Two days in the Catskills

This past weekend, I led a backpacking trip with PennOutdoors to the Catskills mountains in upstate New York. I had been looking forward to this trip all week, because I had never been to the Catskills and I had heard good things about it. So on Friday, we drove to the Catskills after a great dinner, and reached sometime past midnight. The drive there was good; I had an interesting conversation with Jamie and Jon. I guess the highlight of the drive was Jamie's reading of the preface to the book "There Are Men Too Gentle to Live Among Wolves". The few lines which struck a chord within me were:

"I am one of the searchers. There are, I believe, millions of us. We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content. We continue to explore life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secret. We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand. We like to walk along the beach, we are drawn by the ocean, taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty. We like forests and mountains, deserts and hidden rivers, and the lonely cities as well."

And that encapsulates beautifully all the unspoken words within me. Perhaps that is the very reason why I love to disappear into nature ever so frequently, because I search for something that I don't know, something that's bigger than me. Most of the time I'm filled with the emptiness of the busy city life. But when I'm surrounded by nature, I am faced with the fact that I'm searching, I'm exploring, for who I am and what I want out of life. And for some reason, that yearning -for what I don't know- in me is quietened by the simple contentment that Nature gives me. I know I'm searching, but I'm not discomforted by it, because that is part of life. And perhaps, I'm also searching for someone "to share (my) sadness with", and "to share (my) laughter with", or just another kindred spirit to share my marvel of life, my constant wondering and wandering.

"We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide. Most of all we want to love and be loved."

On Saturday, we started the backpacking journey with a short hike up Kaaterskills waterfall, one of the most painted waterfall in the States. It was beautiful; that's all I can say.

Next we drove to the starting point of the Devil's Path trail, and started our hike proper. As we got further into the Catskills mountain, the trail became more and more fun (i.e. challenging).

And this is why I love being outdoors so much (just part of the reason why)-- it makes me feel so alive, so in tune with the surroundings. That night, after an entire day of strenuous hiking, we set up the tents and built a bonfire. It was lovely, watching the flames, feeling the warmth, and being around everyone, with only the woods, the sound of the insects, and the dark cloudy night around us. That's my idea of a haven. That's my sanctuary.