Perspectives from the Top of the World
‘Into the mountains I go to lose my mind and find my soul’— John Muir
I’ve always loved to hike in the mountains and did a lot of it in New England with my kids when they were young, along with skiing at Killington (elevation 1293 meters) and other great peaks in the White Mountains. I find that during time among trees and paths smelling sweetly of pine needles, I reconnect with the beauty of living and rebalance my spirit.
So it was not without regret that I moved first to Georgia (we still had some foothills to play with) and then, nearly 20 years ago, to pancake-flat Sarasota, Florida, where I had to change the joy of hiking into swimming and dancing.
Whenever I got the chance in midlife, I’d go for a mountain hike with my daughter and her husband in the mountains near Seattle and western Idaho. My husband and I traversed hundreds of steps among the peaks of the Great Wall of China. We hiked Mount Takao (591 meters) in Hachioji, Tokyo, and wandered around the fifth station of Mount Fuji (2400 meters).
I’m someone who loves heights. Hubby and I parasailed in New Zealand, and I took a 3050-meter tandem parachute jump in my 50s. There’s something exhilarating to me about the air at some altitude, and I love the views. Again, that time away from the…
