OGT DAILY Day One Hundred and Eighty Nine PLACEMENT

A day of hiking on a trail rated 9 out of 10 trail in Lake Minnewaska State Park in Shawanagunk Mts. in Upstate NY.   Mountain goat-like youngsters whizzing by in their sneakers with no poles while Dean and me and our friends Jenni and Jim lowered our creaky knees down stone steps and sandstone boulders with the respectful care of those who have experienced a few falls in life and lost a bit of elasticity in the joints.   Still we all did remarkably well and had near perfect weather give forecasts of 90 degree temperatures and possible rain.

Gertrudes's Head, Lake Minnewaska State Park, NY

It occurred to me while hiking - as things often do - that careful placement of my feet was now an essential component of survival on this trail which was hazardous in places.  By this I do not even mean the numerous crevasses, which appear along crest of the ridged white Shawanagunk cliffs.   We were taking the Gertrude's Nose trail to a point where vistas of the Hudson Valley open up before you turn back to walk over layered slabs of the conglomerate sandstone which make up their beautiful yet terrifying structure.  Terrifying because between slabs there might be a crevice a foot wide which then drops 100 feet into darkness or jagged rocks or equally jagged trees.

 Careful footing, thoughtful placement of boots became the name of the game.  I began this exercise early on while we were still in the forest.   It has been a while since I've walked a difficult trail in heavy boots, with a pack on my back.   All of this takes adjusting to a new sense of balance.   Like skiing down a hill I became aware of anticipating my next pole placement and then gauged where to put my boot.  This sense of caution became more urgent when we came across a gorgeous, but lethal young copperhead sunny itself right in our path.

Copperhead in the sun

At first my progress was slow, but I was acutely aware that to do otherwise could mean twisted ankles, ruptures knees, torn ligaments, snake bites, pain, hospital bills and worse....  But to not go out on this beautiful day and face this challenge and see these wonderful yet terrifying heights with excellent companions would have meant missing one of the greatest hiking days I've experienced.   So we all paced ourselves; waiting when one of us dropped behind, engaging in leisurely conversation and picking wild blueberries as we wended our way through and over boulders - avoiding the dangerous drops and leading each other along when the trail took a turn.

My hiking companions: Dean, Jenni, and Jim

As I've often done in this blog I'll recommend this exercise from walking practice for everyday life. Mindful placement of one's footfall can be related to so many aspects of life.   What words do we speak which could cause us to fall off a cliff in a relationship?   What other actions do we take each day which are not done with out our full focus and attention?  We must function on auto pilot much of the time whether it be driving or answering e-mails, etc.... But on the trail or rock climbing on a rock wall every action we make can determine whether we live or die.   Bringing that level of mindful focus to our daily lives could enhance a sense of discovery and importance to our actions, whether making pancakes or transacting business.   What greater risks can we take, and growth can we achieve, by moving forward with mindful, focussed intention?