Com
e by the hills to the land where legend remains
Where stories of old fill the heart and may yet come again
Where the trees sway in time, and even the wind seems in tune
After I was lucky enough to do the scenic train ride a few weeks ago, I had figured that Skagway was pretty much exhausted for me. There’s only so much shopping you can do, and ice cream you can consume, before it gets to be a bit tiresome. At least, that’s what I thought until I stumbled across the massive network of hiking trails on the outside of town this afternoon. I vaguely knew they were there of course, they’re mentioned in the tour brochures and the travel guide talks about them, but I’d never sought them out. I still didn’t, as I said, I stumbled across them. I was going nowhere killing time when my feet found the gravel trail that runs alongside the railroad tracks and ultimately the steep uphill climb that leads up the mountain.
It was…like breathing in home.
The one thing I had regretted about this route was losing the usual stop in Sitka, which has served as my ‘recharge’ port for the last two Alaska seasons. A walk through the national park and a few minutes of zen time next to the river and I’d be good to go for the next few days. I’ve been feeling that loss of nature more than I really realized until I found it again. The Skagway trails may not be near the ocean, but over the years I’ve learned to charge from earth as well as water, and the peace of mind it brought to simply perch on an overhang with my favourite Celtic music playing and stare over the whole city was worth the short hike up the mountain.
In truth, the department is a bit off-kilter at the moment. One of us has lost someone dear to them, and that tends to make us circle the wagons for lack of a better term. We draw into ourselves even without meaning to, in an effort to protect the one who’s currently vulnerable. In a few days, once the person in question comes back from leave, things will undoubtedly feel less surreal; in the meantime, we continue to take our moments of relaxation and recharge where we can.
For me? I think I know how I’ll be spending at least a few hours of my week from now on..
Next time I’ll have to figure out how to smuggle out a packed lunch 