Out of the nest

Leaving Bears’ Den today was surprisingly emotional. All day yesterday I’d felt some low-grade anxiety—was my foot healed up enough? Would I be ready to take on the sharp inclines and declines of the infamous Virginia Roller Coaster? How would I deal with all the rain coming? Goldilocks had texted a few times to check in, and both Fern and Glen had been supportive in a decision to stay or go. I felt still too new at all this to know for sure how much recovery I needed. But I had been at the hostel for two days. I worried, probably needlessly, that I’d get too complacent, that I’d stagnate before I even really got started. So I chose to head out, and deal with whatever fallout ensued. 

I ended up getting a slightly later start than planned when I realized that my satellite communicator had run out of charge while I’d been recovering. Fern and I talked while my Garmin charged up, and I managed to get out by 10:30 AM. She hugged me goodbye, and I set forth. The wind was strong, and the sun was high, despite the cloud cover.

A little ways down the trail, I ran into a woman in a bright pink windbreaker on the trail. I wished her a good morning.

“Good morning,” she answered. “How are you?”

“I’m OK,” I said.

And I was.