[Nevertheless] We Trek Onward Together

After a busy morning at church - our new pastor's first day - Jim and I decided to head out on another hike. Our usual hiking companions joined us. We returned to Sessions Woods in Burlington, CT for the same hike we'd done a couple weeks prior - the one where I slipped, fell, and dislocated a hip and shoulder.

The teens went counter-clockwise on the Beaver Pond trail and we went clockwise - up the long hill, and then down to the waterfall.It was snowy and a bit icy, but not too bad. We had purchased snow/ice treads for our footwear, so our hike was much more easygoing than the previous one. 

It was going up that hill that it hit me - my heart started racing, I felt flushed, all of a sudden I couldn't catch my breath. My body decided to give me a little reminder of my adrenal insufficiency. Tachycardia isn't fun. Tachycardia halfway up a steep hill, a mile or so into a hike can be anxiety-inducing. However, my body, due to my SAI, doesn't deal with stress well, so panicking can make the situation an emergency instead of a hiccup. I waited for my heart to slow, took a few sips of water, and on we trudged...a big slower and with frequent rests as my body figured things out. 

We made it to the waterfall, where we took some time to have a snack, take some pictures, and admire the beauty around us.  

Thankfully, the remainder of the hike was fairly uneventful ... even the steep climb up the "stairs" from the base of the waterfall back to the trail was fairly easy.
 

While we hiked, Jim and I talked about our new pastor's sermon from that morning and how this is a time of transformation for us - hopefully to a better, more fulfilling job for Jim and a rejuvenation of our relationship with some personal growth mixed in as well. 

This hasn't been the easiest start to a year for us, nevertheless we trek onward together.