots grow down in the darkness - Sunlight filters through the forest.

The mountain and the valley. One of my favorite places to be on a sunny morning.

On Sunday, Debbie and I walked the Mud Mountain Dam "rim trail".
We arrived before the park was open, so we parked outside the gate and made our way to the trail.

Debbie with a full pack. 

 We walked down the "river trail" to enjoy a wonderful view of the White River.

White River near Mud Mountain dam. 

We even walked another portion of the rim trail that I had not walked before. It was fun and we got to see a young deer in the clearing; and a hawk sprang from its perch and soared over the trees. 

Old is replaced by new. A young deer in the clearing.

We got back to the car after hiking just over two hours.

On the way home, Debbie showed me a new way to go. 

A back road. 

A new way. 

It wasn't part of the plan, but it was good.

Yin-yang. It all comes together.