Finding More

I guess you could say that I'm famous for supersizing my hikes.  You might also say that I have a tendency to underestimate distances.  Either way, the result is a longer hike than anyone expects... unless you've come to expect it, which - at least - my family has.  

I just can't leave well enough alone. One of the problems is that I have long been rewarded, in various ways, for doing more... rounding up the mile... taking in the extra vista...scrambling up the rocks... or, "let's just go to the top of the hill and see..."

Recently, we were camping at a state park in Adams County, Pennsylvania.  It's always fun to find new runs in new areas, and I'll usually try to find a route that is quiet and as traffic free as possible.  This particular week, I discovered a trail.  It was just over a mile up a steep hill to the trail. The trail was generally flat, and came out, two miles later, on a gravel road.  With the steep hill, an out and back would have been just about enough to cover my expected daily running distance.  Just about.  But, you know, you can always do a little more.  

That week began the most recent heatwave (which has now lasted the better part of three weeks, by the way!)  Temps were in the 90's all week by midday, and mornings were warm and humid. The air was also fairly full with non-biting, yet annoying gnats. Considering my favorite running temps are in the 40's and 50's, and gnat free, I was not filled with enthusiasm about these runs. 

The end of the trail looked like this:

Fairly normal looking for a woodsy trail in central Pennsylvania. If you're one who prefers a trail to a road, then turning around at the gate would be completely reasonable.  I definitely prefer a trail to a road.  I'll run/walk a trail any day over a more speedy road run.  But did I turn around?  Of course I didn't.  

I stepped out on to the road.  Less than 50 yards across and up the road a little was this:

The silent, glassy smooth peacefulness of Long Pine Run Reservoir was literally just outside my range of vision, only a few steps from the trail. From that morning on, I ran to the lake each morning.  I took my headphones off and sat on a rock for several minutes, watching the sun rise from behind the trees, until I achieved the serenity robbed from me by the gnats.

I've always said that on foot is the ultimate way to find your way around a new area, urban or rural. I can't tell you how many bonus views, peaceful spots, cultural points of interest, restaurants, historical sites, that I have discovered simply by taking an extra step, peeking around a corner, going down a different street, adding a half a mile, or even getting a little bit lost.  

The obvious metaphor, here, is that we can get so much more out of life if we just take an extra few steps or look over the crest of the hill to see what's on the other side.  I'm not necessarily talking about career or financial success, but simply more out of life. More experiences, more beauty, more excitement, more fun, more joy, more love.  

Never be afraid to go a little bit further, extend your range of vision, take an extra few steps, take care of you. 💖 

You may feel very secure in the pond you are in, 
but if you never venture out of it,
you may never know that there is such a thing
as an ocean.