by Sharon Ray
Last Saturday morning I had just returned from an exhausting trip to Los Angeles and my plan was to take my journal and my book to the Sunburst lodge and plant myself in the cozy living room there. I’d read, write, and hopefully fall asleep. Books in hand, I turned toward the door when Dawn came running up the steps and into my villa, “Today is the day! And you’re HERE!” This was my irresistable invitation to switch gears and go hike Gaviota Peak. All righty then!
It was the perfect day for it: not uncomfortably hot, not too windy either. Al brought his botany books, but hardly needed them since he already knew so many of the plants and flowers we were introduced to along the way. The neat thing about wildflowers is that, for lack of compost and artificial watering, they are so tiny, sweet and delicate. Most definitely they are born each by the wand of some winged fairy. There were blue bells, and blue dix, lupine, and shooting stars, not to mention milk maids (which surely could have been followed by lords a-leaping in this magical place).
There is nothing more cleansing for the soul (and the aura!) than Mother Nature herself. The wind, the sun, the exercise and deep breathing, all the better for the company of jolly friends, lifts all the clouds. As we ventured ’round the west facing part of the trail, we were greeted by an amazing view of the ocean peeking out in perfect V-formation from behind the crossing of two mountains. Ahhh!! Gorgeous!!
We did not “summit” Gaviota Peak on Saturday (thank God), but at the furthest point in our adventure we found hidden flat rock just big enough to host the five of us. Whilst my friends munched on goodies, I lay on the rock with my water bottle as my pillow, and, for the first time in my life, fell asleep on a totally hard surface.
I’m thankful I was sport enough to switch gears Saturday morning; God always has the better plan!
Four-o-clock’s and poppies dot the California hillside.
For more about this hike, read Dawn’s post here.