“I’ve been here before….”
That unnerving sense of Deja-vu hits me as I rumble along the dusty road around the base of Mount Humphrey. Teetering on the edge of insanity, looking for a path upward.
It’s week three of the the corona virus quarantine, and I find the only thing that is keeping my mind somewhat fluid is writing about how my world used to be.
The Bear Jaw trail is a 6.8 mile loop that looks to whisk me up in the autumnal colors of the changing aspens. No more than a 1/4 mile into the hike though and my lungs are on fire as the path is almost a straight ascent, no gentle switchbacks to the top.
Today is the first day of feeling somewhat “back to normal”. My State has sorely fell behind in testing for the virus, and my doctor told me I was low risk, even though I could barely breathe and just walking upstairs wiped me out. It really put into perspective how precious a breath really is.
I summit the mountain only to have my breath taken away again, this time by the beauty of the landscape laid out before me.
I can’t wait to one day get back out again, to breathe the air without paranoia, feeling safe in this precious and fragile world.
