Can we do anything with your pole?
I’m no longer offering small group trips.
I am now exclusively offering private retreats. For one person or a group that YOU choose, not me. Because active trips are much more enjoyable when everyone is on the same page.
How do I know this? Because. Yesterday.
Yesterday I was feeling markedly more irritable than usual. Both my diet and sleep have been wayyyy off, leaving me a little…cranky. So I signed up for a small group hike for which I did not do adequate research. In my desperation to physically work the crankiness out of me, I failed to check the activity level.
Level: Basic. I’m more of an Intermediate Plus kind of girl.
I wanted to MOVE. To sweat. To climb. To feel the burn in my buns. Very quickly I realized that that’s not what this hike was all about.
It was more of a start-and-stop-and-enjoy-the-scenery-as-much-as-we-can experience. Given my contentious state, this was a challenge.
I was not on the same page.
The starting and stopping felt agonizing. At the base of my spine sat a spherical, fiery pit which at times expanded in my stomach to the size of a full-blown beach ball and only subsided, albeit temporarily, with my handy yogic breathing exercises. The sensation was all-too-familiar, as I have experienced such a reaction a plethora of times between the ages of 2 and 8.
I was on the verge of a temper tantrum.
As we stood in the middle of a trail for what felt to me like the 456th time, waiting for the group to gather while I hyperventilated with impatience, the hiking leader took out his hiking poles.
I stared at the sharpened tip of the hiking pole and a brilliant idea popped into my head. If he would be so kind as to stab me with the end of that pole, I wouldn’t have to succumb to these violent feelings of angst. This could all be over, with a single slash into my rapidly beating heart.
A voice reverberated loudly and heavily in my ear drum: JUST STAB ME WITH IT!
Which made me laugh, out loud, to myself, surrounded by brown dirt and thick branches and imposing tree trunks and vibrantly green plants of all kinds. And I felt so much better. And rather enjoyed the remainder of my day.
Later that evening, I discussed the “hiking pole incident” over dinner and copious amounts of crisp natural red wine with my dear friend Melissa.
Who informed me that she, too, once went on a basic-level hike in the Atlas Mountains with a group of pseudo strangers. The guide didn’t speak English very well so Melissa had to translate the entire commentary from French. (Not her first language. This is very tiring.) Three of the 12 hikers were complaining ceaselessly about everything from the guide to their physical inability to keep up.
Half way through the hike, the 3 women stopped. Absolutely REFUSED to continue. Sat down in the middle of the Atlas Mountains trail and just would.not.walk.anymore.
Unless…
The guide dragged them up the mountain with the help of his hiking pole.
So Melissa, the genius mind that she is, asked him in her most polite manner, “Can we do anything with your pole?”
In a little procession, the three women clutched the hiking pole as the guide heaved them up to the top of the hill, where an elaborate spread of delightful Moroccan dishes awaited. They, too, rather enjoyed the remainder of their day.
This is not a dedication to hiking poles, though it should be.
This is your golden opportunity to handpick the people that come on an active escape with you. Or come alone and disconnect from everyone for a few days. I just led a private yoga retreat in Tepoztlan. Yoga in the morning, hiking/eating/exploring/spa-ing in the afternoon. It was incredible and refreshing.
If you’re interested, reply to this email. Tell me:
Where you want to go. If you don’t know, that’s fine.
Who you want to go with.
What is your budget?
When is an ideal time to travel?
What is your level of fitness and yoga?
That’s all. We’ll continue from there.
Thank you, Melissa, for the ear and the inspiration.
With love,
Bethany
