Finding Balance ...

The view from here is ..... exhilarating, yet ... terrifying.  From 40 feet above ground, on a 1 inch piece of rope, the airy charm of a slight breeze is perceived quite differently, when the slightest movements must be counterbalanced to remain upright, unharmed and on path.

I got a lesson in balance, the physical, mental and emotional kind, while on assignment for Catskill Country Magazine in August.

The publishers trust me completely. We've had a long-standing relationship. So when they asked me to write about experience-driven locations, I jumped at the opportunity.

I decided to approach the assignment from an immersion point of view - how a middle-aged, outdoorsy, dog-loving, tree-hugging grandma - might enjoy a family-focused venue.

I learned right away that the venue was geared toward toward children ages 10 - 18. Staff were well-trained in coaxing an unruly brat without manners an energetic, activity focused child from disrupting a group experience. It occurred to me that situation was not unlike the two protests I have recently covered for a local newspaper - a small group of opinionated people - targeting a larger group of people for having beliefs or lifestyles different from their own. 

I realized then, we could all get along if we would just stay out of each other's path and allow one another to have our own experience. 

Blind courage and fearlessness have served me (and saved me)  in many situations. I decided to approach a ropes obstacle course, rock-climbing wall and zip-line in the same way I approach any other assignment - by focusing on the topic at hand, with no preconceived idea of what would come out of it.

Here's what I discovered:

1.  Lithe, fit, agile children are just as dangerous to a middle-ager on a ropes course as they are on a ski slope.

2.  In the same way we forget the safety harness of resiliency of our previous experiences, we forget the safety harness that secures us from falling 40-feet or more to the ground from the course.

3. Never be afraid to ask someone for help, suggestions or advice. People, especially 12 year old gymnastic girls who have not yet learned to self-limit their bodies, are invaluable at re-teaching us older folks trust.

4. Keep your eye on the prize. Don't look down! At a certain (jaded? experienced?) age, we have a tendency to focus on the things that could go wrong, rather than what could go right.  Where your attention flows, your energy goes - stop looking at the ground, unless you want to end up there! This mantra helped me to cross a two-foot wide rail bridge with no handholds. 

5. Trust yourself. I asked my safety-spotter for a rescue 8-feet into an absolutely ridiculous parallel tight-rope with intermittent handholds obstacle. I, in typical fashion, was overthinking my every move. I literally became stuck when I could not imagine grasping my next rope hold, without entangling the harness and losing my balance. A rescue was NOT necessary, nor was it possible. But hearing the words "Go Back" shouted across the obstacle did the trick.  Why do we forget that we can always start over or take a different path when things are not going our way? 

6. I am not as strong as I thought I was. This was a lesson in acceptance. Instead of forcing an obstacle, or potentially hurting myself, I simply admitted that I was not strong enough to complete the task at hand. That being said ...

7. A strong mind is not an adequate substitute for a strong, healthy body.  We owe it to ourselves to stay healthy, no matter our size or our age. Health is not just about the body, it's also about the mind. 

It is possible to find balance in all things.

*Between hikes, Lillian Browne writes about the environment, politics, crime and business in Delaware County. She is a NYS licensed outdoor adventure guide exploring the world around her, one step at a time, with her dog - Charlie. 

Hike and Seek - but not on purpose

Summer 2017 in the Catskills is nearly complete. The leaves and ferns are putting on their Autumn pre-game show mid-August and the thigh-high weeds, brush and grasses carpeting Bear Spring Mountain's multi-purpose trails are transitioning from vibrant green shades to dusky golden hues.

Signage is hampered by overgrown brush on Bear Spring Mountain in Delaware County.

This has been an unfortunate year for outdoor enthusiasts such as Charlie Browne and myself. We've extracted multiple ticks embedded in hard to reach places, and brushed off countless more; endured muddy, wet hiking boots for the majority of the season due to unseasonable - but nonetheless welcome - rain and become accustomed to the ear-buzzing, biting no-see-ums.

Pesky as those situations are, they are nothing compared to the inconvenience, danger and cost involved in locating hikers who become lost due to overgrown brush and hidden directional signs.

State trail maintenance crews are focused elsewhere, like mowing grass outside their garage on Beers Brook Road in Walton once a week. That task, as well as maintaining the annual flower beds at the garage, have taken priority over trail maintenance.

So far, not one hiker has gotten lost near the NYS DEC maintenance garage.

However, a hiker did get lost on the Finger Lakes Trail, which traverses Bear Spring Mountain and crosses into Campbell Mountain, in the town of Colchester.

The hiker blamed himself for getting lost. He was traveling east to west on the Finger Lakes Trail and was not versed in reading GPS location points or his compass, he admitted. He became disoriented after "losing" the trail because it is badly overgrown and directional signage is not clearly visible.

The same situation exists on Bear Spring Mountain. However, the NYS DEC has paid employees assigned to the task of maintenance, whereas the Finger Lakes Trail Conference operates strictly with volunteers.

It was a multi-hour "rescue" mission that was chaotically mis-managed by local police, who, instead of connecting him to the Finger Lakes Trail Conference via cellphone or providing with a telephone number as he requested,  told him to stay where he was and call 911. Multiple agencies were dispatched, including forest rangers and emergency services crews with local fire departments.

The police officer that took the initial call from the hiker is partnered with a drug-sniffing dog that is also trained in tracking, which is how the idea of a police dog was "sold" to the taxpayers in the municipality.

A lot of "what-ifs" and "how-muchs" arose from the incident. What if the police officer had used the dog for one of it's intended purposes? How much money was spent on dispatching personnel to locate the hiker though he said he didn't need to be rescued? What if the trails were adequately maintained before or after the incident?

We can only hope that this has also become a summer of learning opportunities as well.

*Between hikes, Lillian Browne writes about the environment, politics, crime and business in Delaware County. She is a NYS licensed outdoor adventure guide exploring the world around her, one step at a time, with her dog - Charlie.