Appalachian Recharge

Spring break for a teacher can lead to many opportunities.  Spring cleaning - check.  Property work - check.  A chance to recharge the mind and spirit to a level required to sustain us in our multifaceted, high-energy, and life-consuming jobs - check.  Well, the property work and cleaning have been started, but neither is complete.  My position is that those tasks can never really be complete, so I tend to them on a regular basis as a matter of maintaining an equilibrium whose balance favors "looks good" and "not dilapidated."

The recharging is another matter, completely.  I sleep when I can and rest as life permits.  A day filled with movement can be as relaxing and energizing as any nap while also being more fulfilling than a day engaged in sedentary activities such as watching TV or tapping a keyboard.  (Hey . . . wait a minute . . .)  A person simply has to know which activities will bring them a peace of mind.

If you are reading this blog you already know that it was created because I want to share with others how I find that inner peace through traveling, running, cycling, and hiking.  You also know that I find happiness in hills, especially hills big enough to be called mountains.  I love everything about the mountains; the smells, the wildlife, the streams, the challenges, and the people I meet.  I was fortunate enough to be able to spend several days "relaxing" in the mountains of North Carolina this week.

The moment I arrived in Appalachia, as usual, I rolled down the windows and slowly breathed in the distinctively aromatic air.  Not long after that I parked next to the Pigeon River so that I could stretch out my legs while I walked along the bank and thought of what the next few days had in store for me.  The trip was not a long one, so I attempted to pack a lot of experiences into every day.  I am writing a series of posts that look into the different aspects of the trip.  I will be posting them as time permits over the next few days.