Hike your own hike
Friends,
I am in the heart of the dark skies of Northumberland National Park, by Steel Rigg and Hadrian’s Wall. Last night Will Cheung, an aurora chaser, showed me Altair, Vega and Deneb - the summer triangle - and the seductive twinkling of Capella. He blew my mind with the vastness of space.
I am also in the heart of King of Wands energy. The trailblazer, my companion for July, is holding my hand through the trial of starting this hike. On the National Trail website, the ~250mile distance is covered in 16 days. I used this as a guide as I built my own itinerary, planning to cover the distance in 21 days with 2 rest days. That plan is already nixed.
Lots of things ‘went wrong’ those first two days. Dad got really burned by the pounding sun. Water was scarce. I got us lost. The midges were atrocious. I forgot my good hiking shoes. The packs, simply, were too heavy. Our feet blistered painfully. I lost a basket from a hiking pole in a bog. And yes, I found all the bogs, whilst Dad barely broke the surface of the earth, walking like an elf. I’m not sure which was worse: the trouser leg with boggy sheep shit up the calf, or the trouser leg sprinkled with my own piss. Squatting and aiming is hard with tired legs.
Throughout those two days, through the start of this adventure, Dad has been solid, staying upbeat and pushing on, asking the right questions. Yenny has been my very own trail angel, asserting that these tribulations are a rite of passage: every hiker has a story. Both, one way or another, impel me to hike my own hike. I send my deepest gratitude.
Day six of the sojourn dawns. I’m planning anew along this tricksy trail that gives nothing away. I was back on my feet yesterday, after mum’s ministrations, blisters barely a bother. And on my six mile loop up and down Hadrian’s wall, guess what I found? A lone basket. Somewhere out there I have a pole sibling. Such signs couple with the friendship of hikers and parents alike to help an uncertain mind find the courage to carry on: I’m exactly where I need to be.
See you further south,
B