I believe in energy. I’m not talking about the kind that powers your home and electronics. Nor the kind that you get from eating a healthy diet fueling your body to live an active life. I’m not even talking about the kind that strikes from the sky during storms.
The energy that I am referring to is the kind that you absorb from the earth. This energy is transferred to you when you swim in the ocean, pond or river. It’s from rooting your feet in the sand or dirt. It’s from laying down on a forest’s floor with the decaying vegetation and bugs staring into the tree canopies. Its the wind that envelops you while standing on a mountain. This natural energy will seep into every fiber of your being the more you are connected. This energy comes from a connection to the wild.
Our urban lifestyle has disconnected us from this energy. It has desensitized us to its call. It cannot reach us in our hermetically sealed, sanitized, florescent terrariums. Yes we are evolving as a species in understanding, knowledge and technology. But are we becoming less human for it?
Am I suggesting you have to completely change your way of thinking or opinions about nature? Am I trying to recruit you into the ranks of environmentalism. No I am not! But I can admit that nature changed me. Once you take your first step into the wilderness, it will change you too. You will tap into a primal nature that has long laid dormant in you. Communing with mother nature will change you forever. Becoming a Trail Junkie will change you forever.
I penned the above words after a particularly difficult trail running session on September 12, 2020. That is what I love about trail running. No two experiences are the same. One day the trail may win, the next day you may win. The trail tests your physical and mental limits. It breaks you down, and all that you have left is your breathing and your thoughts. The wild calls you, and you always answer with another trail run. At least I do.
Coast to Mountain Runner 