A Brief Reflection on the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Weekend

Quarantine in my home has been a time not only of upheaval but also of settling. My chosen family has established routines: familiar social patterns, intentional safety practices, regular time in the woods. Life within these four walls has always been quite queer and, to be honest, quarantine has been relatively comfortable thanks to a steady job and other advantages. In some ways joining the first TVOP trip mid-covid seemed like an unnecessary risk to take; but driving home after two nights in the woods with three other TVOP newbs and two guides, I felt full in a way I hadn’t realized I’d been missing for the 6 months prior. I felt like I had formed a new family. Coming together from different experiences, identities, and ages, we each had a valuable role to play in this new family unit and as far as I could tell, we all had moments of both teaching and learning. Our conversations were easy, our schedules adaptive, and our attitudes flexible. In a pandemic that makes establishing in-person connections a challenge at best, building new friendships (even situational, fleeting ones) felt like a miracle. Add the simplicity of paring daily needs down to the basics of food, water, shelter, sleep, and the natural cycles of the earth, and the disquiet of the outside world seemed to fall away. It almost felt safer to be out in the woods than in the echo chamber of my head, home, and news feeds, especially given the precautions taken by each hiker and the two guides whose literal job it was to think through logistics before we even arrived. On our last day we sat in a closing circle and reflected on what we wanted to leave on the trail and what we planned to take back with us into our lives. At the time, I couldn’t think concretely enough to name my trash and my treasures, but now, when I take the time to settle into my memories from the trip, it reminds me of the person I strive to be and the community I’m helping to shape. Until my next TVOP trip, I’m banking on the memories of giggling around the fire, lazy swimming in lakes, and quiet moments in the woods to keep me grounded while I continue to navigate the fray of daily life in 2020.

Liz