{"id":22348,"date":"2026-03-11T12:49:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T12:49:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/positive-change-a-sense-of-direction\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:14:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:14:03","slug":"positive-change-a-sense-of-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/positive-change-a-sense-of-direction\/","title":{"rendered":"Positive Change: A Sense of Direction"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was the mother of all hills, a steep grade slathered in slick mud.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t see any way around it\u2014just the rocky river to the left of me and the thick forest to the right. One big obstacle before the next campsite at the Sheldon Springs Dam. \u201cWe can do this, Sparky,\u201d I said to my lone companion, the 35-pound, nine-foot yellow plastic kayak I wheeled in front of me.<\/p>\n

For 23 days, I\u2019d been traveling the Northern Forest Canoe Trail\u2014a winding 740-mile expedition over rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and portages first navigated by Native Americans and early settlers. I had more than 500 miles to go, and I wasn\u2019t going to let a hill stop me.<\/p>\n

I set Sparky down, tightened the straps on my backpack and began to climb. My feet slipped from under me. \u201cWhoa!\u201d I shouted. Slap!<\/em> Face first in the mud. I pulled myself up and slipped and slid my way to the top.<\/p>\n

I put down my backpack full of freeze-dried food and my bag of cooking supplies and skidded downhill. My tent and sleeping bag were next. I got them all the way to the top too. Now it was time for Sparky. I got behind the kayak and pushed. The wheels inched up the hill. Then\u2026 \u201cWhoa!\u201d Slap! Another face plant in the muck. Sparky tumbled down, nearly running over me. I tried a second time. And a third. But my shoes were too caked with mud. Sparky was stuck, and so was I. God<\/em>, I thought, how can I do this alone?<\/em><\/p>\n

That was a question I\u2019d asked myself often over the past year. Up until then, my life had been like this trail. I\u2019d hit some rapids and the occasional storm, but always moved forward. Then approaching my 50th birthday, I got stuck. First, both my children left the nest. Then my husband and I divorced after almost 30 years of marriage. But the biggest wallop came when the learning center where I\u2019d worked for 10 years announced layoffs. I lost my job as a graphic designer and photography instructor. Wife, mother, artist, teacher\u2014everything I\u2019d defined myself by, gone all at once. I\u2019d never felt so lost.<\/p>\n

This trip was my sister Beth\u2019s idea. She knew I was feeling down, and she called me one afternoon. \u201cI read this article,\u201d she said. \u201cThis guy, Mike, from New Jersey paddled the Northern Forest Canoe Trail all by himself. No woman\u2019s ever done that. You could be the first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure, Beth and I had learned to swim and paddle in the reservoir behind our house when we were kids. I\u2019d logged many hours with my paddling buddies running rapids. But paddle from New York to Maine, solo? Was Beth crazy? Then again, I needed to prove to myself that I could make it living on my own. Maybe this journey could do that.<\/p>\n

I asked around. People said I needed a better kayak than Sparky\u2014\u201can ex\u00adpedition craft rated for Class IV rapids at least\u201d\u2014and a partner to help carry the 75 pounds of food and camping gear. But I contacted Mike from New Jersey, and he told me, \u201cGo for it!\u201d I could pack a transponder that would automatically send my location to a website where my family and friends could track my progress and a cell phone in case I got into trouble. I planned my trip for months, and in mid-June Beth and her husband drove me to the trailhead in Old Forge, New York.<\/p>\n

The first two weeks, the biggest challenge was the weather. One evening, a freak thunderstorm forced me to paddle to shore and make camp at night in the middle of the woods. I set up my tent next to a large rock, hoping it would shield me somewhat, climbed inside and wrapped myself tight in my sleeping bag just as the sky opened up. Would a flash flood sweep me away? Would some large, hungry creature stumble upon me? Would the howling wind tear open my nylon tent? I was too scared to sleep.<\/p>\n

It was nearly sunrise when the wind and rain subsided. I unzipped my tent and cautiously ventured out to make a cup of coffee. Another night like that and I\u2019ll never make it to the end of the trail.<\/em><\/p>\n

Then the sun broke over the horizon. The clear sky turned an awesome shade of purple and pink, illuminating the mist rising off the water and the mountains beyond. The sight was like a message, saying, You\u2019re not alone, Cathy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now I sat down on top of Sparky, exhausted, wondering if I\u2019d completely misread that glorious sunrise. No glory here, just utter defeat. Mosquitoes dive-bombed me. The sun was baking hot. And I was stuck in the mud. I started to cry. God, tell me what I\u2019m supposed to do. Please.<\/em><\/p>\n

