The Long Walk

Hi There...

   I have a group of friends....Brothers, really, (but that's a whole other blog)  and we share a common interest in....extreme outdoor activities.  A couple times a month over the summer we've gotten together and hiked out to a designated point along a river which snakes around the base of a somewhat steep, forested mountain.  The trail isn't easy whether in the forest or along the river.  Well, for me anyway.  I'm the only chick in this group, holy shit these guys can move quick and the last, the very last thing that I want to say is "Hey can you guys slow down?  I have little legs."  The guys represent the broad spectrum of manly men and even if it fucking kills me, I'm gonna keep up.

     It's a beautiful hike, rain or shine...Except for that one time with the mosquitoes... I can't speak for the guys, but these hikes have done a serious positive retuning of my well being.  Being able to get completely out of the city, be surrounded by nature, breathe fresh clean air, the sound of rushing water and silence all around, feeling the earth and rock beneath your hands.  It's an amazing sensory overload and for a few hours, I feel completely free, aware, and alive.

     It's not just the hikes...we've done what I like to call freestyle river crossing.  Basically it's like hiking only we're using the river as our trail.  Learning where to place our feet, how to identify currents, and this is some fast water. No ropes, or safety lines, just we as individuals trusting each other and the group as a whole without question.  Honing our woodcraft skills, adding new ones and putting those skills to practice in a way that someday may save our lives.

     And we have fun...usually at each other's expense...like watching a brother fall into the river after taking a selfie while we're all literally clinging to a rock wall that goes straight into the river like freaking goats, making no move to help him, but I saved his phone.  Or me having to climb around the big guy while clinging to said rock wall only to have him look at me, smile, say "You didn't think I was gonna let you get by did you?" and because I weigh fuck nothing, by the wrist he dunks me up to my neck then gingerly places me on the wall beside him.  At least the mosquitoes stopped biting me til I dried off.

      I've never led any of the hikes we've gone on.  I can proudly say I'm in the front three of the group ,because the advantage of having little legs and weighing fuck nothing is I can skip across rocks and trees easier than some of the larger mammals that run with our pack.
     
     Except for the last hike where it turned out I was the one who knew the trail best.  Great.  I'm kinda famous for getting lost, but that too is a whole other blog.  After invoking various Gods and Goddesses of travel and direction, and  going over my maps I felt pretty confident...which weirded me out a little at first...but I led that hike and though I missed a few turns in the trail and ended up bushwhacking a little, I got us there.  I will admit to enjoying a moment of personal gain and personal glory.  The gain being confidence in myself and my leadership skills.  The glory being pride in the fact that I faced down a fear of being the leader and that the guys had confidence in my abilities enough to follow me.

     The guys...my Brothers...they are an amazing group, a force to be reckoned and they have accepted me as one of their own. Without going all Hallmark card mushy, my life has changed so much for the better for having them in it and I am humbled and honoured that they call me Sister.