Of Bears & Trails
I recently returned from 10 days in the beautiful Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains and the cozy little town of Mammoth Lakes, California. Having spent over 20 summers there, I felt like I was coming home. The mountains are my “happy place” where I can hike every day, swim in cool [read: freezing] mountain lakes and fish for my evening meal, i.e. rainbow trout. Truth be told, I hope to retire in these mountains one day so that I can breathe that fresh, cool air and smell those aromatic pine trees every day.
Amid the breathtaking vistas and cool forests, hiking in these mountains can be a challenge. The trails can be steep and rocky, the 8,000-foot elevation can make it hard to breathe, snow can obscure the path (even in the summer), and then there are the bears. We did not encounter “our bears” until day 9 when two bear cubs barreled down the hill in front of us, while mama bear remained partially hidden on the ridge. Our trail crossed right between these two entities, mama and her cubs. Having been in that position before [Kings Canyon, CA, circa 1985], I was not thrilled to move ahead. But because of the large crowds on the trail and my own large family group, I bolstered my courage and forged ahead. To our great relief, mama bear stayed on the ridge and did not bother us!
I share this story because I feel that our common experience with Covid-19 has some parallels with my mountain adventure. Over the last few months, many of us have had amazing experiences such as cherished family-time, valuable me-time and treasured friend-time [aka mountain vistas]. On other days, we have walked a rockier path as we have cared for loved ones, missed important events, and lost income [aka steep inclines and elevation]. On some days, our families are moving along well [aka catching that 17-inch trout] and on other days we may wonder when it will ever end [aka mama bear].
As we continue to forge ahead in this time of COVID-19, I would encourage us to acknowledge the beautiful aspects of our everyday experience - the love of family and friends as well as the new perspectives, new habits and new hobbies that we have gained during this tumultuous time. And when a bear threatens our path, I hope we can courageously forge ahead surrounded by family and friends, and with increased hope in our hearts.
Let’s travel this difficult path together…
…no matter what “bears” stand in your way.