Two words came to me. Get help.<\/em><\/p>\n

Help? Out here? I hadn\u2019t seen another soul all day. I got out my map. Closest town was East Highgate, Vermont, three miles away through the woods. What choice did I have? I chained Sparky to a tree, stashed my gear behind some trees and headed into the woods.<\/p>\n

About an hour later, sweaty, caked in mud, I finally reached the East Highgate General Store. The first woman I talked to handed me the Yellow Pages. As if there was a section for kayak towing! I went up to the cashier, an older woman, and poured my heart out about my situation. She can\u2019t do anything either,<\/em> I thought. I really am alone out here. As alone as everywhere else.<\/em><\/p>\n

Just then, the front door jangled. A strapping young man in a muscle shirt and cutoffs walked in. \u201cCody,\u201d the cashier called to him, \u201ccan you help this lady out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d Cody said, shooting me a friendly smile. \u201cWhat\u2019s the problem?\u201d<\/p>\n

I explained and he drove me in his truck back to where I\u2019d emerged from the woods. Two men on ATVs were sitting there. My muddy clothes and paddling jacket gave me away. \u201cYou must be the lady who left the kayak by the hill,\u201d one of them said. \u201cNeed a tow?\u201d<\/p>\n

I hopped on the back of one of the ATVs. We were off. \u201cWhoa\u2026shouldn\u2019t you slow down?\u201d I shouted over the engine.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t, we\u2019ll get stuck in the mud!\u201d the man yelled. I held on for dear life.<\/p>\n

We reached the bottom of the hill and hooked the kayak up to the back of the ATV. The guy hit the gas, and Sparky\u2019s wheels popped out of the mud. All the way up the hill, I watched eagle-eyed as the kayak bumped along behind us. I prayed the wheels wouldn\u2019t fall off. Finally we reached the top. I scarcely had time to thank the men before they zoomed away.<\/p>\n

Cody helped load Sparky and the rest of my things into the back of his truck. On our way to the Sheldon Springs Dam, I thought about how lucky I\u2019d been to find a kind stranger with a truck and two more angels on ATVs to boot. \u201cThank you so much,\u201d I said as we pulled to a stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a problem,\u201d Cody said. \u201cGlad I could help. Good luck with the rest of the trail.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rest of the trail, more than 500 miles, people like Cody and those ATVers kept popping up. There were the bed-and-breakfast owners near the Canadian border crossing who met
\nme at a campsite and took me into town for a fried chicken dinner. There was the French-Canadian couple in Mansonville, Quebec, who spotted me limping past their house and invited me to stay and take a shower\u2014a relief after days of low water and long portages. Or the time I thought I was lost, and a phone call to Mike from New Jersey put me on the right path again. On a portage trail in Maine, I found a package of wet wipes hanging from a birch tree with a note: \u201cC. Mumford we love you!\u201d\u2014a gift left by my sister Beth. She knew my supplies were running low.<\/p>\n

Then there were the other kinds of help\u2014the bald eagle that flew in to visit me after a tough paddle on Umbagog Lake. The moose that gave me a wake-up call on the shores of the Penobscot. The breathtaking views that inspired me every day.<\/p>\n

A small group was waiting on the beach at Ft. Kent, Maine, at the end of the trail. I paddled in to shore to the sound of cheers. I did it! The first woman to travel the Northern Forest Canoe Trail on her own.<\/p>\n

Now, back home in New Jersey, I kayak every weekend I can. I\u2019ve been freelancing as a graphic artist and teaching photography again, but most of all, I\u2019ve been looking for chances to help other women who may think they\u2019re alone out there. I know that\u2019s not true. It took me 740 miles and 58 days to see it, but there\u2019s always someone you can count on to help you through the rapids and the storms, the steep climbs, the long portages\u2014wherever life\u2019s trail takes you. <\/p>\n

See a slide show<\/a> of photos from Cathy’s trip!<\/em><\/p>\n

Download your FREE ebook, True Inspirational Stories: 9 Real Life Stories of Hope & Faith<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was the mother of all hills, a steep grade slathered in slick mud. I couldn\u2019t see any way around it\u2014just the rocky river to the left of me and the thick forest to the right. 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