In the early weeks of treatment at Spirit Lake, I took the men on a hike through a section of our 66 acre woods.  It wasn’t what I expected.  And I’m sure it wasn’t what the men expected, either.

I’ve spent plenty of time in the woods in my life, hunting and hiking and exploring.  And although I’d never actually been on this part of the property of Spirit Lake, I had no apprehensions about leading a hike.  (In recovery, I think that is called “overconfidence.”)

What I expected to be a short forty-five minute hike, turned into a two hour grueling, arduous journey.  We followed a ditch that was at one moment full of running water, then dry ground.  And just when you thought the ground was firm, your leg would sink two feet into mud.

There were felled trees and stumps to crawl over and under.

The ditch twisted back and forth, never straight for any distance.  You never knew what was to greet you around the next turn.

After two hours, I finally called a halt and we climbed out of the ditch on our hands and knees.

We were a sight!  Wet and muddy from head to toe.

We sat on a log and reflected on our hike.  Good natured fun was poked at each other’s misfortunes.  Skinned chins and bruises were added up.

There was a sense of pride at having accomplished such a difficult journey, especially for some who had never hiked in the woods before.

I asked them what we should name the trail.  Several ideas were bantered about until someone said, “It should be called ‘the Disease.’”

Immediately everyone understood the implications of the name.  Traversing the disease is about unexpected turns, uncertainty, pain, confusion, frustration, anger, and fear.

It has now become sort of a “rite of passage” for everyone who stays at Spirit Lake to be taken to “The Disease.”

As the seasons have changed, the faces of “The Disease” have changed.  She looks nothing today like she did in March.  But she still remains unyielding and unmerciful in how she treats those who choose to travel her.

Check back here for periodic updates and reflections on “The Disease.”

-          David Johnson, Treatment Director