Reflections on First Day Hike

by Teri Gergen

First Day Hikes are coordinated by the National Parks Service to encourage people to “get outside and connect with nature” on New Years Day.  I had completed a couple hikes in Middle and East Tennessee before moving to Wyoming and was glad to see that they happened here as well.

January 1, 2025 marked my fourth New Year in Thermopolis and the third time I participated in the annual hike. In 2022, the group met at the visitors center and hiked through the Frisbee/Disc Golf course. The winter of 2022-2023 was especially brutal. The Bighorn River froze and temperatures plummeted below -30 degrees. Nonetheless, the weather on the 1st of January that year wasn’t too bad. The group met in the parking lot of the golf course with a plan to hike the new trail on the backside of T-Hill. Before the ascent, I realized I would need my trekking poles which I had not brought. I left the group to return to my car and home. Slipped and fell on the ice but, thankfully, sustained no injuries. I have no idea why I did not participate last year.

This year the weather was ideal. Sunny and cold with a bit of snow on the ground here and there. Properly attired, and with trekking poles in hand, I set off with the group that started on the Spirit Trail. The trail overlooks the Big Horn river and then turns away, heading up into the Buffalo Pasture. We were led across a road and then onto a trail I had yet to hike. I became aware of the steady crunch crunch sounds of my steps - some in the dried grasses and earth, others in the snow. Millions of ice crystals sparkled in contrast to the dull reddish brown earth. And then we veered off on a bison path through an area of the park that I had painted several times. 

Several dozen people were on this hike. Many were engaged in conversation but some were marching along engaged with their own thoughts or sensations. I reflected on the day, the previous day, the previous year, the last two years, the last decade, back in time for more than 40 years and I felt grateful. For the life I have today and those who have shared it with me.

My wish for you as the New Year begins is for forward progress in whatever direction you’ve chosen, for more light than shadows, for guidance, and for sparkles of joy.