The Paul Bunyan Trail, Part 3

“The journey is the destination, and I’ve learned from every step.” -Parker Palmer

A pilgrim comes back changed from the journey and brings the lessons they have learned to share with others. I have come to realize that we never stop learning from a pilgrimage. We also don’t return instantly changed from the journey. It takes time for the lessons to become clear and for the pilgrim to integrate them into their life. I continue to learn new lessons from my trip up the PBT nearly 4 years later. Below are some of the other lessons I learned from my journey up the PBT:

• My ride, much like life, is a practice in being. Plan intentionally, face what comes, be with what happens, and go with the flow.
• Cycling is a meditative practice. It works the body and calms the mind.
• I need lots of time in nature. It really feeds my soul.
• I need more creative time and unstructured space/time in my life.
• A pilgrimage really does strip life down to its simplest forms. Whether traveling by foot or bike, there is nothing but time on the trail.
• It’s essential to regularly shake down our packs, like I did in Walker, and jettison what no longer serves us. It makes our trip easier and opens us to receive what we need.
• When life is simplified, my energy isn’t divided, and I can focus better on my day and goals. Focus on the most important things to simplify life.
• I had my gear packed on my bike for the journey. Each day, we get to choose the equipment we take with us, be it physical items or other soft skills. Reflect on your day, plan accordingly, and then just do the best you can.
• Sometimes you need to take a journey just because you need to. I needed to take this trip. I was driven to do it. I didn’t have a goal in mind other than to reach Lake Bemidji State Park. I have learned that the ultimate outcome of this trip was much bigger than my original goal. Sometimes that happens. Let it.
• I am MUCH stronger and more resourceful than I give myself credit. We all are.

While writing this blog, I learned more from my trip. The items I outlined above are things I journaled about before writing this blog. However, I learned the points I discuss below while drafting and reflecting on this piece. As I said before, we are constantly learning from a pilgrimage. We return, but we are forever changed by the experience. It is a constant teacher that comes with us if we let it.

• The definition of pilgrimage is traditionally limited to a religious experience: a person takes a pilgrimage to a sacred holy site. In reality, a pilgrimage is a spiritual experience where we reconnect with ourselves, our purpose, our desires, and our place in the world. My pilgrimage didn’t end at a place most people consider holy, but nature is a sacred place for me. I journeyed through my sacred place during my pilgrimage. It’s not the destination that makes it a pilgrimage. It’s the journey.
• We use outward activities such as biking, walking, hiking, rowing, etc., to take an inward journey. We busy our bodies to relax and open our minds.
• A pilgrimage is countercultural. The nature of a pilgrimage opens the space for us to reconsider everything – career, relationships, life’s direction, our place in the world. We connect deeper with ourselves. It becomes more apparent where to say “yes” and “no” to remain faithful to ourselves and our values. Our society does not support this kind of disturbance. When we take a pilgrimage, we aren’t hyper-connected to the world. We aren’t accomplishing, producing, or consuming. We are just being when we pilgrimage, which is generally not valued in our culture. I was able to take my pilgrimage up the PBT because I am fortunate enough to get a sabbatical as part of my employment in academia. In the US, two to three weeks of vacation time a year is what most workers can expect, if they get paid leave. This makes it hard to have the time to truly disconnect with the world and reconnect with ourselves. While my pilgrimage took a week, I had been on sabbatical for about 6 weeks prior, giving me time to decompress before starting my pilgrimage. It’s not feasible to leave work on Friday, jump right into a pilgrimage on Saturday, and return to work a week later. We need time to shift into our pilgrimage, experience it, and then transition back into our lives in the world to integrate what we learn. Pilgrimage requires space and time, something most of us don’t readily have access to in today’s culture.
• This blog is a result of my pilgrimage up the PBT. I realized on that trip that I needed more time for creativity and more unstructured time to wander, explore, journey, and learn. This blog is that space for this work. I explore ideas and experiences and create art using photographs, words, and other things I make. It took two years after the PBT to start my blog, but sometimes it takes time to realize the how, why, and what.

While at Lake Bemidji State Park, I wrote myself a letter and mailed it home to read later. A message to my future self to remind her of this time on the PBT. I found that letter and recently re-read it. The excitement of the Catherine who wrote that note is undeniable. It drips with enthusiasm and joy for having reached my goal – biking the PBT alone. I remember the feeling of arriving in Bemidji and marveling at my ability. The long-lasting effects and lessons I have learned from this pilgrimage will take a lifetime to realize. The sheer joy of the arrival fades, but the work of returning home and integrating the lessons of that journey is a satisfying gift that remains for the rest of my days.