Happy New Year!
Deep in the heart of Portland’s Forest Park, in the farthest section from the center of the city, is a boulder with a bronze memorial to someone who once found great peace in this urban wilderness. The memorial is inscribed with this quote from Thích Nhất Hạnh, the beloved Buddhist monk and mindfulness teacher who died almost a year ago at age 95: “Be free where you are.”
I first came across the inscription in the early days of the pandemic, back in March 2020 when I took a final walk on the Wildwood Trail before the world shut down—before we understood it was okay to be outside with each other. The words were especially meaningful at the time, and over the past three years, I have carried their sentiment with me. In fact, every time I visit this section of the park, I look forward to re-remembering the quote.
I saw the words again on Dec. 21, the winter solstice. That’s when I hiked 14 miles of the Wildwood Trail, which zigzags along Portland’s West Hills. Last year, I hiked the first half of the 30.1-mile trail on the winter solstice; this year, I finished it. Solo long hikes have become an annual feat of endurance, it seems. I like that I’ve learned to take pleasure in squeezing every bit of sunlight from the shortest day of the year, here in this place with such dark Decembers.
If I had any goal at all for this hike, other than to spend the day outside, it was to reflect on the best parts of 2022 and to figure out a plan for 2023. It will be a big year. Windfall comes out Jan. 17, and I’ll be celebrating a milestone birthday later in the year. I thought maybe I would plot out my whole future on this walk!
But for whatever reason, my mind was…blank. For most of the hike, in fact, I thought of nothing at all.
I had headphones with me and I had even downloaded an audiobook, in case I got bored. On this hike on this day, though, I never took out my headphones. I just walked and walked, listening only to the sound of my breath and my footfalls. This is not ever a silent hike—you often hear trains and activity at the river port below the ridge. But there’s also audible birdsong and the rustle of wind in the trees. It smells so sweet in the deep sections of the trail, particularly in the places where there are decaying cedar logs. I never got bored.
Throughout the day, I paid attention to light. It was about 35F all day, and bright. The light was beautiful—low in the sky and filtered through the winter bare branches. If I was thinking about anything as I walked and as I paused for the occasional photograph, it was to challenge myself to consider the way light illuminates its subjects.
At the end of the trail, I still had a 1.5-mile walk to the bus stop, and then about 80 minutes on the bus before I got home. By the end of the day, I’d logged 22 miles total on my feet, 18 of it on the trail itself. I was a little footsore the next day, but it was nothing I wasn’t able to fix with a hot bath, some Advil, and a little yoga.
In the days after my big walk, it occurred to me that I did in fact reflect on 2022 and I did sort out what I want from 2023. But was it as I was walking? Or did I already know? I went back to my goals for 2022—I shared them with all of you! And I’ve met many of them, or at least made great progress on them. I think I also already knew exactly what I seek from 2023, which is to be receptive to success, and open to whatever comes next in my career. No regrets clouded my walk. I am at ease with whatever happens in the future.
This walk, this understanding, required nothing more of me than putting one foot in front of the other for hours on end.
It was a coincidence, but in the days after the walk, I once again encountered Thích Nhất Hạnh. It came in the form of a slim book he authored: “How to Walk.” I spotted it at the Cloud & Leaf Bookstore in Manzanita, Oregon.
“We only need to focus our attention on the breath and the walking. In no time at all, you go home to your body, and there you are, well established in the here and the now.”
I hope you, too, are able to take this first day of the year to breathe, to walk and to consider all your big plans for 2023. May we all be well established in the here and the now in the coming year!
Love,
Erika
THE NEWS
All the links…
First Day Hikes. Want to start 2023 on the trail? Most states have some sort of New Year’s Day hiking option. Here in Oregon, parking fees are waived at state parks.
Best low-key hiking shoes, in my humble opinion. Not an affiliate link, just a recommendation based on what I’ve worn in recent years for both running and hiking.
A guide to Portland’s Forest Park. A guide to our urban forest, including the Wildwood Trail.
Egypt’s long-distance hiking trails. Who’s in? A delightful story about a burgeoning movement to return long walks to the Middle East.
Hiking the length of Norway. What a marvelous way to spend half a year! Shall we do this hike, too?
Hygge hiking. Aimed at backpackers, but plenty of tips for day hikers seeking coziness on winter trails.