Enjoying a Hike in the First Snow of the Season
In the morning the first snow fall of the season accumulated and the brisk winds blew. I went for a hike.
The beginning of each season is the most sought. By March, I’ll be aching for the warming sun, but today I reveled the raw winter storm. I hiked up the mountain through the thick undergrowth of the swamp entering the hemlocks. I keep climbing. The oak trees topping the mountain violently swayed in response to the strong winds. On no particular trail, I meandered up, over and around the snow-covered mountain.
After The Hike
Snow melt puddled at my feet. The warm mug of green tea warmed my hands and insides. The Appalachian sound from the guitar player’s music had my toes tapping. Waiting for the daily special of white chicken chili and grilled cheese, I checked Facebook for the latest updates. I had been out of cell service and out of touch for the last two days.
It was Sunday and the Facebook posts centered on the day’s football games. I smiled. No football for me today. Today I choose to live life and not watch it.
At the Purple Fiddle, the Sunday afternoon crowd was unusually sparse. The guitar player played on. Music is what he does. A crowd of 3 or 3,000, he plays.
The cliché’s are endless, Live today for tomorrow is not guaranteed; life is not a dress rehearsal; you only get one chance, make the most of it, and so on. But the way I see it, Life is not a spectator sport. Life is to be lived not watched. So as others spent Sunday watching highly paid athletes play a game, I chose to get cold toes, sore calf muscles, and rosy cheeks hiking in the first cold snow day of the new season and finish the day relaxing with a few like-minded folks.
The chili was fulfilling. The second cup of tea was almost done but I’m not ready to leave and face the end of the weekend. So I leaned back in my chair, sipped on my third cup of tea, listened to the music, and discussed trips taken and trips to come with the waitress.
