I know, I often quote Yoda: Do or do not. There is no try. But I’m not a natural when it comes to present time consciousness. Really living in the moment, fully, without thinking of the past or future, is work for me. I can’t just do it. For me, it requires practice. So that I did — during a hike among towering Coastal Redwoods in California’s Muir Woods.
Check it out:
Travel & Tourism
Do You Detect A “Service Engine Soon” Alert?
Yesterday I was driving to Beaver Creek Nordic Area south of my hometown of Lander, WY, when the “Service Engine Soon” indicator light came on.
“Just great,” I thought. Suddenly I became uneasy, concerned if I was going to have car problems. Sure, I had my cell phone and I’m a member of AAA and I’m in shape enough to hoof it some miles if necessary. Still, the anxiety that encompassed me because of the constant reminder of this “alert” was disconcerting. It was nagging at me. Try as I might, I couldn’t get the alert and the uneasiness it cast over me, out of my mind.
My destination was on South Pass, on the Continental Divide, about 26 miles away, where there is no cell phone signal.
The “Service Engine Soon” alert could mean I was about to have car problems. Or, it could mean that it’s not an emergency, just to be mindful of getting the engine serviced. I could have hundreds of miles to drive with that alert lit up without anything happening. I resigned to the latter. I just couldn’t bring myself to ditch the pre-arranged ski outing I had planned.
This got me thinking about the “Service Engine Soon” alert and how it is a great metaphor in so many situations in life. I began to realize that a version of this alert — the nagging and uneasiness it brings with it — happens frequently for me. It just doesn’t show itself in the form of a lit-up alert that is in front of my face.
Here are some examples of when my own”Service Engine Soon” alert is detected:
• My parents live here in town. I want to spend more time with them. When a couple of days have gone by and I haven’t talked to either of them, my “Service Engine Soon” alert comes on.
• If it’s been a few days and I haven’t been to the gym, the “Service Engine Soon” nagging kicks in.
• When the day is finally over and everyone in our house is in bed and sleeping. Except for me. I’m thinking about a question one of our sons asked that I didn’t at the time hear or respond to. The “Service Engine Soon” alerts me and I make a mental note that I need to make this right at the earliest opportunity. It’s too important not to, and I’m sorry I wasn’t paying better attention.
• When it’s Friday and I’m reviewing my task/to-do list for the week and realize there is a task or two that were to be done earlier in the week and should be checked off, but for one reason or another I keep ignoring or working around them.
• When I’ve skipped going to church, especially if it’s becoming too frequent of an occurrence. When I drive by the church, the “Service Engine Soon” alert inside me goes off.
• It’s been a month since I’ve had a “date night” with my husband, Jerry. We usually enjoy a couple of date nights every month. The indicator goes off in my mind if we haven’t been honoring this.
• I have two sisters and a brother, who all have families and do not live in Lander. They mean the world to me. And yet, I’m not keeping in good touch with them — and I want and intend to. Again, I can detect the alert and its nagging as a result of this.
• I’ve received not one, but two, reminders from the dentist about an appointment for teeth cleaning/oral prevention.
• The basement continues to be cluttered, despite my intention to gradually be making progress in sorting through it.
Of course this is only a small sampling. In reviewing this, it’s clear to me that this “Service Engine Soon” detection brings with it not only a nagging, but also feelings of guilt. In my experience, when I feel guilt that is self-imposed (not guilt placed on me by others), it usually means I’m not honoring things that are of value to me, and as a result, there could be unwanted consequences.
For this reason, I value the “Service Engine Soon” alert implications in my own life. (By the way, I made it to my destination and had a stellar morning of skiing. But when I got back in the car to return home, there was that pesky alert again. It didn’t go away. The engine still needs serviced.)
Do you ever have “Service Engine Soon” moments, and if so, would you care to share some of yours?
As usual, thanks so much for reading.
Mind Mapping while Ski Lapping
I’ve been thinking a lot about mind mapping. I find comfort and relief in the idea of having all of my ideas and relationships plotted on my mind’s map. To me, mind mapping is the act organizing a map in my mind that includes points for all of the important things/people in my life. This mapping leads to increased clarity.
Here, watch for yourself!
Surf, Rolling Hills, Lung Busting & Zen
Those of you who know me and/or who read my blog, know that I live on the frontier of Wyoming and that I LOVE Wyoming and my “back yard”, the beloved Wind River Range.
