Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 26

I went for a walk in the woods this morning. The sun was bright. The air was crisp.I wore my layers of hiking clothes - flannel, wool and nylon.

As I approached Lake Sawyer, I noticed a rock that had been written on. It said, "Sex Rock". It brought a smile to my face. I imagine there is a good story behind that one!

There must be a good story here

Soon, I wandered the trails following Ravensdale Creek and I began to think about how blessed I am. My hike on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) really gives me a new perspective.

I am thankful for healing. After finishing the hike in late August, I found that my feet ached all the time. It took three months for the pain to subside. At night, I would have to take pain killers to be able to fall asleep, only to wake up in the middle of the night with painful throbbing feet. That is gone now. My toenails are still healing. The nails on my big toes will probably take another two months to fully recover. But they are healing.

I am so thankful for clean and abundant water. On the PCT, water was often a major concern. Where was the next reliable source of water? Sometimes, the reliable source of water would be gone. And, if there WAS water, would it be clean enough to drink? Now, I am so thankful for clean and abundant water. I have a new perspective.

I am thankful for an abundance of food. On the PCT, I often thought about food. I dreamed about going to my favorite pizza restaurant and eating a slice of pizza and downing a cool mug of beer. When I got home, I went back to that restaurant and ordered pizza and beer. Tears flowed down my face as I ate that food, remembering how often I had dreamed about it while on the trail. The taste was amazing!

Tonight, I think my family will be thankful that my hiker hunger is gone. Otherwise, there might not have been enough to go around! But seriously, we are so lucky to be able to obtain and consume delicious food. It is everywhere. I now have a new perspective.

Finally, I am thankful for family and friends. Alone and without phone service on the trail, I walked for days in the middle of the wilderness. And yet, to my delight, when I finally got phone service again, I found messages left for me on my phone! I especially enjoyed the messages left by my "hiking buddies" back home. They left me funny stories that made me laugh, and let me know that they cared. In addition, I got wonderful comments on my blog posts. I often go back and re-read them. I will treasure them forever.

As I headed home on my walk this morning, I saw a beautiful "frost flower".

Frost Flower

Although I have heard that it is rare to see one, I have seen many of them recently. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful place to walk and enjoy the world.

As I neared my home, I walked with a lighter step and a smile on my face. I have so much to be thankful for. And I have a new perspective on life.