Date: 2016-05-10
From: Thunder Hill Shelter

To: Glasgow VA
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

Family and friends. We often hear these two grouped together whenever serious gratitude is due. But let me really take some time to explain what my family and friends mean to me in my life, and in my journey. This journey, to me, consists of reflection, perception and strengthening. Without the love of everyone around me, this would be impossible. My family. I have two amazing parents that wound up with me in their laps when they were younger than I am at this very moment. My parents always gave me space to make my own decisions, while still guiding me along the way to make the right choices. I was given a home where I had the opportunity to fall in love with nature, and a park behind our house that was the setting for every adventure of my youth. As I walk along the trail each day, I know that it was the hours spent on the trails, and in the woods, of Springside Park, that fueled my passion for all that I am surrounded in every day on the Appalachian Trail. Always along for the adventure was my little sister. Even when I was a complete jerk, she stood by my side and explored with me. Now we are adults, and embark on another phase of life's adventures.Because of my mother and father's parents, my creative outlets were sculpted. My grandparents on both sides always encouraged me to dream. When I dreamed of being a musician, my grandfather gave me instruments to bang away at and took the time to show me what "good taste in music" really meant. I would go out and listen to him sing and play and hope that one day I could be brave enough to stand up and do the same. Eventually, that music was my tool to confidence. My grandmother recognized my passion for the woods and brought me along on hikes, to bird sanctuaries to learn about wildlife and always passed along books on everything there was to know about taking a stroll into the woods. From this, I learned to respect the natural world; take nothing for granted. On my father's side, my grandparents provided a place to wander on my own. I could catch frogs and crayfish, and chase ducks until they turned around and chased me back. My grandmother taught me the art of relaxation and patience. She understood my love for reading and always encouraged me to read more. We spent time drinking tea and playing croquet as if we were members of high society. She taught me not to worry, although I admittedly do so far too much. My grandfather taught me what hard work really meant. He always supported my pursuit of education, encouraged me to do well in school and gave me all of the tools I needed to reap the benefits of a hard day's work. One could say, I was given grit. My extended family consists of cousins, more like brothers and sisters, that would go to the end and back with me. My aunts and uncles, for that matter, great aunts and great uncles, we're all so diverse that there was no way I could not learn something new every time I visited one of their homes. So now my friends. There are the friends that I grew up with. The ones who know where I came from, and how I got to this point. They are the ones who bail you out when life gives you everything it's got all at once, and the one's who ride the storm out with you, right by your side. The relationships fall right into place like not a day passed in between. There are the friends that I work with. The people I spend more hours of the week with than anyone else. The people that make going into work an experience to look forward to. To you guys, I owe infinite thanks for your wise words of encouragement and endless support to see my success.New friends come into my life everyday out here on the trail. We all share the common goal out here and the struggles each day on the trail. At the end of the night, it means the world to be able to see a familiar face around the campfire. These bonds, while still young and growing, make the walk a little less lonely. We come into unfamiliar towns together, hungry and exhausted and stick together like a family. The trail family. We rely on each other to see through to the next day. When I first set foot on trail, I thought I had the big picture. I came out in search of strength and wisdom. I was looking for answers to questions I had. Now there are new questions posed. I walk in search of answers I may never find. The beauty in all of this? It's ok not to know, so long as you are willing to try and understand. Strength and wisdom are both infinite concepts to me. One can always seek to be stronger, both physically and emotionally. There is no end to the strength we can achieve, so long as we continue to seek it. Wisdom never reaches a paramount, it expands further and further until the day we die. Tomorrow we are wiser than yesterday.This trail isn't just about what happens each day to me while I wander around the green tunnel. It's about understanding how I got here, what keeps me going, and why the trail is a metaphor for the big picture of this thing we call "life." In my life I love my family and I love my friends. Displaced from them, I struggle everyday, but the AT, although isolating at times, never stops reminding you of all that truly matters. Thank you to everyone who continues to support me from back home.