Day 35: Falling in Love…
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
The day has taken me up to Lake Tahoe, a pristine alpine lake but only a 25 min drive from where I live. I had an orthopedic appointment to re-evaluate this knee and since I was up at the South part of the Lake, I decided this is where my Quest should take me.
It has been a complicated day. I have sorted through some details regarding my knee and the reality is that my insurance company is changing and so my intention to have my knee replacement in Indiana will no longer be an option. Finances will preclude me due to my new insurance plan. With that being the case, I will have to stay local and hope that the right physician is picked to do the partial knee replacement. And so I had an appointment with my regular orthopedic and he is offering one more option to hold me over until I have the approval from my new insurance plan to do the partial knee replacement. Either way, he has conceded that despite the fact that I am younger than the average knee replacement patient, the partial knee replacement is my only option to be able to live a pain-free life. I felt a sense of relief knowing that my physician wants me to be pain-free and still able to remain active. As I left the office, I had one thing on my mind, it is time to go on a Quest and leave all the knee, insurance and pain issues behind and find my smile.
I requested the help of Siri to take me to Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe. With what seemed to be an enthusiastic voice; she navigated me on our journey. The first stop along the adventure was a place that I chose for the name… “Inspiration Point”… I felt in need of some serious inspiration. As I arrived, I was shocked at how crowded the area was… teeming with visitors of all ethnicities as I could differentiate the many languages that were being spoken. As I made my way through the masses, I found a spot along the viewing wall that was empty, as if it were waiting for me to stand at its edge and appreciate the amazing view.
I walked up and with one delightful long sigh, I felt grateful to be able to see this outstanding natural sight. I have been to Lake Tahoe many times but it seems just when I think the view couldn’t get better, another view seems to top it. And there I stood quietly…. Trying to comprehend the beauty and process how fortunate I am to be able to explore. I remember thinking, “I am very lucky to be going on this Quest. It has taken me to places like these… places many people will never see… and it’s just a drive away.” I gave my camera a workout. The pine trees were vibrant bright green and contrasted with the deep rich blue of the lake and subtle overcast sky. I then just closed my eyes and took a deep breath as if to memorize the scent of the pine. A cool mountain temp soothed me and my smile emerged. This was merely a short stop as the Quest’s real adventure lay ahead.
I called on Siri again to direct me to Eagle Falls at Lake Tahoe and with that determined voice she led me back onto the highway but failed to mention the harrowing drive that would ensue. The 35 mph speed limit on the two lane mountain rode quickly went down to 25 and then as I turned the corner, it went down to 10 mph with hairpin turns ahead. I noticed that the road was literally on the edge of a very steep cliff with no guardrail. It was then that I looked ahead and noticed the road had Lake Tahoe on one side and Cascade Lake on the other. But there were no guardrails and just precarious cliffs on both sides. I am a pilot and heights do not scare me, but other drivers and their unpredictability can give me quite a fright. I breathed deeply and I could feel my pulse increase and my eyes widen and I carefully and slowly made my way across this stretch of dangerous road. Within minutes, I had made the drive safely and arrived at the falls.
I have never seen a natural waterfall before. I would love to frolic in one, but this is not the one to do that in. Today, the Quest is about seeing my first waterfall. The water that feeds this fall is melted snowpack, so the temperature is not ideal for playing. I paid my recreation and parking fee, received a map and began to approach the falls. I walked down the path to the lower falls and arrived at a set of rock stairs that were steep and hard to climb, but nothing would stop me from seeing my first waterfall. I made my way down the steps and had to scramble over rocks. And there it was…the top of the lower portion of Eagle Falls with rock that met the edge of nothingness. I sighed in disbelief at the beauty water could display. The sound was soothing, the water over my sandals was shockingly cold, and the view was priceless.
A tree stood precariously with its roots overreaching the edge of the cliff and I decided this was a perfect place to rest my spirit and just think. I spent about 10 minutes just recording the view in my mind, listening to the rushing water and wondering where the rest of the year-long Quest will take me. I have spent the past couple weeks exploring different and new places and now I was coming to the point in my Quest where I felt comfortable taking on new adventure. But the next step needs to begin soon…. Nourishing my spirit and soul… I sat atop the mountain and thought about all the things I want to accomplish and the change I want to be a part of…. Finding people with courageous stories and making sure their acts of valor, however great or small, are shared. With just a blink of my eyes, I acknowledged to the spirits that may have been watching that I was ready to start preparing a voyage to find courage among us and share stories with the world. With that thought, I stood up from the gracious tree that lent me a seat with a stunning view, and I made my way back up the 7 stone steps onto a path that led me upwards…. To the upper Eagle Falls.
The sky was overcast now and the air temp was a cool 56 degrees and the winds were increasing. At this point I could feel my hunger increasing. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a large arachnid presence that was doing exactly what I had wished, indulging in a most delicious meal. He quickly scurried back into a corner of the web and I simply admired him from afar.
I followed the signs to Eagle Falls and before I knew it, I was climbing up more stone stairs. Just when I thought I had reached the top, there were more stone stairs to climb.
At one point, my knee started reminding me that this is not part of the prescribed physical therapy. I dug deep to find the courage to overcome the knee pain and see the falls. I just kept climbing.
I reached the overlook at the top and there was no one, not one visitor beside myself to share the view with…. It was all mine…. Well, sort of… a little chipmunk decided to cautiously come out from a rock and sit beside me as if to take in the view with me….but he soon realized I had no treats, and he scurried away. At this higher perch, I was once again awestruck by the panorama before me. There were endless pine trees, the color of the blue lake in the distance, the clouds that made formations in the sky, the scent in the air and feeling of the breeze through my hair…
Feeling complete again, I made my way down and to the falls. I approached a walking bridge that crossed just above the falls. I could feel the power of the water as it rushed without hesitation over the rocks that lay at the edge… the white water flowed down to the ground below as if it were in a race to the finish.
The water flowing down the mountain just in front of the falls appeared tranquil. There were people frolicking in the waters before the edge.
I have to admit, I did take a moment to dip my toes in the ice cold waters. As I sat on a rock with my toes bathed in ice, I felt a unique sense of complete reassurance that this next phase of the Quest might be more meaningful than the previous 4 weeks. That thought left me feeling not only reassured but excited as well. Again, I picked myself up and made my way back down the many stone steps.
As I walked, I thought about the rushing water that made its way over treacherous rocks before falling to the ground below in an act of natural courage. Like the water, I am ready to flow where the Quest takes me. I can’t help but wonder what courageous people I may meet and what new challenges lay ahead, so that my soul can be fed by the wisdom I hope to gain from others.
Falling in love with nature and wondering what tomorrow will bring…
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