But, I am also falling in love with the San Francisco area — specifically the Marin Headlands.
Don’t worry, friends and family, I will not leave my heart here in San Francisco. My heart is in the Wind River Range of Wyoming.
What helps me love this place are days like the one I experienced Thursday.
(Note: I am here for my third of five weekends of learning and developing my life coaching skills at The Coaches Training Institute.
Because it can be, well, difficult, to get this girl out of the frontier and often travel doesn’t go as planned, I build a buffer day into these trips. I depart out of Riverton, WY, on Wednesday afternoon and arrive here Wednesday night. Thursday is a free day to allow for travel if plane doesn’t show up on Wednesday afternoon to take me out of the frontier.
Fortunately, I was able to get out and arrived here Wednesday night, which meant Thursday was all mine and I wanted to further experience the outdoor beauty of this area.
Last month, I hiked from surf to summit. Read more about that amazing hike from Stinson Beach to top of Mt. Tamalpais.
The adventure started at Muir Beach, and it was cold! I quickly learned that 41 degrees and windy, at sea level, is colder than same conditions in my high and dry Wyoming. Fortunately, I had packed some “Wyoming winter clothing.”
I hiked from Muir Beach, along the Coastal Trail, to Pirates’ Cove, to Tennessee Valley, up to Coyote Ridge and then to and through Green Gulch organic farm and Zen Center back to Muir Beach. All told, it was about seven or eight miles and 1,600′ or so of elevation gain.
It was a spectacular hike. By my standards, which are high due to the beauty and ruggedness of the Wind River Range, I rate this hike as “epic” for many reasons, which I’ll share with you here.
Despite the cold start, there was blue sky as I hiked the “shore-hugging” Coastal Trail. This stretch provided awe-inspiring scenery, with the Pacific Ocean surf “crashing” against the shore below and a trail that provided just enough lung-busting to keep me warm. The wind was howling but invigorating all the same.
About 1.5 miles into the hike, after a short downhill hike to the shore, is Pirates’ Cove. From my understanding, this is a location where people would bootleg liquor during the Prohibition. (As far I could tell, today there no is hooch to be had.) I stood for a few minutes just to listen to and feel — to fully experience — the ocean’s power and sounds and smells. This is a great little cove and worth the side trip.
From there, I continued toward Tennessee Valley, a lush, rolling valley that is home to some big raptors and other wildlife. This part of the hike was surreal, as I hiked in and out of low clouds and mist.
Next, I left the Tennessee Valley Trail and headed up to Coyote Ridge. From top of the ridge, I had panoramic views that were a little tempered by low moving clouds and fog. This was a long, sustained, pretty steep uphill, which suited me just fine. I hiked pretty steadily up for 20 or so minutes before reaching an intersection of trails.
Once up the hill, I continued toward Middle Green Gulch before finding the Green Gulch Trail. I had a tip from a friend, Chad, who is a local, who described the Green Gulch Farm, home also to a Zen Center, as “well…very…Zen…very, very special!!!”
After hiking up and around some ridge-tops and hills and through a string of Eucalyptus trees, I arrived at the Green Gulch Farm & Zen Center. Here, I won’t lie, I felt a little lost and like I was trespassing, not sure if I was “on the right trail,” but was greeted by a nice gentleman who provided some great interpretation for me.
I learned that Green Gulch is an organic farm and Zen Center, that among other things, hosts about 70 Zen students at a time. I stopped in the small store where a nice woman and man were working. I bought some tea and before continuing on my way, I asked, “Well I’m from Wyoming and I’m trying to fully experience this area today. Is there anything you can offer me in terms of Zen enlightenment or tips to take with me?”
This was great! One told me to “breathe.” The other suggested, “Don’t believe everything you think.” Wow, glad I asked! One of these would have been enough to think around, so I was particularly grateful.
Next, I stopped into the Zen Temple. Unfortunately there was no meditation until later in the day so I couldn’t experience that, which I’m sure would have been an amazing experience. But I talked briefly to an Asian monk there. He didn’t speak English but after trying my best to communicate what I was doing and that I was “sorta lost… I’m from Wyoming and hiking through here … do you have any thoughts for me?” he said, in a very friendly way, to “Just Be.”
What a perfect way to end an amazing hike. I hiked through the farm fields and was soon back to the start, Muir Beach.
