It supposedly takes ~5,000,000 steps to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. And every hiker is likely familiar with the Chinese proverb: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Of course, the AT is about 2,200 miles; philosophically then, the journey may begin with more than a single step. The 5 million steps are actual physical steps; but the journey really begins with a lot of mental steps before one even physically passes that first white blaze. The physical journey typically takes between five and seven months. The mental journey may last decades before and even after the thru-hike. The first step for me was probably in 1974 or 1975, when I first learned about the concept of thru-hiking after reading the first edition of Colin Fletcher's seminal book, "The Complete Walker." I was a weekend backpacker as a teenager, but that book deeply ingrained the desire to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Then the oft-heard refrain, "Life intervenes," conspired to divert the journey. That is not to say the diversion was a bad thing. College, a career, and a family offered new adventures and new life goals. There were even plenty of hiking and car-camping trips with my wife and children. Living and traveling in Europe for more than 30-plus years were a once-in-a-lifetime journey in itself. And a 30-year Army career offered so many opportunities to carry a rucksack and sleep on the ground than at times I care to remember. But from time to time, the thru-hiking dream rises from the depths of my consciousness like a mountain rises out of the mist. A recent weekend get-away with my wife took us into AT territory. In mid-February, we spent a great weekend exploring vineyards, breweries, and distilleries based out of a bed-and-breakfast in Lovingston, Virginia in Nelson County. Forty-five miles of the AT pass through Nelson County, including along the Blue Ridge Parkway and the well-known Rockfish Gap crossing. Our first night, we ate at the Devil’s Backbone Base Camp and I drank a brew called Mile 842, named for the AT milepost. The beast was awakened. The next day we headed north to visit a lavender farm and vineyard near Harrisonburg. We passed through the Rockfish Gap and stopped in Waynesboro, VA to visit an antique mall across the street from Ming’s Garden. Having read a lot of trail journals in the past, I could not help but imagine what it would be like to be visiting Waynesboro as a thru-hiker. I haven’t ever really shared this thru-hike obsession with my wife. To be honest, I doubt she would really be on board with the idea of me spending six months on the trail. At some point, I will have to confront the beast – the trail, not my wife. The question is how to take that precipitous step with her and broach the subject. It may not be the first step of my AT journey, but it certainly is a giant and critical step.
0 Comments
|
Quiet Man
I don't have a bucket list. At 61 years old, I have already had the adventures of a lifetime, especially after a 30-year Army career, five years of teaching high school, and a 37 year marriage still going strong. But I still have this deep desire to complete the Appalachian Trial. Archives
February 2022
Categories |