Willow Heights
Surprisingly, this summer has turned into one of self reflection, personal health, and re-establishing long lost loves. HC supposes that it is never to late to learn, and perhaps even change one’s self, although he is a realist and is fully aware that change is not easy. Many of us are either stuck or at least somewhat happy in our daily routines, whether those be for good or bad.
He searches for a new hike up in the Big Cottonwood canyon, and finds what is hopefully a little gem called the Willow Heights trail. The afternoon monsoon rains are coming quickly, but the clouds from this makes for picture perfect skies and cooler temperatures ideal for hiking. It also keeps the bugs at bay.
White Cedar Pines are everywhere as he gets started on the trail, with the leaves whistling in the wind. The initial ascent is a pretty intense incline, and the beads of sweat come quickly. The recent rains also have the trail covered in forest overgrowth, and so HC is very cautious to check his legs routinely to make sure a tick doesn’t jump on for a ride and attach themselves to him. Lyme disease is no joke, and could quickly derail his summer.
After the first mile though, meadows open up and he can enjoy the majestic Wasatch mountains that surround him. As he goes, the scenery feels like a painting, more surreal than something based in reality. Small songbirds hop in front of him, and squirrels emerge from the brush to eye him as he passes. HC is on the lookout for moose though, one of his goals on this hiking day.
Reaching the Willow Heights Lake, no moose are to be found. Instead he meets another solo hiker about his age, a mother with a group of boys that are admiring a beaver’s dam and skipping stones across the water. Two lovers are just off the trail, holding hands and taking pictures. HC sits upon an outcropping of rocks, and thinks about the last few weeks he has had up here in the northern mountains of Utah.
It wasn’t planned, but he has dried out from the daily routine of drinking. Daily exercise in addition to hiking has quickly transformed his body. Sleep has been a struggle due to crazy dreams about his former employment, but he has found that others have this same thing, and that it will eventually dissipate. HC supposes that decades of working takes awhile to work through the mind once one no longer has that routine in their life.
