I Went to the Woods

 I went to the woods - as Henry David Thoreau so states - "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately..." I recommend you read the rest. I would argue there is nothing more deliberate than dressing for rain. Knowing it is cold and rainy and you wish to be warm and dry. The lengths you will go to to make sure that is the case. So, I donned my base layer - a silky t-shirt followed by a thermal turtle neck, and a fuzzy sweater/fleece thing. Below I had my fleece lined weather proof pants with wool socks, my hiking boots, my raincoat, my rain pants, and my hat. Is anyone else warm yet? I put these things on so I could walk SLOWLY through the Hoh Rain Forest - the trail - The Hall of Mosses. I wanted to listen to a friend's Marco Polo message - the one where she is practicing a piece of her final for a course she was taking at Kripalu - I believe Mindful Outdoor Leadership. All I could think was - crap I have a lot of layers and the rain is coming down so hard, how will I hear her voice? So, I wrapped my cellphone in a ziplock baggie and stuffed it into my hood. I could hear her voice - and I dropped in. I wasn't thinking about how I looked standing there in the pouring rain - in full view of the parking lot. I just focused on the sound of her voice - my breathing and standing there feeling my boots on the ground and hearing the symphony of raindrops as they hit my hood and body covered in GoreTex.

When her recording ended - it was like I had awoken from a dream - it was just 10 minutes. But in that time I knew I was not going to get cold or wet - and I knew I was ready to take in my surroundings without thinking of all of the millions of things I think about each day. I could smell the damp earth - I could feel drops dancing down my jacket. I walked past the ranger station and a little girl and her father before heading across the bridge and up the hill to the trail. My feet felt like they were walking on a new trail, though I have done this trail many times before. My senses were taking in the smells, the sounds, the feelings, the tastes, and the sights. 

I decided that for me - walking into a grove of trees is one of my greatest pleasures. I can almost feel myself lighten and soften- my overactive brain has something to focus on - what will I see, feel, hear, taste, and smell - the other voices seem to fade. These giant beautiful beings - holding the space and offering solace and respite from the hurry flurry of life.