Walking and Writing

Long Trail Alumni, hikers from 1937 to 2016.

WALKING AND WRITING AS A WAY OF LIFE

Walking and Writing are a way of life for me. Hiking over the uneven terrain of uncertainty helps shake my ideas into place, and I return to my desk with mental clarity. When it’s emotional upset that blocks my progress, walking helps calm me, and being in nature changes my perspective with a long view. This past week, walking and writing converged with two exciting events.

 

LONG TRAIL ALUMNI

Last week I gave a presentation at a local assisted living facility about my hike of the Long Trail last year. In the audience were three other Long Trail hikers who came to see my slides of a trail they hiked long ago.

Long Trail Alums

Lee, a native of Jamaica, Vermont, was seventeen when she and two cousins hiked the trail from Massachusetts to Canada in 1937. In her memory, there weren’t too many people on the southern sections of the trail, but “it was crowded up north.”

walking and writing

Nita hiked the trail in sections in the 1960’s. In this photo, she’s holding a snapshot of her younger self as a hiker.

the Long Trail

Bob was a sixteen year-old New Yorker in 1944, when he hiked the length of the Long Trail with a friend from Brattleboro, who thought it was a good idea.

 

I was humbled by these stalwart pioneers who didn’t have the high-tech gear that allowed me to hike in the relative comfort of light-weight synthetic clothing that wicked moisture or the freeze dried food that allowed for variety and flavor.

I’m also tickled to know that I’ve now joined an august group of hikers who’ve walked the spine of Vermont, where we each had an experience of a lifetime.

COLLABORATION: ANOTHER LESSON FROM THE LONG TRAIL

Walking, Writing, Transformation

Walking, writing, nature – a transformative combination. Photo courtesy of Leadership N Motion.

As I’ve written in my essays, Lessons From the Long Trail, I learned many things while hiking that have enhanced my off-trail life. One of those lessons is the importance of walking for physical, mental and spiritual health.

Walking and writing go foot and hand, and I’m pleased to announce that my friend Kate Lampel Link, international personal coach and co-founder of Leadership ‘N Motion and I are teaming up to offer a one-day WALKshop: Women Walking and Writing Toward Wisdom. On November 4, 2017, we will gather in Newfane, Vermont, to journey into the galaxy of our truest natures, where will will hear our clearest voice.

We’ve planned a day of walking and writing . . . traveling from the Outer Space of our daily lives and arriving at the Inner Space of our own wise selves.

We will spend the day engaged in a mix of indoor and outdoor activities- with accommodations for all levels of movement. Participants will leave both grounded and uplifted.

Space is Limited and Registration is Required.

Register Here.

 

Walking & Writing

Photo courtesy of Leadership N Motion.

Kate Lampel Link, co-founder of Leadership ‘N Motion (L’NM) is collaborating with writer, educator and speaker, Deborah Lee Luskin to offer this WALKshop. L’NM is an international movement that bridges walking and nature with mindfulness and personal leadership. Deborah Lee Luskin is an award-winning author and radio commentator. Both Kate and Deb walk regularly – and sometimes far – to make pilgrimages to their truest selves.