Karin Heath at Camp Bow-Isleshares her delicious homemade cookies!
My first clue that these women were serious hikers came when Joan offered some “hockey tape” for protecting friction areas on my (tender Midwestern American) feet. No, she didn’t need any tape for a short (8-hour) hike like this one.
So we walked a couple of blocks to the bus (I am learning to appreciate communities with good public transportation!), connected with Elaine and Shirley, caught the ferry and, following a ten-minute trip across the water, walked off the ferry into a quaint little village.
Some background: I knew Joan was a hiker, and when she invited me to visit her and Jim, I asked if we might do some hiking. She graciously arranged a very special trip with her hiking club (another clue) to Elaine’s A-frame on the Bowen Island.
So we walked a couple of blocks to the bus (I am learning to appreciate communities with good public transportation!), connected with Elaine and Shirley, caught the ferry and, following a ten-minute trip across the water, walked off the ferry into a quaint little village.
Some background: I knew Joan was a hiker, and when she invited me to visit her and Jim, I asked if we might do some hiking. She graciously arranged a very special trip with her hiking club (another clue) to Elaine’s A-frame on the Bowen Island.
So now from the village straight into the forest we trekked, first to a pre-season tour of summer Camp Bow-Isle which Joan had kindly arranged. Karin Heath graciously shared her delicious cookies with us, and we eagerly scarfed down more than was polite.
Her husband and camp director, Jon, and their black lab graciously guided us straight up through a magnificent pine forest for about an hour, to connect us with the path to our luncheon view.
After lunch. Notice the fog/coud to Elaine's left.
We lunched near the summit of Mount Gardiner on a cloud-drenched slanty rock – empty plastic bags serving as sit-upons and keeping our bottoms dry. Surrounded by a mist of gray tree trunks, we munched happily, nonetheless, on very good sandwiches on home-made bread.
This day I learned the grace of friends and total strangers. Seasoned hikers that they were, they could have reached the lunch rock an hour earlier had they not frequently and cheerfully, it must be added, stopped and waited for their Illinois "flatland" novice to catch up.
Being on the receiving end of compassion and patience – over and over – was something new for me. It’s amazing how humble and grateful at the same time, it makes you feel.
1 comment:
I just read Sandi's blog on "Making a difference." I was intrigued by Eboo Patel's definitions of "success" and "significance" that she sites; the former being about your own achievements, and significance being about what you do for others.
What concerns me these days is that there is so much more focus on being "successful" than there is on being "significant."
Success in contemporary terms seems to be focused on obtaining possessions, money, popularity and fame - often at any cost.
Yet some of the most significant people are not famous or wealthy. I am reminded of a group of men I worked with at one time. When I asked them to think about leaders who had made an impact on their lives, I expected them to list public figures, corporate executives, military heroes or Heisman Trophy winners. I was amazed how many listed their own fathers, mothers; and grandmothers scored at the top of the list! Reason: they had taken the time to be there for the individuals when they needed encouragement and support. And this made a significant - never to be forgotten - impact on their lives.
Thanks Sandi, for the practical and inspiring thoughts you share on this blog.
Julie Gordon
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