To cap the hike, again on a tip from a friend, Sean (also known as S.O.S.), who’s a local, I stopped by the historic and wonderfully quaint Pelican Inn, a bed and breakfast, complete with dining room and pub, that is right near Muir Beach. Capturing the spirit of 16th Century England west country, this place is incredible and should be a must-see for anyone who visits the Muir Beach area. Here, I had a wonderful salad of organic greens and a cup of spearmint tea.
It was a perfect day that included new and awesome scenery, some great exercise, invigorating, fresh, coastal air, solitude, Zen and culture!
But wait, still not over. The day was capped when I visited some friends for dinner, which included delicious fresh salmon (a real treat for this Wyoming girl!), and other great eats, completed by some great conversation.
The only thing that could have made this day better would have been to have my husband, Jerry, and our three sons, Wolf, Hayden and Fin, with us. So, I’ll be working on reliving this day with them the next time…
But, like I said, I’m starting to fall in love with this place.
Videos:
MUIR BEACH TO PIRATES’ COVE:
TENNESSEE VALLEY TO COYOTE RIDGE:
GREEN GULCH FARM & ZEN CENTER:
Acknowledgements:
Thank you Josh Steinitz, Chad Herst, Doug Peck and Sean O’Sullivan for providing tips that helped me have this amazing experience while visiting your neck of the woods.
From Surf to Peak, Mt. Tam is Epic Hike
I was recently in the San Francisco, CA., region for my life coaching training.
I arranged my travel to arrive one day early so I could do a little exploring. I also did this because getting the girl out of the frontier does not always go smoothly so it’s necessary to provide a “buffer day.”
Turns out my flights went like a dream and I arrived on schedule, which meant I had a whole day — including transportation in the form of a rental car — to explore.
My choice for the sightseeing day: Hiking to top of Mt. Tamalpais. Locals refer to this mountain as “Mt. Tam.” The mountain, which is situated in California’s beautiful Marin County and is visible from San Francisco, reaches 2,574′.
What an amazing mountain and an awesome hike this was for me. I hiked from surf, through large redwood forests, lush, mossy/rainforest-like sections that had mist and waterfalls, and mountain terrain to the top of East Peak, the second highest point of the mountain, which reaches 2,572′
The mountain is part of the Northern California Coast Ranges. Despite being smack dab in the middle of a pretty heavily populated region, much of Mt. Tam is protected by Mount Tamalpais State Park, Muir Woods National Monument and the Mount Tamalpais Watershed.
There is a large network of trails. I was able to hike several different trails. As a result, I was able to experience new sights and terrain along the way up and down. I hiked the famous Dipsea Trail and Steep Ravine Trail to Pantoll Ranger Station, then Old Stage Road, Nora Trail, Fern Creek Trail, Matt Davis Trail and the Coastal Trail.
To hike only to the Pantoll Ranger station and back, using different trails going and returning, it’s about seven or eight miles total. To continue linking various trails from Pantoll Ranger Station to the top of East Peak makes it a 14- to 16-mile hike, depending on how often you want to explore different trails that take you a little further.
The weather was not perfect. Actually it was perfect temps for uphill hiking. But there was fog and mist and clouds, making it hard to truly capture the views that this hike affords. At times it was hard to determine where the separation between clouds and oceans was. But hey, mist and fog are things this Wyoming girl is not used to, so perhaps they added to the experience. This was a glorious hike and one I will never forget.
Some notes:
It took me more time than it should have to drive to Stinson Beach because I took some wrong exits and turns in route. (My bad for second-guessing my Droid’s navigation lady.) But the drive was beautiful. Much of it was on the winding California Highway 1 and revealed gorgeous beach and ocean views throughout. Also, I love Stinson Beach, which is a quaint, beautifully-set unincorporated community situated at 26′ elevation.
I had a much more difficult time finding the trailhead. I was expecting huge signs and big parking lots at the trailheads. After all, a lot of people live in this area and travel to this area. Mt. Tam is a popular local hike and a popular place for visitors to go. I was wrong. The trailheads were simply little signs near streets. Actually they were very tactfully marked. I just wasn’t focusing hard enough.
Also, on the 15 or so miles I hiked, I saw (and spoke briefly with) only about eight people. It was more like my hiking experience in Wyoming than I would imagined on that front on this particular day. Everyone was super friendly, including the two flower children/hippies that hugged me and wished me good karma while meeting me on the last stretch of trail to East Peak.
Finally, thanks to my friend, Josh Steinitz, CEO of NileGuide, for suggesting this hike!