The Hike

 

I understand the meme. A patient seeker will be satisfied in due time; patience is a virtue. Nothing worth waiting for happens fast. All (good) things come to those who/that wait. The reward comes after the struggle. When we are persistent and patient (and consistent) we will be rewarded and achieve our goal(s). When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

But what happens when we hike a difficult road, only to find ourselves back at the same point from where we started?

For me, destination is 'somewhere new.' 

Merriam-Webster has this to say about destination ~

    :the purpose for which something is predetermined or destined

    :an act of appointing, setting aside for a purpose, or predetermining

    :a place to which one is journeying or to which something is sent

    :a place worthy of travel or an extended visit

* * *

I have a Girl Scout Camp memory of an All Day Hike.

It's important to know... I don't like Hiking. Detest Hill Walking (as it's called by some in Scotland). Loathe. Despise. You get the picture.

At least, I hated Girl Scout hikes for the most part - maybe that's a subject for another rambling rant of a post... for this post, let's just suffice to say how much I abhor Hiking ALL DAY LONG and ending up where I started. 

EXACTLY

THE 

SAME

PLACE

FROM

WHICH

WE

STARTED!

I had two different Girl Scout Camp experiences - Hidden Falls and Skylark. I think the Hiking I hated was at Skylark. One good memory, I think the only good memory from that camp experience is that I received mail (one of the lucky ones) from Nana, my paternal grandmother who died when I was 8. The other memories of that time are miserable.

This was an extremely traumatic week (?) or couple of weeks for me.

The Hike that I appreciated was hiking to the beach, spending the night there (campfire and sand in our food, the whole nine yards) then hiking back to our camp... where we had tents with wooden floors, and squeaky springs in the beds to hold our sleeping bags up off the ground.

The Hike that I was disgusted with was the hike where we started out, walked ALL FREAKING DAY and ended up RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED. What was the point? The journey? okay. Nature. fine. But I don't remember anything significant on that hike except that we didn't GO anywhere - we didn't arrive somewhere new. We just walked in a big circle and there was no reward but the wasted time of walking around for itself.

Inefficient. Wasted Energy. It was the kind of hike where it was difficult in spots, scary for me... climbing up steep paths and trying not to fall as you make your way down slippery rocks and pebbles. I had no friends before I went - I just was "sent off to camp" by myself. 

I remember being dropped off in the morning, the bus and that there was one girl I knew, Stephanie, who was a brat, who was also going. I don't seem to remember where I knew her from... but she had some Cheetos and when she offered me one, and I said yes, she threw it on the ground and said, 'there it is' - or something like that. I don't remember if I picked it up and ate it, or just left it there. Knowing me, I probably picked it up and ate it. We ended up being in the same tent and it was a pretty long hike to the latrine/outhouse - treacherous at night and you needed your flashlight. There was some trauma associated with that, too.

I'm kinda smirking-laughing at myself because we do this to ourselves - in life. I fail to learn, grasp a new concept, change my habit or thinking and end up at exactly the same place. Huh. Maybe this early life experience was meant to show me something along these lines.

* * *

Girl Scout Camp... those hazy memories aren't great. My experience at Hidden Falls was slightly better. I was older, I'd been to camp before, I met a friend. But it was still rough.

*This post was started in April 0f 2018. I'm publishing it today, 6/22/2022. I still hate hiking.