Speechless Part II

My sincerest of apologies if there is still anyone out there who checks my blog. August has been a busy month and September looks to be filled with an equal amount of writing material that I likely will not be able to include.

Nevertheless, I promised that I would try to catch up, and catch up I shall.

Here is a post from one of the first nights of our trek on our way to Machu Picchu:

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7/24

I am inking these words in what marks the first night of our journey to Machu Picchu. Since there were an odd number of people in our group, I volunteered to sleep alone tonight, and in spite of the bitter cold, I still think I made the right decision. On a night like this, it is better to be alone, to sit in silence, to reflect on the world, and to see what your head thinks of it all.

I am still waiting for some profound revelation from myself, but the overall theme of this conversation with myself is that, life is good.


Being back in the mountains, carrying a sweaty backpack, shivering on the hard ground wrapped in goose-down, while listening to the sound of a glacial stream... These are the things that spark those brief moments of contented nostalgia. For a moment, I am back home, reminded of all the various hikes, day trips, and nights camping that all left a different footprint inside of me, and each remains in a special place in my heart.

One of the many things that I have learned since I started this little adventure of mine is that I tend to feel the least alone when I am completely alone. It is a strange irony that I can be at a bar, party, or any random get together, surrounded by all of my new South American friends and colleagues, yet often find myself directing my thoughts elsewhere, namely to the people that I left behind.


I should be more careful with my wording. If there is one thing that I know, it's that no one in this life gets left behind. In the same way that I carry my backpack of clothing and supplies along this trip, I am always carrying everyone in my life on my shoulders, each and every relationship providing me preparation for the next obstacle down the road. My first aid kit of human experience has served me well thus far. I can almost always find some analogy from my past in order to apply to the future and bring me comfort in the midst of a very uncertain journey.

Still, each day that goes by I feel more assured in my walk. I may not know where I am going, but there is a path in front of me, and I can see those further up the road walking along it as well. Most importantly, I will always have a guide to lead my way. And that's what seems so easy for me to forget.
I am starting to realize though, that the reason I am so quick to think I am alone on this walk, is that unlike Guido (the guide on this trip), the guide or guides that have always been with me in my life are following close behind me. Rather than directing my every step, they simply watch in bemusement as I stumble along this thorny and rocky path, only intervening when it is clear that I can't do it on my own.

For now then, I am lying on my back looking into a sky of nylon, comforted in spite of the rocks that are jutting through my sleeping pad into my vital organs. I am comforted knowing that beyond that thin layer of synthetic material awaits a wild world rife with excitement, adventure, and perhaps a little danger. It awaits my company, and I eagerly anticipate the journey for I know that I have all the tools necessary to navigate that sometimes frightful terrain, but what's more, I know that whatever I am currently lacking, I will pick up along the way.