The Edge at Hogsback

As we drove through the Amatola mountains, we were in awe of the splendor before us. We were headed up to Hogsback, a beautiful mountain retreat that boasts to be the inspiration for JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings novels and in particular the Mirkwood Forest. The land is full of waterfalls, forests and breathtaking sheer bluffs. We rode into town without a place to stay (as seems to be our new style these days) and were blessed to find a lovely cottage at The Edge, literally on the edge of the mountains. The cottage was surrounded by jasmine and beautiful flowering plants. As we walked to the back, we saw this view.

After greeting the neighboring cat, we headed off to explore the property before the sun set. We walked through the lavender gardens, and strolled along the edge of the bluff until we reached the labyrinth. This labyrinth was an eleven circuit labyrinth similar in design to the one in Chartres Cathedral in France. The total walk was 1.4 kilometers making it one of the largest labyrinths in the world. As I prepared to walk the labyrinth, I cleared my mind and tried to focus on a specific meditation - letting go of the desire to control. This was immediately tested as I slowly walked the labyrinth with my children running and yelling all around me! For those of you that have never been to a labyrinth, the purpose is to release something from yourself as you are walking in and leave it behind as you walk back out. Here are the preparation instructions as posted in the labyrinth guide, which seemed humorous in the circumstances I found myself:

"Keep your breath slow, full and even throughout the walk. Check. Walk slowly and at a pace with which you feel comfortable. Check. If at any point you start feeling uneasy or distracted, or anxiety arises (which is natural) stop, try to discern its source, then adjust your body, mind and spirit and gently move forward. Check - source is easily discernable - my kids- difficult to gently move forward when Wyatt is tugging on me to run with him. Try to stay focused and maintain a meditative state of mind while remaining aware of the experience. Check- isn't this my life story of living with 3 kids? Be receptive to inspiration in all its forms and respond. Check - I am realizing that these kids are going to be an integral part of this experience and am now interacting with them with giggles. Sing or dance if you feel so inspired! - Check - now I'm quickly walking down the path being beckoned by the kids. In the center of the labyrinth you meet both sounds and silences, trust and doubt, your past and future, temporal and eternal. WOW! Stay in the center until your burdens fall aside and give way to joy, presence and being. Check - the kids are now dancing and leaping all around me and I am in the moment, and realize all of the sudden that I have let go of trying to control how this meditative experience is supposed to turn out! Integrate this knowledge and these feelings on your outward path to the real world. Check - Cam and I have now connected up and are walking out together and the kids are now in a train behind us as we head out the labyrinth path."

We watched the sun set in the mountains behind the labyrinth and we headed over to the restaurant for a delicious dinner. We came back to the cabin and made a roaring fire in the fireplace and the kids roasted marshmallows. It was a wonderful day and the best part of it came when we all had our first shower in 4 days!! Hogsback also made us think of our friends back in Northwest Arkansas and the Hogs! Woo-pig-sooie!