And to anyone reading this, thanks for indulging me with all this Vermont talk. It's going to take me a few posts to cover everything, I'll break it into three sections I think; hiking, Grandmother June's homestead, and how to keep a ten year old happy and energized enough to be dragged up the side of a mountain by her parents. First I'll cover hiking, sadly there will be no links because whatever improvements that have been made in the land of Typepad, they are lost on me. I can't figure out adding links with the new format and don't feel like spending hours on here figuring it out - with the blog trying to be on retreat and all.
This mountain (man, I wish I could add links for you!) overlooks Lake Willoughby which is five miles long and 300 ft deep. It is mostly undeveloped as you can see and is really only accessible from either end. It is clean and quiet, and it is 10 minutes from where Adam grew up. Nice stomping grounds for a young boy and his friends.
Have I ever mentioned how much yoga has helped me as a hiker? Probably not due to the fact that there was little to no hiking reported on this blog last summer (looking to change that big time this year), but it's true. Yoga has made me a stronger hiker. Not just because I am physically stronger, but my attitude has shifted. I remember years ago Adam and I were on a hike (Mt. Ascutney) and I gave up. I was ten years younger and literally thought I couldn't do it, we had to turn around and headed down the mountain. I think there were some tears, Adam was cool and supportive. He must have thought I was such a wimp, but never would have let that show. Now I realize that if I just stay with an even, steady breath, and place one foot in front of the other , the mountain will get climbed. It's just walking after all. I'm not fast, but I do get there. I listen to my heart muscle and keep it at a reasonable pace, if it feels like it's going to burst out of my chest I slow down or stop for five minutes, then keep going. No big deal. Yoga has taught me about meeting my edge, to gaze beyond my limits, and when the time is right, to break ground and discover new territory.
When I get back here to blog some more I'll write about the homestead and some new to us methods of keeping the kiddo on board with the rigorous hiking requests of two crazy parents... what I share might surprise you.




