I just got home from a hike. What a beautiful day! Since I did a mid-afternoon hike, there were not many people on the mountain. Yet, I love that no matter what time of day I hike; there is at least one person that is just as crazy as me out on the trail.
I did my most common hike, Telegraph Pass. It is convenient to get to. It also provides me with three hike lengths depending on the time I have, the level of workout I am looking for, and what my body is capable of doing that day.
- The Street – Telegraph Pass is 1.5 miles from the trailhead to the street (3.0 miles r/t). Any distance hiked beyond the street is on the National Trail.
- The Lookout – It is about another .30 of a mile to the lookout (3.6 miles r/t).
- The “Peak” – We call it the peak as it is a great turnaround point for this hike and you can get a 360° view. It is roughly another .35 of a mile to the peak (4.3 miles r/t).
Oh, back up. Did you catch that? This hike provides me with three lengths depending “what my body is capable of doing that day.”
It is easy to get wrapped up into thinking, “Hey, I have gone to the peak so many times before; I should always make it to the peak” (so long as I have enough time). Well, while my mind wants to go to the peak every time, sometimes my body does not want to go to the peak.
-
Maybe I didn’t sleep well last night so I am a bit fatigued.
Maybe I have exercised five days in a row.
Maybe I have not been fueling my body with the nutrition it needs in the past day or two.
Maybe my muscles are tight from the previous day’s workout.
We often receive signals – sometimes we choose to ignore the signals; sometimes we don’t notice the signals; and sometimes we notice the signals and don’t know what they mean. We need to recognize when our body is giving us signals. And then we need to act on these signals whether we know what they mean or not.
Ignoring the signals our body is telling us and pushing beyond our limits can lead to injury or illness. Often it is just a matter of how long will it take for that signal to become stronger so we act on it because it will become something worse when we do nothing about it.
(BTW, this hike can actually be as long as I want it to be by going beyond the peak. That is one of the many things I love about this hike. I know that I am half-way when I turn around.)
