An apology to my hiking boots

I'm sorry we didn't make it to the trail yesterday. It's been a long summer with far too few miles covered. I'm sure you were looking forward to tasting the trail and getting dirty. I know I was.

It started 19 months ago in the middle of winter. Nausea and fatigue kept us apart. I made an effort to break you out of the shoe rack even as my body grew and joints ached. We even made it too Katahdin last summer and kept putting mileage on the treads as lil Miss Bean grew and refused to make her appearance on time.

Then she was here and it was winter. I put you away with dreams of the hikes we would share the following summer when lil Miss Bean was older and more weather tolerant.

Summer came and we made it to a few trails. Hiking after work was clearly not going to work with a baby that needed to be fed and had a 6:30PM bedtime.

Weekends. We could hike weekends. Nap times started to get further apart and I felt a little more like my old self. But still not enough to travel too far. Summer also brought a renovation project to the house that took up all of my hiking partner's time. Sadly, I managed little more than short walks that required only sneakers.

So you sat on the shoe rack patiently waiting.

Yesterday I had every intention of hiking. Despite feeling overwhelmed by motherhood, I was determined to get out. I threw the packs, diaper bag and everything else I needed in the car. I took you off the shoe rack in preparation of a quick escape once lil Miss Bean woke from her nap.

But lil Miss Bean decided she didn't want to nap at her normal time. So we missed our hiking group. When she did wake up, I had already started helping my husband out with the siding project that is now stretching into fall with prospects of being a race to the finish line of winter.

I put you back on the shoe rack with a heavy heart. You will taste the trails again. We will have many more adventures. Just not yesterday and probably not today. But soon.

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