Fire Towers: 1 Me: 0

Years ago, I never would have left home at twelve o’clock for an afternoon hike in Baxter. That just wasn’t something my brain could comprehend as a safe thing to do. Baxter is wild, unpredictable, and without contact. But that is also what makes her so appealing. Spending so much time long-distance hiking on the Appalachian Trail has helped me to have a healthier relationship with my fears. Instead of letting fear control me, I have learned the difference between true fear that could cause me harm and that fear which keeps me grounded to my comfort zone.

With a full weekend on our calendar, if we wanted to get our weekly hike in, we, rather, Bruce, needed to take a day off from work. So that’s what we did. We had company Monday through Wednesday. Friday we needed to prepare for the weekend’s show and family time, so that left Thursday for our jaunt into the woods.

The trail we scoped out, Trout Mountain Trail was listed on the map as only 2.3 miles to the summit making it only 4.6 miles round-trip. Now in Baxter, 4.6 could be a doozie, but the map also told us while there would be some elevation gain, it would be minimal and not steep. Bruce worked the morning while I made our snacks and packed our things. I may be comfortable heading off into Baxter for the afternoon and possibly early evening, but I am still smart about our choices.