To People or Not to People

 

Thomas Canyon Campground, Lamoille, NV

One of my goals this year is to become more generous with my spirit; to be more open with my fellow human beings; surely there are some interesting people out there, right?  And, surprise!  I don’t know everything.  Maybe someone can teach me something at some point. 

Maybe.  Perhaps.  We’ll see.

(You see I have a way to go on this.)

I am making an effort and so far it is 50/50.

I last left you at the Bob Scott Campground near Austin, Nevada, having (but not reported) a serious attack of loneliness.  This surprised me as I had spent way more than my usual Human Interaction Allotment Time that day.

Before leaving Lee Vining, I had a nice long conversation with my neighbors who turned out to be from a town on the central coast, were spending a month traveling out to the Grand Tetons and, you may remember, were traveling in an Airstream.  They gave me some insider information about where to camp out there, which I will surely use.  But, when I noted that there was a Four Seasons in Jackson Hole and that I might need a few days with long, hot showers, the lady replied, “Oh, if you need a long shower, they offer them free at the Yellowstone Visitor Center.” 

Clearly two nights next to me is not long enough to understand Kitness.

But they were nice and I hope to run into them again.  

Continuing my interaction on the drive, I had a great telephone conversation with my sister-in-law and then, of course, the hours spent with Mr. Motorcyclist as we patiently awaited the return of our freedom.

So I was surprised by the loneliness and thought, maybe you feel more lonely when you have spent time with others versus just always being alone.  Using my “you don’t feel happy unless you sometimes feel sad” theory, I asked Google, “What is the antonym for lonely?”  Google replied, “The antonym for lonely is social.”  So there you have it.

In any event, the next morning I decided to take Opus on a long hike back into the hills behind the campground.  As we were hiking, first over small hills and then steadily climbing to where we were joined by some kind of short, fat pine trees, I began to feel like my peeps were around.  The trees, the grasses, the dirt, the birds, and Opus of course; soon my loneliness dissipated.  We reached a plateau where you could see for miles all around and I stood, took some deep breaths and acknowledged how grateful I was to be a part of something so magnificent.

Originally I had thought of staying two nights but it wasn’t thrilling me; typical dirt road/dirt pitch Forest Service Campground so we packed up and hit the road.   Since we were getting a late start, it was fortunate that my next stop was only about two-hundred miles.  Truly a never-have-been-to stop:  The Ruby Lake Wilderness outside of Lamoille, Nevada.

And here I sit.  This place is magical.  There is no cell service of any variety which usually makes me keep moving down the road (for safety reasons), but the minute I pulled into Thomas Canyon Campground  I knew I was staying as long as possible. 

Some campgrounds feel spooky and some feel just right; this one felt like heaven.  It is nestled in a valley completely surrounded by sharp, rocky mountains and a small stream winds its way through the pitches.  I found a sunny spot for Beagle (the weather was dropping below freezing at night and I knew I needed my solar panels to recharge my battery each day) and parked so her front windows looked up one of the valleys to the snow-patched peak in the distance. 

Who knew this place existed?  It reminds me of the Italian Alps with the sharp-edged mountains and valleys filled with coniferous trees.  I could not wait to get on the trail.

So this morning, after walking River, Opus and I headed up the valley we had been staring at from inside Beagle.  It was a grueling uphill for at least thirty minutes and I was noticing how out of backpacking shape I am.   I came across a couple on their way down and remarked how challenging the climb was.  They agreed and said they didn’t go much further; I replied that I was just hoping to make it to a sunny spot for my morning coffee.  Which the gentleman took, apparently, as an invitation to lecture me. 

He went on and on and On and On about the position of the sun, the peaks casting shadows, and the time of year, all in a tone that indicated I might just be an idiot.   As I watched him, I silently chanted, “generous with my spirit, generous with my spirit.”  He finished with, “I doubt you will have sun for at least an hour.”

Ten minutes later, sitting in the sun enjoying my coffee, I acknowledged that some people are still going to be challenging.

Opus and I persevered (I am also working on patience and perseverance) and I was sure glad we did!  The climbing trail opened to a vast meadow with the mountain peaks coming together in the center and a small waterfall off to the right.  I could have sat there for hours but I knew we had to get back down to River.  So after a brief pause, I offered a quick thank you to whoever gave me this Earthly assignment and provided me with this delightful vessel filled with courage.

-K

PS:  More photos can be found here.