Point Sublime

Well, I can’t say the six weeks just flew by, but the time has come when I can start walking and even hiking again! Within reason, of course. Nothing too strenuous, steep, or long. And most certainly only with support–my soft brace and a new pair of over-the-ankle hiking boots. And the hike we chose is part of a longer hike we did earlier in the season, along the south rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Back then, our destination was Artist’s Point, but for this hike we started at Artist’s Point and hiked toward Point Sublime. This seemed like a hike that met all our criteria, and it’s a very popular hike, so we wouldn’t need to worry about carrying bear spray or anything else, freeing up my hands for some hiking poles, for added stability.

The terrain was not quite as flat as I had remembered, but I quickly figured out ways to make it seem flatter to my ankle: using rocks, roots, or other land features as “steps” so that my foot could largely remain flat, and using big muscles like glutes, hamstrings, and quads to propel myself instead of relying on smaller muscles in my calves, feet, or ankles. The sign said it was only one mile to Point Sublime, so we figured we’d make it there in no time. But these older signs are notoriously inaccurate, and after a mile or so, we hit an incline that I just didn’t want to try to surmount on my first time out. So we turned around. Maybe we’d see Point Sublime some other day.

But you know, it’s a funny thing. The first time we did this hike back in May, we came in from a side path that joined this trail and we were looking for Artist’s Point. One of the signs said it was just half a mile away once we joined the trail, but we really had no idea exactly how long half a mile actually was. So after a short time, we hit a spot on the trail that was just so beautiful, we were sure it must be Artist’s Point. The colors! And the view of the Yellowstone River and the falls–so majestic! So we stopped to take the obligatory photos and selfies. But then we walked a little further and realized, no! THIS must be Artist’s Point! The view is even more spectacular! So we took more photos and more selfies, and wouldn’t you know, this happened five or six more times before we actually got to THE Artist’s Point. Which is completely different: paved and landscaped, with stairs and railings, and a beautiful view of the falls–but certainly no more beautiful than all the previous places we thought were Artist’s Point.

And I’ve been here long enough to know that that’s probably how Point Sublime was “discovered” too. Some early explorers walked down another half mile of the South Rim and said, “Oh, look at this view! This spot is sublime!” Really, they could have stopped anywhere. But they stopped where they stopped and decided that was Point Sublime. And if Prince can say that “Paisley Park is in your heart,” then I think I can say that Point Sublime is in your mind. Because you know what else is sublime? Being able to walk at all. We don’t notice how sublime walking is most of the time, until we can’t do it for some reason. In fact, I broke my ankle because I was totally neglecting to pay attention to my walking. I was too busy looking at the scenery and babbling on about something or other and boom! I wound up flat on my face on the trail. Sometimes it takes having some restrictions placed on you to make you really appreciate your life. And just look at this view: if you notice, way in the distance is the fire tower on top of Mount Washburn!

True story: as we were descending the trail into the actual Artist’s Point at the end of this hike, we were approached by a couple young women who asked us if we’d see the mountain lion on the trail that some other people had just told them about. “Heck no!” we exclaimed, “Do we look like people who just saw a mountain lion on their trail?!” There actually have been a number of mountain lion sightings recently, including a pair who live down the hill from our campsite. So much for going without bear spray! Grrr!

But it was still early in the day, and I felt so great after this hike that we decided to do another hike we’d been wanting to do: Natural Bridge. This really was the short, flat hike I’d been hoping for, following an old service road that’s been converted to a trail. And it leads directly to a natural bridge that’s been carved from rhyolite (a mineral similar to granite) by the spring runoff over the past few millennia. We didn’t climb up to the bridge, but someone else did!

And then, as a bonus hike, Rob joined a few of our friends who were taking an evening hike to celebrate one of our friend’s last day of work, as her season has ended and she’ll be heading out for a new job tomorrow. I didn’t want to risk doing any more hiking for one day and also didn’t think anyone else would enjoy having to go at my snail’s pace. But I did want to be part of the fun, so I drove with everyone to the trailhead, then sat zazen for a while in the picnic area until it got too dark. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy outdoor zazen, and it was really enjoyable to just sit and listen to the world move from day into night. And I got to catch a few photos of the group as they departed and returned!