Back from the Adirondacks

I just returned from our first joint venture with another company, one where we combined our respective areas of expertise. We have been offering a week-long trip in the Adirondacks at the height of the fall foliage for several years, one that was hiking and paddling with some visits to other sites. This year we worked with WomanTours for a trip that offered three days of biking, two and a half days of hiking, and a day of paddling, and WomanTours owner Jackie Marchand guided it with me. There were times when she missed not having a second full-fledged bike guide or I missed not having a regular hiking or paddling guide. But overall we worked it out and it was fun for me to have a brand new guiding experience.

It was also interesting to see how another company operates and to talk about what challenges we share and which are different. At the beginning of the trip I had a serious case of "trailer envy"-they have a trailer that is outfitted to carry luggage, extra bikes, and kitchen gear which makes setting up picnic lunches so much easier. But then Jackie told me how she plans the schedule around getting the vans with their trailers to the right places at the right times and the challenges of keeping all the bikes in good shape as they are spread out around the country. It makes our equipment challenges seem so minor in comparison! I am happy for Adventures in Good Company to keep offering almost everything but biking and to recommend WomanTours without reservation for any woman looking for a fantastic cycling tour.

Hiking or kayaking as meditation

As I was driving to the airport from our recent hiking trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, I was talking with one of the participants in the van about her recent kayaking trip. She said how much she loved kayaking, that when she did it she just became completely absorbed in the movement and the water. I said something about how it was a very meditative activity and that I had the same experience with hiking. She disagreed and said how she had once tried meditation as part of a yoga class and had really disliked it- and as a result the concept of meditation had a very negative connotation for her.

Whether we choose to call it meditation or not, I think for many of us who love being active and love being in nature, there is a common experience of our minds quieting down, the ceaseless internal chatter at least receding into the background, as we become absorbed in the motion and in our surroundings. As this happens, we become more present. I don't hike in order to have this experience, which occurs more rarely than I would like. I hike because I love being out, and I love the way my body feels, and I love seeing panoramic scenery and wildflowers and trees. And when I have those times of feeling completely present - that is a gift.