Training Hike from Bad Feilnbach

 I knew it would rain in Markt Schwaben, so I thought to drive behind the bend of the mountains to Wörgl. However, things looked pretty good, so at Bad Feilnbach I parked and made up a route on the spot in Komoot (nice app for planning hikes). I ended up with an 18 mile hike that was quite beautiful! Here is a link to it. I especially liked the forest on the west side of Au. Then, climbing up out of the forest to high meadows was inspiring, and very dramatic because of the wind. I stopped at a small chapel with a special grotto for the Virgin Mary. I meditated in there a while, and it was wonderful. The fast moving clouds meant that the grotto became dark, then light, then dark again. Throughout, Mary breathed forth her special energy as Mother of the world. I saw her chest expand. And I got some insight into the "prayerful" position of hands clasped together, fingers up, over the heart.

To me, it meant: "I will effect on the Earth with my hands that which You tell me is best, through my heart." Our hands are our means of practical improvement in this world. And placing them near the heart is a way of saying that my works should be directed from there. And the heart is along the spine, up to the head, and to the Higher Self above. So bringing the hands in to that place almost sanctifies them.

So, with these thoughts, I set off again, but now the wind was even stronger, and there was a menace of rain coming. I saw horses, so happy and alert in the wind. They stood still, listening with every part of themselves. I had to walk sideways, doubled over to stay up. It was amazing!

Finally, I had to use the umbrella. I dropped into a narrow valley and climbed out the other side. Now I was near the raging traffic just east of the summit of the autobahn. Big trucks streamed clouds of rain behind, raging down. My feet were getting sore and I wanted to stop, but there were no places.

Finally I could stop a few minutes at an underpass. Then again just before crossing under the highway at a little covered bus stop. Now heading south towards Au, the rain stopped and the weather returned to the pattern of the morning: blustery, clouds moving rapidly.

Before reaching Bad Feilnbach, I stopped, took off the shoes and socks. That was really helpful. I can really recover quite a bit by doing that!