Bluebird
Well-known member
What a day yesterday was! The 3 mile hike was actually 4.3, and the inside of my tent looks suspiciously like a lower-priced chain-hotel room, but an amazing time was had.
MisterMoonbeam overcame issues with his broken wrist, but had some trouble with nerve pain in his right leg. However, he managed to pull through even though the hike took longer than expected.
It was absolutely gorgeous out, and it made me cry, y’all. I’m quite sure my hormones were out of whack because of my period, but at the same time, the tears I was producing felt pretty real and authentic to me!
As I was taking in my surroundings, it suddenly hit me how I’ve hiked more with a partner in the past year than I have in the previous five. I’d let that part of myself go, to make PunkRock happy. And I have her back you guys!
When I was homeschooling my youngest, we were out in nature always at least once a week, but normally two or three times. Whether we were hiking, tubing, camping or just out having a picnic - it was an essential part of who I was. I would definitely describe myself as more of an indoor type of girl, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t okay with being outside.
But more than that, yesterday it suddenly struck me that when I started back hiking a year ago, it was more of an escape - and I don’t need to do it anymore. PunkRock was still up in my house and I needed to be away from his presence. Giving myself that space by taking off into the woods alone was a mental health necessity. Now, however, I can propose a spontaneous (or planned) trip out into the wild, and I won’t be on my own - I have two partners who are ready to explore with me.
That’s not to say that DarkKnight and MisterMoonbeam are outdoor enthusiasts. Lol It is just that they are amazingly supportive. Also, I think in hindsight I can look back and say I lost a part of myself when I was with PunkRock - he said he walked enough at work, he wasn’t interested in sitting on a stump and sharing a pb& j or a swig from a water bottle. He didn’t want to have that be a part of his life then. So I shrunk and tailored my planned excursions to him, rather than having it be more 50/50.
I also feel more confident in myself now - if my partners don’t wanna go outside, I can go by myself! But the reason I was teary was because I don’t have to anymore. I’m not hiking to escape PunkRock. I’m under the trees because I want to be, and I feel loved because my partners join me. I might not be fit, and I am definitely not fast, but I love and I am loved.
So yeah, I cried a little bit. It didn’t slow me down. I just acknowledged what I have regained, and kept going.
I was super bummed that the weather was not conducive to tent camping - the wind gusts were absolutely insane yesterday! I have video where you can hear the wind sounding like a train! After we finished our hike at Seneca Creek, MisterMoonbeam and I decided to get a hotel room - especially since the forecast now had it raining the next few hours until sundown, and it didn’t seem smart to try and put up a tent in the middle of a storm!
So he found a close-by hotel, and I got us there. We ordered in from a small BBQ joint - doing our part to support local business - and cuddled up together.
After I wake up this morning (heh) we will be off to Cedarville State Forest to snag another couple of miles to mark on my butterfly map. I can’t wait.
MisterMoonbeam overcame issues with his broken wrist, but had some trouble with nerve pain in his right leg. However, he managed to pull through even though the hike took longer than expected.
It was absolutely gorgeous out, and it made me cry, y’all. I’m quite sure my hormones were out of whack because of my period, but at the same time, the tears I was producing felt pretty real and authentic to me!
As I was taking in my surroundings, it suddenly hit me how I’ve hiked more with a partner in the past year than I have in the previous five. I’d let that part of myself go, to make PunkRock happy. And I have her back you guys!
When I was homeschooling my youngest, we were out in nature always at least once a week, but normally two or three times. Whether we were hiking, tubing, camping or just out having a picnic - it was an essential part of who I was. I would definitely describe myself as more of an indoor type of girl, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t okay with being outside.
But more than that, yesterday it suddenly struck me that when I started back hiking a year ago, it was more of an escape - and I don’t need to do it anymore. PunkRock was still up in my house and I needed to be away from his presence. Giving myself that space by taking off into the woods alone was a mental health necessity. Now, however, I can propose a spontaneous (or planned) trip out into the wild, and I won’t be on my own - I have two partners who are ready to explore with me.
That’s not to say that DarkKnight and MisterMoonbeam are outdoor enthusiasts. Lol It is just that they are amazingly supportive. Also, I think in hindsight I can look back and say I lost a part of myself when I was with PunkRock - he said he walked enough at work, he wasn’t interested in sitting on a stump and sharing a pb& j or a swig from a water bottle. He didn’t want to have that be a part of his life then. So I shrunk and tailored my planned excursions to him, rather than having it be more 50/50.
I also feel more confident in myself now - if my partners don’t wanna go outside, I can go by myself! But the reason I was teary was because I don’t have to anymore. I’m not hiking to escape PunkRock. I’m under the trees because I want to be, and I feel loved because my partners join me. I might not be fit, and I am definitely not fast, but I love and I am loved.
So yeah, I cried a little bit. It didn’t slow me down. I just acknowledged what I have regained, and kept going.
I was super bummed that the weather was not conducive to tent camping - the wind gusts were absolutely insane yesterday! I have video where you can hear the wind sounding like a train! After we finished our hike at Seneca Creek, MisterMoonbeam and I decided to get a hotel room - especially since the forecast now had it raining the next few hours until sundown, and it didn’t seem smart to try and put up a tent in the middle of a storm!
So he found a close-by hotel, and I got us there. We ordered in from a small BBQ joint - doing our part to support local business - and cuddled up together.
After I wake up this morning (heh) we will be off to Cedarville State Forest to snag another couple of miles to mark on my butterfly map. I can’t wait.