Hurricane Dorian Detour Post2:
My solo 2 night beach trip plans got canceled due to the evacuation of the resort at Myrtle Beach in preparation for the possibilities of Hurricane Dorian.
Next best thing to being at a beach front resort?
Top of a mountain with a waterfall view.
I invited my energetic 10 year old to attend. I need a partner to motivated me to continue on when I am tired and my legs hurt. I have been wanting to have more hiking adventures with my child. Jason got excited when I decided on South Mountains State Park hiking the High Shoals Falls trail. We hiked there before and loved the platform along the top of the waterfall.
I decided that even though I would not be at the beach Tuesday- Thursday, I was still on vacation for three days. Because I stayed out late Monday night writing, I decided to wake up Tuesday when I was rested and get ready first thing when I wake up to head out but with no time agenda.
We left at 10:30am after I prepared snack, water, lunch for eating on top of the mountain, and other necessary supplies, including 2 Journals for me and Jason.
Jason was eager with a degree of anxiety, as is usual before a trip. We arrived at the park office and Jason looked to see if they were still selling the same T-shirt Harrison bought last time, worn for this repeat trip. I perused the items for sale.
“Come on mom, let’s go.”
“I am on vacation. I want to take my time.”
Maps in hand we head back to the car to drive to the parking area for the hike.
I turned the key and nothing happened, repeated and no sound, just lights.
I contained my inner panic. Was I going to have to call my husband to drive the 90 minute drive to rescue us? We don’t have cell coverage up here!
I took a deep breath, waited a minute, turned the key and…
We drove to the parking area to begin the hike. In the back of my mind was the concern that I might not be able to start the car after the hike. I choose to trust and move on.
“We need a picture before we start our hike” I insisted after Jason replied no to the question about taking a before shot.
This is the first time I have remembered to bring our hiking sticks! I was excited to know I wouldn’t have to dig around for a long enough stick to help me over the rough terrain. Jason also had a hiking stick which aided me to have 2 sticks at times.
“It is a mile to the falls” the park staff told us as she showed us where to go on the map.
Really? I remember the last hike feeling like more than a mile.
I doubted we were headed in the right direction initially, discussing it with Jason who insisted that we were headed the right way.
Jason deals with anxiety and irrational fears and today that involved fears of snakes and then there was the discomfort of the backpack that was getting to small. I knew being uncomfortable, thirsty and hungry only increases anxiety. I took the time to fix the back pack, not realzing the hip strap latch was broken but tied it to sit the pack like Harrison had showed me some time ago. Strap on hips to take the weight and shoulder straps adjusted to comfortable position.
I calmly continued despite protests that it wouldn’t work. We walked along talking and Jason began to relax more, drawing in the dirt with the hiking stick, “J” and so I made a “G”.
The end of the trail has a moderately steep incline with rocks and then a series of steps. I didn’t get any pictures of that because I was busy telling Jason I needed to stop and catch my breath and drink some water. I remembered to use the pursed lip breathing technique I teach my geriatric patients, deep breath in through your nose, “Smell the flowers and then blow out the candles.”
As we hiked along, I realized we were both overcoming things on this trek up the mountain. Depression had keep me from exercising and having the energy to plan a day trip for hiking. I had the desire to hike more and with my child, we had even talked about it many times. This last minute change in my plans was the perfect time for me to seize the opportunity to spend time hiking with my youngest child. I often feel my youngest does not get the quality time and enrichment opportunities that I was able to give my older two in our early years of homeschooling. Jason fights fears and anxiety that can be as crippling as two broken legs. Much time and energy has been spent on helping both of my children who have OCD, AKA, serious anxiety disorder. Time and energy for my children and for my husband and I.
There was a time when Jason loved hiking and even had me create a club called “Bear and Duck” for hiking and swimming.
Before the hike Jason told me, “I don’t like hiking. I am not an outside kid,”
Saddened at this declaration, I knew this was coming more from fears, obsessive thoughts then the true nature of my child.
A rational fear might look like this,”I Don’t like spiders. There is a spider on me! Get it off!” Spider off, child moves on, maybe mumbling about spiders.
