Wildflowers and Vistas and Ways to Keep Hopeful in Challenging Times

A couple of weeks ago, Dave and I went on a hike to Lane Pinnacle, which is accessed from the parking area right before the picnic area at Craggy Gardens. We’d recently returned from a trip to Florida for work for him and were a bit leery about getting around people in case we were carrying the Delta variant. Outside seemed like a good option. I brought my camera, because I always do, but I wasn’t expecting to see any wildflowers as it is so late in the season and there aren’t any signs of them on my ridge. I was so happy to see these beautiful turk’s cap lilies and columbines and the butterflies were an added bonus. Our spirits instantly lifted, as we set off to see what else we would find. Sometimes having no expectations is the best way to be. Then everything is a gift.

There were more turk’s cap lilies and butterflies, more than I’d ever seen in one place. And these tiny purple bell flowers were utterly exquisite. The weather all year has included many thunderstorms, some as early as February, and yet these tiny blossoms endured. They are in fact hardy plants and can survive extreme weather. Seeing them gave me hope that we might survive all that is being thrown our way right now without hardening or closing up. We have to look for the light and all that nourishes us in nature to keep blossoming and living the best lives we can in the face of all this chaos and uncertainty.

Vegetation on a Rock Boulder along the Lane Pinnacle Trail

Sometimes the path we have to traverse is narrow. Cliff edges might be on one side and boulders on another, making us feel pressured and like we don’t have much room to maneuver. Claustrophobia can set in, but always there is a way through as long as we navigate mindfully and don’t rush. Focusing on the breath in times like this is always calming for me.

Looking Back Towards the Mountains, Lane Pinnacle

If we persevere, we might be lucky enough to reach a vantage point where we can see more clearly. Everything suddenly seemed to come together in a unified whole when I looked back in the direction we came from..

And when we arrive at these pinnacles, the rocks that we stand upon are visible. We see that there is firm ground beneath our feet, a lesson we can take back with us when we descend. The outcropping at Lane Pinnacle has a sinuous ridge that made me feel like I was looking at the backbone of the universe. When times are challenging, I like to reconnect with the earth and everything physical that supports me.

Dave and Takoda

And I’m also grateful for my human and animal friends who love me and keep me safe. Though I’ve been used to going it alone for many years, except for my faithful dog, it does help to know someone has my back and to know I have theirs. If there is anything the past eighteen months should have taught us is that we are all in this together and that working for the common good is important for everyone’s well being.

The Blue Ridge is a serene and beautiful place, when storms aren’t rolling through, and there is nothing like early evening light on the landscape to make me feel hopeful again. Yes, we weather storms, but when they are over the sunlight illuminates a truly magical earth with trees that hold our soils in place and sequester carbon while gracefully reaching their crowns towards the sky.

Golden Hour on the Lane Pinnacle Trail

When we were three quarters of the way back to the car, the sun suddenly broke through the trees and the spring green colors of the landscape vibrated. I knew it was August and fall would be here soon, but for one last moment I hung on to the promise of spring and summer and the renewal of life.

We passed by Black-Eyed Susans and the Columbines again, which was fitting. Black-Eyed Susans symbolize justice, encouragement, and motivation, while columbines symbolize endurance and perseverance. These past 18 months have been the most challenging times I remember in the more than sixty years I have been alive, but this life we have been given is a gift and I know that I cannot give up nor do I want to take it from someone else. Getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and behaving responsibly in public settings is the ethical thing to do right now to keep everyone, especially young children and the elderly safe. We cannot, in good conscience, sacrifice those who cannot protect themselves. We need to pay Mother Nature’s support forward for as long as we can.