Trail Magic: 10/30/14 - 2099.1 to 2131 Miles

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Virtual Hike Animated Street View No, I didn't walk 32 miles in one day. I took a few days off with low mileage and got lazy about blogging. The route follows Route 12 into Lolo, MT. and then to Missoula, MT. It follows the Lolo Creek and a couple other creeks the whole way. It appears flat. I called a bicycle shop in Lola and there is a bicycle trail from Lola to Missoula. It should be complete all the way to the western Montana border by spring 2016. There is an REI in Missoula if you need to get anything.

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Trail Magic

Trail Magic is any unexpected small gift received while a person is experiencing a difficult time on the trail. Often, nature gives Trail Magic and sometimes people give Trail Magic. It has to be unexpected, or it isn't Magic. 

For instance, my son and I were hiking the first 75 miles of the Colorado Trail. The first day it started raining after lunch, but nature provided ripe raspberries along the trail. We ate enough to enjoy them, but made sure to leave enough for the people behind us, and also for the bears.

Then we discovered our tent leaked, and it leaked all night so we weren't able to sleep in our sleeping bags. Fortunately, the night wasn't too cold, so we were comfortable enough in our rain gear.

The next morning, after an  uphill climb over the end of a spur, we saw this view of Mt. Raleigh peaking out of the clouds.

Since we woke early in the morning to start hiking, we may have been the only people in the world to see this spectacular view!

Of course there were tears!

We've learned most of what nature gives us on the trail is magic. And let's not forget the magic the people who made the trails gave us. The same is true in life. Most of what other people give us is magic. Sometimes people throw us their worst side, and this is what makes the good sides more magical. (I'm not talking about abuse here.)  We have to experience hardship to experience happiness.

Today's Magic

Each morning, I stop at this gas station for a cup of coffee. I sit on the sidewalk outside while drinking it and watching the people buy gas before heading off to work.

This morning, I found someone had left money to pay for my coffee. I surmised they thought I was homeless, but the clerk told them I wasn't. I just like to sit there in the morning.

So, what I was left with was unexpected kindness -- Trail Magic! It meant someone cared, and that is what is so magical about it.

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For now, I stopped following the cyclical training plan. I found it was too structured for me at this time. Instead, I'm walking the miles I want to walk each day. I did take a few days off because of a feeling of fatigue. I think I was fighting off some illness, as I slept a good bit on Sunday.

I'm building an MP3 collection of audio books and I'm working on some other projects. My 5.1 miles in the morning and an additional walk during the day will average the same number of miles.