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10/05/2026
https://www.insightfulpath.com.au/insights-posts/the-light-on-the-hill
The light on the Hill | Gratitude, Solitude, and a Walk Across America — Insightful Path A reflective essay on solitude, generosity, and political disillusionment, drawn from a solo walk across America and one night of shelter in a small rural church.
17/04/2026
Into the mountains⠀⠀
liberated by the now⠀⠀
the scent of pine air⠀⠀
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I grew up in the woods. Forests, mountains, rivers.⠀⠀
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Around the same time Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) was becoming known for its ability to settle the nervous system, I was already living something like it. Not as a practice. Just as life.⠀⠀
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Lately, like many, I’ve felt the weight of things. The pace. The noise. The sense that leadership (real leadership) feels harder to find in the world.⠀⠀
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So I took a day. Mid-week. And headed back into the mountains with my family.⠀⠀
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About an hour and a half out of Canberra sits Bendora Arboretum.⠀⠀
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An old experiment from the 1940s… rows of North American and European trees planted high in the Brindabellas to see what might grow here. Somehow, it survived the 2003 fires.⠀⠀
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We’ve been a few times over the years. With my wife. With the kids. Different seasons. Different versions of us.⠀⠀
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The road is rough in parts. The air gets cooler as you climb. And then, without much announcement, you’re there.⠀⠀
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Pine in the air.⠀⠀
Soft needles underfoot.⠀⠀
Light moving through trees reminiscent of my youth, but in a very Australian landscape.⠀⠀
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We walked. Sat. Noticed.⠀⠀
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And for a while, things felt quieter.⠀⠀
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