September 10, 2016
It’s hard for me to admit and write about my Old Stories, those beliefs that could sabotage my outer journey and yet open gateways to my inner journey. I’m up for walking my walktalk, so here goes!
Yesterday, we walked 11 1/2 hours through dense forest, up some steep and rocky mountains. 14 miles was enough – a big day. But, I was fine! We had reached our destination, Battell Shelter. We knew it had a caretaker, and we had heard that another couple had already taken space in the shelter. No problem, we would tent nearby.
The caretaker started explaining that in shelters above 3200 feet elevation, no one may tent in the fragile high forest until the shelter is full. Full means having at least eight people, not just two with their gear spread out over the whole thing. We would have to join the others in the shelter – and pay the $5 per person fee for having a caretaker.
We wanted to tent, get some sleep, and be ready for tomorrow’s summit of our first 4,000 footer.
John waited next to the shelter, pack still on. I unloaded, put the cooking pot on the table, where the others had cleared a space, and settled in to a social evening of shelter life.
I made a final stab at getting something I wanted. “Can I get half-price camping with my Senior Discount Pass, since this is a US Forest Service facility?”
“You can contact the Green Mountain Club about that. I haven’t heard of it.” The caretaker replied.
Meanwhile, John had moved to a space on the ground nearby, laying out dinner food packages. I took out one of my two bills, a ten.
I went over to pick up the noodles and tuna from John. “I don’t want to stay here,” he muttered. That motivated me. Time for action! That’s where my Old Story kicks in – “Keep moving, even when you’re tired! Give him what he wants, doesn’t matter what you want.”
Without speaking, I packed up. I said to the caretaker, “I made a mistake. We’re not staying. I’ll take that $10 back.” He explained in detail where we could camp next – a viewing platform at the ski lift 1.7 miles up Mt. Abraham.
I walked with determination. We literally climbed straight up for an hour and a half. I was sure my body would give out, ankle or knees. Or I would collapse from hunger. I believed I had to prove to John that fulfilling his need to avoid social discomfort would hurt me more.
Well, it didn’t. My Old Story was not true. My amazing body got up there just fine! We summited a gorgeous mountain before sunset. The view was spectacular!
The platform was challenging to set up on, but private, free, and almost two miles further along!
My amazing body had walked 15.8 miles of mountain that day! I didn’t collapse or starve or anything bad. Guess I’ll need a new beleief about myself, like “I have an amazing body that can take me to stunningly beautiful mountaintops whenever I want to go!”
Do you have an Old Story that pops up in challenging situations that could have a New Story or belief? Let me know and I can help.
