Passion for the Trail

When I took my first walk to try to convince myself that the dream that has come to me about walking across the country, I walked seventeen miles without training. I had the wrong shoes.  I had the wrong socks. I didn't drink enough water. I didn't eat enough calories.  I had a blister at six miles. I kept going, and that was probably pretty foolish.  This was the result. I was down for two weeks.  I ended the walk with pictures of hamburger feet.  The idea of the walk persisted, and thankfully so did I.

Over the last two years, my life has been transformed by the trail. I see the world differently. My mind is less cluttered. I look to the sky, and I'm shown the glory of the universe on a daily basis.

Airborne - Charlotte, NC to Pensacola, FL

The first six miles of that first practice walk was filled with both boredom and anxiety. My mind was chattering to itself. I had not moved that slowly without entertainment for a very long time. The trees looked the same. The sky looked the same. The trail looked the same. It's because I had forgotten how to see. I'd become undisciplined in my thinking. I'd become addicted to the easy cotton candy entertainment of the television. I could no longer see what was right in front of my face.

 

Airborne #2 - Charlotte, NC to Pensacola, FL

I no longer bury my head in a book or a screen trying to hide from the people and the experiences around me. I can look out the airline window for an hour waiting because I know that the great moment is coming. The clouds will clear dn the blue sky will manifest. The river will shine in the sun, and if I'm not paying attention.  If my brain demands constant entertainment, I'll miss it, and the moment will be lost forever. I learned this patience on the trail trying to drive an crazy escape fantasy out of my head.

Fellow Travellers - Fairhope, AL

It took some time, but I learned to chase the sun. I learned to put myself outside during the golden hour and then wait. I learned to see again, and I'm hooked. Walking is not boring. It's one of the most passion filled aspects of my life.

Laid Back - Feet Up - Fairhope, AL

I had a couple of more miles to walk after this photo was taken, but one foot in front of another had taken me to this time and place, and it was worth a moment to soak it all in. I have no idea what the bottom of my feet look like today, but I guarantee they don't look like they did at the end of that first practice walk.

I continue to be amazed at what the universe brings across my path, and everyday my love...my passion...my calling for the walk grows a little stronger. My life is getting fuller, and I hope that one day this journey might help someone else. I have peace and contentment in abundance, and if you want some of mine you're welcome to it. I'd love to have you join me in this journey, and I'm looking forward to what tomorrow will reveal.

Long(ish) Walking as a Means of Renewal

For the first time, in a very long time, I found myself with no structured activities planned in advance of greeting the morning. Today promised to be a day of renewal, and I'd like to think I used it wisely. After taking a bit of my own advice and skipping the sunrise the morning, I got myself together and decided to research the possibility of talking a long(ish) walk in the Pensacola, FL area. The distance from Mobile, AL to Pensacola, FL is not daunting, and I thought that a change of scenery, to an area I have not explored in a long time, might prove useful.

After a quick scan of suggestions from Google, I settled on starting out near the Pensacola Lighthouse. Plans being what they are, fungible, I actually started a little bit further east down the beach than I had originally planned, and I ended up with about a four mile walk to the light.

Blue Angel Static Display - NAS Pensacola Officer's Club

Naval Air Station Pensacola, being "The Cradle of Naval Aviation," host more than a few bits of eye candy for enthusiasts of aviation in general and Naval aviation in particular. This static display as one of several that I passed on the trail to the lighthouse. I also took the time to speak to the closest mothers in my life since I found myself away from them all on Mother's Day. All told, I spent about three hours on the phone with them, and I thoroughly enjoyed their company.

After a little over an hour, I fetched the distance to the lighthouse, and the walk proved to be worth every step.

Pensacola Lighthouse with the Lighthouse Keeper's Residence in the Foreground

Originally, my plans called for finding a location to take pictures of the light as sunset approached, but when I finally got there, I found that the angles weren't going to give me the shots that I wanted. What I did not realize was that the lighthouse was open for visitors, so I decided to pay them a visit.

Pensacola Lighthouse with Jeremiah Pelican

Like many cities, Pensacola boasts a public art installation at various locations of a statue decorated with symbolism to match the surroundings. This art installation is call Pelicans in Paradise, the Jeremiah Pelican, The Lighthouse Keeper stands watch over the lighthouse. The light tower is one hundred and ninety one feet tall and the observation platform can be accessed by climbing a spiral staircase with one hundred and seventy seven steps. Admission was six dollars, and the views from the top far outpaced both the cost of admission and the light sheen of sweat the climb up initiated.

View from Pensacola Lighthouse Looking East

The observation platform is the tallest publicly accessible lighthouse platform in the state of Florida. Looking east you can see down the length of Big Lagoon all the way to Pensacola Bay.

View from Pensacola Lighthouse Looking West

Toward the west, you can see the skyline of Orange Beach and past the state line into Gulfshores, Alabama with the miles of white sand beaches in between.

View From Pensacola Lighthouse Looking North

Toward the north the airfield and the National Naval Aviation Museum are prominent landmarks, and with a bit of luck a student pilot will put on a display of aviation skill (or not) during one of their many training flights.

Having decided that I would depart Pensacola before sunset, I made my way back to my car and wrapped up a walk measuring a little over eight miles.

Blue Heron Making an Approach at Naval Air Station Pensacola

Toward the end of the walk, I caught a Great Blue Heron making a landing approach on the apron that used to host the seaplanes stationed at Pensacola. This was a fitting encore to a spectacular jaunt.

Falling back into old habits, I made my way down to Fairhope, AL to take in a sunset.  I put in another five miles of walking along the bluffs, and enjoyed the closing of the day.

Sunset - Fairhope, AL

The cobalt sky was lightly brushed with high cirrus clouds, and the warm breeze off Mobile Bay brought with it a feeling of renewal and energy from across the water.

Skyscape - Fairhope, AL

Even after covering just a bit over a half marathon distance, I felt refreshed and rejuvenated.

Out on the Water at the Closing of the Day - Fairhope, AL

Today was a day of welcome renewal and adventure. Soul healing new sights and old favorites tilled the space between moments. I'm looking forward to what the universe has planned for tomorrow.