I Met the Metro Valley, part 1 (just the hikes)

Last year my summer was spent fussing with all the things to fuss about when buying a house, so I didn’t do much hiking. I love going hiking, even though it’s not a “fun vacation” activity; some people don’t want to drive far distances to just walk around and think, but sometimes that’s the best thing you can do for yourself. I felt the urge to get away, go semi-off the grid, and do a bit of meditating on the things that were on my mind.

And so I planned a little weekend trip to the Metro Valley section of West Virginia, to knock off two more parks from my (still very large) list: Kanawha State Forest and Beech Fork State Park. I’ll be putting the details of my trips and the things I saw (and ate) in a later blog; for now I just want to talk about the hikes.

I think this picture was from the first hike mentioned, but honestly I can’t promise that’s accurate.

First on the list was Kanawha State Forest, a comfy twenty minutes away from the state capital, Charleston. When I got to the campsite (more on that later) I decided to take a quick hike on the nearest trail. It started with a rather sharp incline but leveled out on top, and I casually followed it until I reached Dunlop Hollow and then turned around. Pretty simple.

On this first hike I started thinking about my writing and what I want to tackle next, what I want my writer “voice” to sound like. Some people have expressed excitement to read my upcoming book (!) and it’s flattering but it makes me worry. Because these people talk to me regularly, I think they assume my book will be a “comedy” book. While there are funny lines and moments in my stories, it’s not going to go in the “humor” section of a bookstore (I detest the job title “humorist” but that’s a rant for another day).

The fiction books I tend to read by authors like Ottessa Moshfegh and Melissa Broder are very character-driven and darkly funny. A lot happens in their stories on an emotional level while the plots could be seen as “low stakes.” I love these authors and more, but perhaps my voice shouldn’t try to match theirs. I thought about stories I would want to write and could write in a “funny” way without sounding like Grandpa’s Joke Book, volume 23. A story idea was planted in my head during this hike (always exciting when that happens) and I jotted it down in my notebook afterwards. Will it see the light of day? Can’t say, but I am excited to see what I can do with it.

This is what peacefulness looks like

The next day in the Forest was my Big Hiking Day. Before the real day started, I walked along the Davis Creek trail. Beginner’s tip: if it has “creek” in the title it’s probably an easy hike. And it was! It was also the only hike where I encountered multiple other people hiking! This was just a “wake up” hike, an easy stroll (two and a half miles) combined to wake up my legs and my brain. I flushed out any thoughts I didn’t need to think about that day and let myself enjoy what was around me. After dipping into the city for a heavy brunch, I returned to the park to tackle some harder trails.

Every state park is different, of course, but in general if you’re hiking at a WV state park just keep in mind: the maps are low-detail and not all trail heads are marked. I set out looking for the Teaberry trail and ended up totally missing it and hitting Alligator trail (it’s like getting lost in a Winnie the Pooh book). All trails would take me back to my car eventually, so I trekked on, doing some serious climbs that eventually amounted to an hour and forty minutes and three and a half miles of walking.

I wanted the hard hikes that day for the hard subject on my mind: my alleged career. I’ve been at my current remote desk job for almost four years now and a lot of days I feel chafed, and there’s no amount of baby powder can help. It’s a fine job, but ultimately it’s in a field I don’t find all that exciting and I feel there’s nowhere left to “go”. But when it comes to leaving your job, all those horrible hard questions get in the way: What will you do? Where will you go? What even pays more money? Will that make you happy?

I joked before I left that I was opening myself up for an epiphany while in the woods with no WiFi. Sadly, it didn’t come (you can’t force epiphanies, otherwise we’d have them constantly). Instead, I just calmly rehashed what I already knew: like an uphill portion of a hike where you can’t find a place to put your foot, some parts just have to suck. To get to a new place, I may have to take a step backwards and it may be hard again for a while. It sucks to think about and there are lots of “scare factors” but the truth is if I do nothing, then nothing will change.

Feeling accomplished and very wet.

With time left after that hike, I still wanted to squeeze one more in: There was a trail called “Overlook Rock Trail” that sounded promising, so I rushed off to it. I only got maybe a quarter a mile up the steep hill and then realized I was TIRED. I’d also run out of water (more on that subject when I bitch about the campsite) and forgotten my map in the car. Excited to get to a new location, I’d rushed in unprepared. Which is also something I’m trying to avoid when looking for a new job! Sometimes you wait forever for a good metaphor, and then some days they just fly at you like…something that flies at people.

The third and final trail hike was at Beech Fork State Park, during an insane heat wave. I realized it was better to go hiking than sit by the campsite because hiking trails have shade. So I picked a very simple, two-mile “overlook” trail. And let me tell you, the Parks department is very liberal with what counts as an “overlook.” I get that a rock jutting out of the ground technically counts, but I still think it implies it’ll be a good view, which….eh...your results may vary.

I had something on my mind during this hike too, and it’s more of a personal thing for my therapist and me. The message I’ll pass on is that sometimes the overlook at the end is disappointing and sometimes it’s breathtaking, and right now I think I’m still on the hike and just have to wait to see what’s at the end, for better or worse. Vague, isn’t it?

My last bit of exercise on this trip was a 20-minute run on a paved flat track later that evening. I hadn’t been running as much since I stopped my 5k training and wanted to remind myself how it felt. Yes, it was still hot outside, but I had to push myself and get the blood moving, because I am technically a runner and we do annoying shit like that. It was a final push, a reminder of what I am capable of and an eagerness to get back to my “normal”.

I started a new notebook at the beginning of this trip, and I journaled and wrote down story ideas and just puts words on the page. I would love to take a “doing things” trip to the cities I was near, but I needed the hiking/camping/semi-off-the-grid feeling to just focus and realign myself. Now that I’m home, looking at my house, my computer, my book cover, it’s time to pick up the reins again and make some changes. What will that mean? I don’t know yet, but I’m excited to get started. I encourage you all to take time, think, meditate, hike, whatever you need to do if you find yourself constantly struggling with the same problems (also therapy, I recommend therapy).

Me standing in front of an “overlook”, I guess.

Thank you for reading, the “fun stuff” blog will be out soon.