On a warm afternoon in early June I decided to hike up my favourite mountain, at least partly. The trail begins after a bike ride into the valley, leaving town behind. I started the hike through the forest, crossing creeks, immersed deeply into nature right from the beginning.
Right before the steeper part I felt hungry - and realized that I forgot all my snacks at home. With several hours still to go until possibly getting some food again, I paused to decide. Continue? Maybe only for a little while? I talked to my body that we can adapt to this. It could feed on the vibrational energy of the mountain, and we would keep going. It should give me a sign if something was about to go really wrong.
Already I had been in a quiet, centered mood and a very natural rhythm, with only a few stops to drink from the creeks, refill the bottle and take some pictures. Now I started to listen and feel even more deeply, my mind focused and relaxed. Being in the present moment, connected to the surroundings, I felt guided for the next step, the next move, the route to take on the steep slope and along the rocky ridge. I moved steady and rather slow, with the feeling that I could continue like this "forever" - which is of course not exactly true. The feeling carried me on, and I did not think about turning back. Slow is the new fast - it took me only a few minutes longer to the summit than last time.
Up there is ample space, room to relax deeply, breathe, feel the sun on the skin and the ground under your feet. I connected to light and sky, to the vastness around. The mountain had a massive presence underneath, I felt supported, held and very much on my own at the same time.
