Trail as Therapy

Cindy had the kids overnight and all day Saturday, so early in the week we decided we'd spend Saturday on the Potowatami. We ditched that plan Friday night because of rain in the forecast, but in the morning we woke up to only clouds (no rain), so we reverted to plan A, throwing some water bottles and snacks in the backpack and heading out to the trailhead at Silver Lake. We did the whole 17.5-mile loop in about six hours (5:10 not including breaks), and the first drops of rain fell just as we were climbing (crawling) back into the car at about 2:15. We were spent but happy.

The Poto was delightful as always, but what really hit me this time around is how therapeutic it was to spend the whole day hiking alongside my honey. Life is hard (no secret there) and our moments alone are few and far between. When we do get away for an evening here or there, it always seems so abbreviated. And so expensive! Dinner + sitter + movie can easily top a hundred bucks. Then we both feel this unspoken pressure to make that time "worth it" and meaningful. The problem is compounded if things don't go according to plan -- like on Friday night when we thought we'd see a movie together, and blindly walked into probably the lamest film we've ever encountered. (Apologies to those of you who somehow enjoyed The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy).

So Saturday morning we spent six uninterrupted hours together, surrounded by trees and flowers, talking when we felt like it, but comfortable being silent too. It is the best way of reconnecting that I know.