And irrational fear looks more like this, “It’s a spider!” “I killed it”. “I feel bad that I killed it.” (Insert obsessive thoughts about not wanting to kill anything and feeling bad, and possibly getting stuck on this for hours, or longer). “Oh, no the spider touched me.” (Insert thoughts of being contaminated by the spider which could lead to compulsive washing, and could have ended our fun and our hike.)
Luckily, we had both done much work on handling OCD and I reminded Jason that it was a tiny spider and not poisonous. Yet, keep in mind, you can not rationalize obsessive thoughts away. Believe me, my husband and I have tried many times, unsuccessfully and often resulting in increased anxiety! The key here was that Jason was able to say, “It was so small, maybe it was a crab.” It did look like a tiny ghost crab we have seen at the beach.
I guess in the irrational thinking is the idea that spiders contaminate but crabs don’t? I don’t know and it doesn’t matter. What matters is we were able to move on.
We enjoyed our goat cheese, blueberries, cut veggies, chocolate, and “corn and dye free” salt water taffy, my stash of food items to bring to the beach.
“OK, mom, lets head down.” Jason remarked after we had eaten.
“I plan to stay for a while. Remember, we are going to listen to the sounds of the water falls, enjoy our time up here and I need to rest before I hike back down.”
“Let’s close our eyes and pretend we are at the beach” the sound of the waterfall providing the setting.
“I am in a rainforest” I said opening my eyes to see Jason still had eyes closed.
“I am at Khalarhi.” Jason stated simply and we both silently remembered the fun we had at the Unschooling Water Park Gathering last May.
Another component to overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, OCD, is sitting with the fear so your brain can learn that nothing terrible happens and sit through the anxiety level until it comes down.
“What about the pictures you wanted to take?” I asked my creative photographer.
“Jump up in the air, mom, so I can photoshop you into the picture of the water falls to look like you are jumping over the rail.”
I resisted my initial thoughts of being 49 years old with achey joint issues and decided to join in on the fun. The pictures of me jumping up in the air are on Jason’s phone so I don’t have access to them. No, really, I don’t.
We had this area mostly to ourselves with some people coming and going in the 90 minutes we spent there. We laughed as we took pictures, seeing our goofy poses. Jason taught me how to take a burst of photos, something I had done before without knowing exactly how I did it. We scrolled through the succession of pictures, Jason selecting the best ones.
We enjoyed an easy hike down using our sticks to help the descend, making it back in 30 minutes including a quick stop to get our feet wet because I insisted, “My beach trip must include getting my feet wet.”
I will close with the fitting lyrics from Imagine Dragons along with the image of my imaginative dragon…
You’ll never know what went well
Then again it just depends on
How long of time is left for you
I’ve had the highest mountains
I’ve had the deepest rivers
You can have it all but not til you move it
Now take it in but don’t look down
‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ey
I’m on top of the world, ‘ey
Waiting on this for a while now
Paying my dues to the dirt
I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ey
Been holding it in for a while, ‘ey
Take it with me if I can
Been dreaming of this since a child
I’m on top of the world
I’ve tried to cut these corners
Try to take the easy way out
I kept on falling short of something
I coulda gave up then but
Then again I couldn’t have ’cause
I’ve traveled all this way for something
Now take it in but don’t look down
‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ey
I’m on top of the world, ‘ey
Waiting on this for a while now
Paying my dues to the dirt
I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ey
Been holding it in for a while, ‘ey
Take it with me if I can
Been dreaming of this since a child
I’m on top of the world
‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ey
I’m on top of the world, ‘ey
Waiting on this for a while now
Paying my dues to the dirt
I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ey
Been holding it in for a while, ‘ey
Take it with me if I can
Been dreaming of this since a child
And I know it’s hard when you’re falling down
And it’s a long way up when you hit the ground
Get up now, get up, get up now
And I know it’s hard when you’re falling down
And it’s a long way up when you hit the ground
Get up now, get up, get up now
‘Cause I’m on top of the world, ‘ey
I’m on top of the world, ‘ey
Waiting on this for a while now
Paying my dues to the dirt
I’ve been waiting to smile, ‘ey
Been holding it in for a while, ‘ey
Take it with me if I can
Been dreaming of this since a child
I’m on top of the world