Trail Magic

I have been feeling a bit off sorts lately. I am signed up to ride my bike from LA to Albuquerque in May and have spent the past few weeks selecting and shopping for a new bike that would be a better tool to assist me in my adventures. All of that would normally make me feel excited and content but something just wasn’t right. On the advice of my coach and friend Amonda Rose, I decided to ask the Universe to show me what it is I still need to know so that I can live my talents.

 

I recently joined Columbus Outdoor Pursuits (COP) which is the group that organizes the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA), one of my favorite cycling events. I thought I could meet some like minded people in COP and learn a lot about organizing bicycle events. I received their welcome letter and learned they were having a meeting the following Tuesday in Columbus.

 

Tuesday came and I drove the hour and a half from my house to Columbus. I had a little trouble finding the COP headquarters so I arrived exactly at seven for the 7:00 pm meeting. I immediately Ann G who is the CEO of COP and Glen who was the speaker for the evening. Glen was scheduled to present a program on cross country skiing and snowshoeing.

 

It soon became apparent that no one else was coming to the meeting. Ann and Glen said attendance at the Nov. meeting is typically low because of the Thanksgiving holiday just two days later. I was thinking, “OK Lord, it seemed like you wanted me to come here to learn something and meet key people. I have zero interest in cross country skiing and I am the only one at the meeting. What is it that you wanted to show me?”

 

I decided to briefly share my story with Ann and Glen. I told them how when I was the fat girl in high school I dreamed of running a marathon, riding my bike across America, and hiking the Appalachian Trail. “Since I have ran a marathon and rode my bike across America, I guess one day soon I’ll need to go for a walk, but I don’t know anything about hiking”. They exchanged a knowing look with each other and then looked at me and said “Pull up a chair, we can trail talk all night.”

 

It turns out that both Ann and Glen have section hiked the Appalachian Trail (AT) and are extremely experienced backpackers and hikers. For the next two hours I received a private tutorial on how to hike the AT complete with a tent pitching demonstration (Glen just happened to have his new backpacking tent and trekking poles in his car).

 

It was an amazing evening and I learned so much. If the meeting had had the typical attendance level, I would have driven all that way to hear about snow shoeing. Besides all the great AT info, I learned two very important things that night.

 

1.      I feel off when I am off track. I love cycling and I love bicycle adventures, but it is not the only thing I am called to do right now. The Appalachian Trail is a big part of my calling. I was ignoring the AT as I prepared for my Southwest cycling adventure this May. Frankly, I was hoping that the whole idea of hiking the AT would go away and I could be happy riding my bike and sleeping in a nice cozy hotel room. As much as I wanted to just ride my bike, the preparation for the trip lacked joy and zip. The more I ignored the AT, the crankier and more unsettled I became.

I spent an evening learning about the AT and gaining confidence that I could complete it in 2014 and suddenly, everything is more fun. The Universe calls us to our best life and our levels of fun and joy let us know if we are aligned with that calling.

 

2.      When I am open to receive, God delights to give me what I need. Think about it, this whole thing set up like a surprise. God gave me the feeling like I needed to meet someone and then I’m the only attendee at the meeting. Surprise! It’s the hosts who I needed to meet. God didn’t mess around. There wasn’t anyone extra at the meeting who didn’t absolutely need to be there. I thought it was a mistake at first and now I realize that God was just making it easy on me. Instead of having to sort through a room full of people to discern my contacts, my guides were the only two people there! The fact that Glen ‘just happened’ to have his tent and trekking poles in his car makes me giggle. Even when I don’t exactly know what it is that I need, the Universe is conspiring to bring everything together for my highest and best good. Wow! Why do I ever waste time on being afraid!?!

 

So what’s next? Well, I am still going on the bicycle adventures I already have planned for the summer of 2013. The physical conditioning and skills required for these trips are absolutely aligned with hiking the AT in 2014. I will also be attending backpacking school this spring (offered by COP) and participating in some extended hiking trips this summer to prep for my long walk in 2014.

 

I am having a blast so I know that I am absolutely on the right track!