Today I turned 40 years old with a bottle of champagne and my family on a summit overlooking the North Cascades. We kicked off the weekend on the Pacific Crest Trail at Harts Pass near Canada. The PCT was the first “big girl” trail I hiked after moving to Seattle in 2013. Spending time in complete silence (for hours) was a first for me. It truly changed my life. When I finally grew comfortable paying attention without immediately reacting, I was really able to listen and see life around me in a way I never had before. If someone asks what really led to the end of my career, it was an internal shift I have a hard time describing but ultimately resembles self-awareness, and it probably began on the PCT. I met several through hikers this weekend who started at the Mexico border and were almost done. I asked what they planned to do after such an accomplishment. “Go home and get back to work,” most said. At first it seems anticlimactic but I remember Trent Peterson, a young man whose story I told years ago, as he rode wild mustangs along the PCT. He used to say that the PCT is just a trail, what matters is that we slow down, pay attention and see clearly whatever path we’re on. I looked up a quote from that report to share with you all.
“This isn't to advocate for the PCT. The PCT is just a trail. Get out of the rat race and slow down. Pay attention to the little things, not just the big things, because it's the whole picture we need to be aware of," he said.
This was so fun to watch. We had lots of rain overnight and the rodeo arena was soaked today. Most of the kids loved it, though a few weren’t a huge fan of being covered in mud. Thankfully there are many hoses at the rodeo grounds!
I used to be one of those people who thought goats will eat anything. But actually, it’s chickens who are the true garbage disposals. Now, when we cook something, I am regularly researching if chickens can eat the waste that we would normally throw away. In this case, we were peeling shrimp, and the light bulb went off. Maybe they would eat the shells? Turns out, not only will they eat the shells, but the shrimp shells are quite good for chickens! In fact, they are full of calcium to help the chickens lay eggs with hard shells.
