Living the dream....

This afternoon I was walking around camp with Itchy and Link.  We have loads of campers this week in several tent units and lodges so our afternoon check of units involved quite a wander around.  After checking Cedar Crest we sat for a bit on the bridge, looking at the creek (which has gotten pretty low since we haven’t had much rain) and watching the fish.  Then we wandered up the trail to Ittmann, over the swinging bridge.  Its certainly a beautiful day at camp with the sun shining and blue skies.  It definitely helps me appreciate it more to hear the girls running around laughing at the pool and joking around at arts and crafts.  Another pretty perfect afternoon at camp.

Sometimes I forget that I really do love camp and then I take a wander around, away from my office and desk and remember how amazing camp can be… and what great memories these girls are making and how they will grow from this time in the woods.  Its exciting to be a part of.  Maybe one day some of them will be a bit like me… not quite grown up, not quite young… sitting in between, amazed at life.

I’ve been thinking a lot about hiking lately, for a variety of reasons, but mostly because I usually am thinking about it, by default.  It has been a year today since I decided to leave my job at Sulphur Grove.  That’s a little crazy. My favorite hiking partner has headed off to the mountains for a big hike, I’m a bit jealous.  The nights have been cool and clear and I have been longing to sleep in a tent under the stars.  My allergies have been going crazy and I have gotten tired of sitting in a moldy office.  I love camp.  LOVE… but sometimes I just can’t help but long for the trail and the simplicity of a different type of life in the woods.

Today on my wander through camp I thought a lot about long distance hiking… anytime my feet find themselves on a dirt path through the woods I think at least for a bit about the beauty I find in the woods.  I am hoping to take a big hike in the fall, when the leaves are changing and the air is cool.  It is weird that I LIVE at camp, yet long for the woods.

A year after I stepped off onto an unknown path, leaving the life that I was “supposed” to have to seek the things I love… am I closer to finding peace?  Yep.  My bank account is always a bit low, my hair is rarely brushed, my car doesn’t get driven much, and my heart is usually longing for the woods… but truly this year I have found peace.

I know now, more than ever, exactly where I am headed… I know what I want and more importantly I know where to find my center.  A year of hiking, lattes, groceries, desert walking, and camp has taught me that when my world spins crazily out of control there are people that will make sure I don’t fall down… and there are places I can go to set myself right again.

Is this life, this path perfect?  Nope.  Will I always long for the woods?  Perhaps.  Will I wander forever?  Maybe… But I've realized that the peace I need is in simply knowing and believing the journey is a beautiful one.  Beautiful.

Thanks for being part of my journey.