Standing still....

Whistle signals below Cumbres Pass

Over time I have been lost at a small town in the midst of a sweeping prairie.   Shimmering in the summer heat obscure deep blue gray shadows appearing as a thin line of clouds on the horizon.  Lacking motor transport I am reduced to walking onward under the bright sun with the thin line of clouds on the horizon always moving away in the distance.  I know my destination but at my pace when will I arrive?

The last year I have been standing still in my journey.  Several projects were started, learning a new language, and were put aside overridden by the demands of everyday life and, in the spare time, study to prepare for the long walk ahead.      

The expense has been high and emotionally it has frequently been draining.  More than once I have doubted my ability to cope with the priorities and new experiences necessary to make the journey yet, the dream of the long walk always comes back.

I know my destination as I think of an azure sky with brilliant sunlight, the thin air near timberline and the sound of whistle signals echoing through the high valleys of the Rockies.

So here I am with only 8 days to go.  The study may be enough to achieve the goal but, in any event, the lessons will go on.  If this year works then next year, with a lot of work, I may be able to tell some simple stories in Spanish.  In the few years that follow the lessons and journey will continue until that day when G and I finally park the Chama Cabin at home to rest.

Cobalt skies and mountain meadows beckon.  The journey is ending as it started – a long trek across the sweeping prairie and as we travel closer the mist at the horizon finally reveals its true nature, the Rocky Mountains rising above the steppe.