Life Lessons from the Trail…the dirt trail

I love alone time. I embrace it. I most value my alone time on the trail. I enjoy the sounds of the gurgling creek, the wind as it blows through the leaves, the smell of pine trees, and, most of all, I enjoy the time I get in nature and with my thoughts. With every hiking trip, I am reminded of the lessons from the trail that apply to daily life.

1. Have a Plan – where do you want to go and what do you need to get there. Maps help a lot.
2. Be Flexible – even the best plans can have snags; maybe the weather doesn’t cooperate or the river appears impassible.
3. Preparation is Key – not many can go from couch potato to bagging Mt Whitney in a month. Likewise, don’t expect the corner office right out of college, doesn’t matter what the GPA was or the extra-curricular activities.
4. While you should keep an eye out for signs to ensure you are on the right path, long stretches of time / miles may go by without seeing any. Don’t despair, trust your planning and preparation. If you have no plan and did not prepare, how would you know if the signs you see are the ones you are meant to follow?
5. Not everyone you meet will be your friend. Some people just want to say hi and be on their way.
6. Embrace the solitude. Enough said. Don’t fear “loneliness”. It’s probably all in your head anyway.
7. Keep your head up and observe the environment around you…lest you miss the beauty surrounding you, or the mountain lion lying in wait that may take you for prey.
8. Most of your time, energy, growth, and learning occurs as you make your way to your goal, not at the point of actually reaching the peak.
9. Don’t give it all trying to make it to the top…remember that is only the halfway point.
10. Don’t trust your heart, your heart will deceive you. Use your head. When you see the peak (your goal – it is within your sights), and also see the dark clouds rolling in, your heart will tell you it will be okay and to keep going, you’ve made it so far. That is how you die, get injured, or get lost. Your head will tell you that the peak will be there another day, there WILL be other opportunities, just get the f$%& off the mountain so you don’t get hit by lightening, or caught in a storm.