KEEPING THE TRAIL WITH ME

9 Dec

Whenever I finish something monumental I try to extend the experience into my “normal life” Tangible mementos often help. When I returned from South Africa I carried my lunch in a zebra print bag I’d received with a souvenir purchase. After our month in Hawaii I attempted to maintain (unsuccessfully) the salt water bleached blonde hair I’d hopped off the plane in Colorado with. A week ago I realized how I was keeping my incredible experience on the John Muir Trail with me.

Let me back up a bit. I’ve been making an effort this school year to dress more professionally; more skirts, no ripped or excessively worn clothing, more teacher like attire. I was getting ready for school and I looked in the mirror. I was wearing my new black and white checked skirt with a black ¾ sleeve button up shirt and black flip flops. Professional yet casual… perfect.

It was a cool morning in Dolores so I threw on my down vest. Unknowingly, I had combined my trail camp shoes with a dressy skirt and shirt, and topped it off with the down vest I’d worn every day and most nights in my sleeping bag on the trail. One tidbit of information about clothing and backpacking you should be aware of is gear gets very dirty! Of course I’ve washed all my gear several times since, but I realized I’d managed to work some article of clothing from the trail into my daily wardrobe.

The lines between adventures are starting to blur and that gives me such joy. As I walked into the parking lot at Whitney Portal, our destination on the trail, I wondered if my copper colored coffee mug that went with me to South Africa was still in the bear box fifty feet from our car. It was.