The great outdoors
The great outdoors – it’s my favorite place. Hiking, running, walking my dog, being on the beach, riding my bike, walking with family – whatever it is, if I’m outside I’m happy. Nature is one of the greatest things in life, seeing the seasons change, temperatures change, the sun rise & set (though actually the sun is not setting, the earth is rotating, the sun stays in one place, it’s not setting or rising, we on earth are moving). But I digress….The world is a wonderful place, and we should all explore it and appreciate it’s beauty.
For years I’ve wanted to do this little hike up in North Georgia, a place called The Hike Inn, where you hike five miles to an Inn, you sleep overnight and then you hike back. It’s both better and worse than you can imagine. Better because it’s this cool cabin with 20 or so rooms, another section with bathrooms, then a dining hall and game room, not to mention a great view. You are in the middle of the woods, with a 5 mile hike as the primary way out. There is a dirt road for weekly supplies to be brought in, but staff live there, people volunteer to help, and others come and go. The “bad/worse” part is actually the best part – there are signs all over that say no cell phone use, so people go there to disconnect. And whatever you need you must carry on a back pack (clothes, toothbrush, etc). They give you towels & linens, plus two wonderful home cooked family style meals, and plenty of water, lemonade and coffee. You sleep in bunk beds. I mean doesn’t that sound fantastic?
That’s what I did over spring break, went on this trip with a friend, her two boys and my son (click & scroll for some photos). The five of us did the leisurely walk into this Inn, hung out, decompressed, explored, ate a wonderful meal, showered (yes there’s running water), decompressed some more, slept in adjoining rooms (which made it more fun). The sun was rising around 7:30am (well, the earth was rotating and the sun was appearing…) but it was really overcast so we could not see it. We ate a great breakfast, hung out, waited for the heavy rain to pass through, and then hiked 5.5 miles back to our cars (we took a different trail back).
One problem with this trip, was that it was just too short. Next time I feel I would need two nights, so we could have a day of exploring in the area (it’s about a 4+ mile hike to Springer Mtn and the start of the Appalachian Trail). Maybe next time…..
What does this have to do with chiropractic? Well for starters the person I hiked with is Dr. Shannon, remember her? Former intern, worked in the office for a year, now has an office in Kennesaw, one of my dearest friends. And secondly, nature and the human body are so similar – you don’t need directions! Leaves grow & fall off the trees, flowers bloom, the sun rises & sets, and no one has to make that happen. It just happens. The body is similar. Our hair grows, our heart beats, our lungs work – they all just happen. The nervous system is what controls that, and as chiropractors, we are adjusting your body to help optimize that whole process. Sun and rain optimize nature (otherwise you’d have the desert), and we as chiropractors optimize your body.
You don’t need to wait to have a problem to get adjusted. You get adjusted to make sure everything is working well in your body. It’s about health, function, performance and wellness. Hope to see you soon.
~ Dr. Pam