Long Walks, Long Thoughts

The main event.

This past weekend was spent among two best pals, some pizza, Gilmore Girls and a lengthy fall hike that saw us stumbling on rocks and me hacking my lungs away on said rocks.

It was great.

The weekend had a shaky start, with a long traffic clog outside of Belleville on the way to Kingston, but, with the help of FM radio, Alison and I persevered. We made it to the bar by midnight.

It was a bit rainy all weekend, so I was worried that we wouldn't get to go to Rock Dunder. It's a hiking trail about 45 minutes outside of Kingston, and the highest point between Ottawa and the Limestone City. The hike was moderate to difficult, depending on your level of fitness. 

AllTrails told us it would take nearly three hours, but we made it in less than two. That's what you get in a group of three where two are regular runners/yoga addicts, and the other tries fitness like it's an edgy outfit she's unsure about. (Guess which one I am?!)

I'm glad we went out, though. Despite the forecast calling for rain, it never did. We saw a few other people (seniors, too!) on the trail, but no one super intrusive on our time together. Crowded, noisy trails are a pet peeve of mine.

The lookout point, as you can see above, was spectacular. I love the act of working towards something that's physically tangible, like a viewpoint or a fitness goal, instead of something like a career goal or a GPA. It reminds you that you exist in a physical world, I think. Or it just reminds you to take care of your body as well as your mind.

The trail runs along the water for a bit. This was one of the views.

I spent a lot of undergrad burying my nose in newsprint and reddit, so I didn't really get to explore nature (one of life's constants) until now. It's something that my friends have even commented on ("I've never heard you talk about the outdoors before!"). I regret missing out, since Kingston has some of the best "outdoorsy" places around. But now it's a way of filling the void.

Speaking of filling the void, here's something I wrote for The Globe and Mail about dealing with life post-graduation. I'm pretty happy with it, but more so surprised that an editor accepted my pitch that was borne out of half-asleep conversations with good friends.