stairs blocked by driftwood leading from the beach |
Last month, we drove to the opposite side of the island to Deception Pass State Park. We started our hike in the woods and veered off to the shore. We were supposed to meet up with another trail that would connect us from the beach back into the woods.
After hiking on the beach for a couple of hours, we found these stairs. We thought the stairs must be the start of the trail back into the woods. The trails in Washington are maintained meticulously, so we were surprised how the thorny berry vines were growing wild and blocking our passage.
After the first flight of stairs, my husband had me wait while he went ahead to confirm if we were on a trail. It became obvious we were not on a Park trail. We decided we were interested in the adventure of seeing where it would lead.
We crawled, pulled, stomped our way through the berry vines.
Amongst the vines, there was a clearing with a natural brook. While I stopped there to look at all the sprouting plants and listen to the water, a hummingbird hovered and sang around me.We finally made it through all the vine with some scratches and pokes, and officially deemed ourselves off trail and lost. Ha! We eventually found a trail, marked and maintained as usual, and got back to our car after hiking for four hours.
What I came to realize:
Although I will probably get through the tough parts in life on my own, I am grateful I have someone I love and who loves me to be with me all the way.
And that life is a mix of berry vines and hummingbirds. Neither the thorny vine nor the hummingbird would be what it is without the other. Although I may not always believe it, they make life a continual journey rich with opportunities to grow beyond my limits.
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Everyone, thanks for the visits!