Yesterday after work, I went on a 30 minute hike at Silver Creek Falls. It’s one of my favorite hiking spots within driving distance of Portland, and it has been for years. I hardly went hiking there last year. I went a few times in the late winter/early spring months while it was still rainy, but about this time last year, something horribly upsetting happened and I lost a lot of the energy I had been building. My goal last year was to increase my endurance enough to make the full 6-7 mile hike by the end of the summer, but after such an enormously painful experience (which I’ll write about at some point), I really didn’t feel like making the drive or trying out the hikes. And then, just when I was starting to get my motivation back, the wildfires happened and I fell out of my exercise regimen.

But this year, I’m back in.

My plan is to go to Silver Creek Falls once each week and increase my distance on different paths to build up my endurance. It’s a really great place to start training for longer hikes because there are multiple paths of various inclines and distances. Yesterday, I went about a mile and a half, all told, over the course of 30 minutes. I started at South Falls and took the trail towards North Falls, a 5 mile hike to North Falls and back again. I did not make the full 5 miles, obviously, but my hope is that with continued walks 3-4 times each week, I’ll make that five miles soon. From there, I’d love to try the Rim Trail (I don’t actually know how long it is), and then the Canyon Trail, which (I believe) is where you see the most waterfalls.

I have hiked the full Canyon Trail twice in my life. Once when I was in my first few years of marriage, and then again with my cousin and her husband about a year later. I’ve never done it on my own, and I think it’s something I would enjoy and would be good for me. Being in the woods is always good for me. I am a tree lover. But one thing I definitely need to do is compile a list of necessary items to take with me on longer hikes. While I’m training, I don’t think it’s quite as necessary to bring things like bear mace and such, but if I’m going to be hiking alone on Rim Trails which don’t intersect as often with the other, more popular trails, then I need to do so safely. Luckily, my partner has a lot of experience hiking in the wilderness. He’s hiked The Appalachian Trail (I know! Super impressive!). And it’s super unlikely that I will encounter any real wildlife (like, it’s such a miniscule chance, it’s hardly worth noting), but better to be prepared.

After my short hike yesterday, I sat and I wrote a poem. I haven’t kept up on my goal of writing one poem every day, but since I’ve been working on my thesis and preparing for my final residency, I’m giving myself a break. The poem was about my ex. I went to Silver Creek Falls with him quite often, so now I see him pretty much every time I’m there. Not literally. I’m just reminded of our visits there. What they meant (or didn’t mean). How they felt. So I wrote a poem about it. It felt good to be sweaty, breathing heavily, drinking water, listening to the powerful rush of South Falls, sitting underneath a pristine sky in the warm, April air, and writing. I also made a spider friend, which was exciting for me.

I actually looked up what spiders symbolize in a spiritual sense. Since last year, I’ve seen/had really amazing encounters with spiders of different sorts quite a lot. Both indoors and outside. I can think of no less than 10-12 instances since last spring of being befriended/chosen by a spider. Turns out, spiders are often associated with creativity, progress, patience, and even destiny. Seeing a spider is considered a good sign that one is on the right path in terms of building a life and fulfilling a purpose.

I was sitting on a bench overlooking South Falls trying to write my poem, but there was a bumblebee that kept buzzing close to my head. Sometimes bees do this as a warning to move away and, not wanting to anger the little bumble, I grabbed my things and walked to another bench further down. This one gave me a much clearer view of the waterfall. So I sat and continued writing my poem, and that was when the jumping spider crawled out from underneath my legs. I stopped, jumped up, and immediately took her picture. She posed and just sat there. I wanted to see if she would crawl on me, but she was really fast and I didn’t want to scare or hurt her, so I left her alone. She ran off and I just smiled.

I’m taking her presence as a positive sign that I’m moving in the right direction with my life. And this seems fortuitous considering that I’m close to graduating, and I’ve been submitting my work to larger poetry publishers. I love retreating into the woods. They always remind me that I am creative, I am powerful, and I am magical. I’m excited to go back sometime next week. Hopefully on a day when it isn’t pouring down rain.