What did you do on Independence day? Well, instead of preparing for a BBQ or fireworks my boy friend Luke and I decided to do a 7.5 mile hike on Hawk Mountain along the popular Appalachian Trail and then ending on the Skyline Trail. It was a sunny wsadday, but thank goodness it was not humid out.
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| Almost to the look out! |
The first part of the trail was pretty easy. The path was well maintained. You could tell someone had laid rocks in certain spots and cut fallen trees out of the way. We walked over small bridges that someone had built over creeks and some of the larger washes. We finally got to a part of the path that made you hate your decision to hike that day. It was a slope that completely killed my legs for the following 48 hours after the hike. For someone like myself that hasn't done much hiking in the last 3-4 years, it was a challenge. The whole time I was thinking to myself, why am I not home having a beer and barbecuing. When I finally made it to the top I saw a sign that said look out 2 miles. At that point, I felt that I was threw the worst part and with some motivation from Luke we were on our way.
Years ago Luke had hiked this trail with his boy scouts club. Oddly enough, he did not seem to remember the killer slop that we had just completed. (ha!) Luke had planned our days hike around the idea that we would eventually get to the Skyline Trail and walk the ridge of Hawk Mountain. Well that is what we did. Only we found ourselves walking most of the Skyline Trail on a path that was less traveled on.
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| No path, just following painted markers. |
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| A path! |
Needless to say, it was one of the best days ever! We made it to many different look out points along the way and stopped to admire the views of nature. The landscape makes you think about life, love and what the true definition of happiness might be. In the end, we need to see beyond the beauty in order to get to the core of our own salvation. Stepping away from our day to day lives seems impossible for many folks. It truly is sad that we get wrapped up in the daily grind so much that places like this we may never see and feel the emotion they bring to us. With that being said, I challenge you to take the path less traveled on. Break your own norms, step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. Let it change you, inspire you, and feed you with the energy you need to take on life.
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| A top Hawk Mountain. |
