Date: 2009-03-29
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Miles today: 0.0

Its been a year since V8 and I started our long distance AT hike, and EVERYTHING is reminding me of the drama, excitement and overall sense of engagement that last year's March contained.I am home now, waiting out the mud season and focusing on building my work life back up. Last night we watched a delightful DVD that 07's M&M put together, loads of images of the signs and sites along the way north. This DVD was especially evocative because so many of the landmarks we associate with the AT were included. Who would think that little things like a rock saying Hogpen Gap would be so full of memories?I am still coping with a lot of longing and missing, feelings that I used to pretty much be able to detach from and ignore. Trail life got under my skin like nothing else I have ever done. Of course, I have never had that degree of freedom from restriction, either, in my life. Tom (Uncle Tom '07) accepted an opportunity to present a talk about our trips recently, at a local small town library. We put together our presentations separately, so it was fun to see what he chose to say about his journey, and just fantastic to spend time putting together mine. I loved talking about the AT and showing pictures and answering questions. I doubt that I will be picking up where we left off this year, as I need to get some financial stability back, so hopefully I will be able to do a few weekend outings. Not being able to continue the hike right away has really sweetened the memory of what we were able to do in '08.The AT is a total treasure, and if you get the chance to walk it, don't hesitate. At the same time, I have not been the same since I got back, and that has, at times, been pretty uncomfortable. I noticed a big shift in my sense of competence, personal authority, physical fitness and energy. I have been able to maintain some of that vitality and muscle, despite the return of an office based life style. I see my accumulated "stuff" really differently, and respond much more strongly to media stories of injustice, waste, exploitation and greed. I read The Shock Doctrine when I got home, something I would not have picked up before the trip. It was tough going, but eye opening and absolutely essential for me to understand the characters and places and companies involved with the US's self serving involvement in developing nations. As a hiker, I know that very little in the way of capitalist goods and services are needed to have a decent life. I also know that good will, integrity, cooperation and intelligence are needed in huge amounts in order to have a decent life. Our "great country" 's government, in the last 20 years or so, has effectively wiped out profound and irreplaceable amounts of natural resources and traditional ways of life in every part of the globe. Needless to say, I am much more aware of names and places in the news, and much more involved in the current administration's call for citizen feedback and involvement.The other area of my life that has leapt forward is a long time interest in painting. Somehow I felt I could now grapple with the process of learning the foundations and practicing the skills of visual art. Its been amazing to see progress in just a few months, and I can tell this interest could rival that of my interest in the trail, if I let it. We took a one night trip across town and into the Camden Hills last weekend, packing in our food and gear to a cabin that can be rented for the night. I liked being on the woods road leading into the place, and grew very reminiscent of mid March last year, heading into Bly gap and such. Sighhhhhhh!Here's hoping that we all get outdoors early and often this season, and that we keep perspective about what really makes life worth living.