Date: 2004-07-12
From: PA 225

To: PA 143
Miles today: 47.1

It poured rain all dad-gum day and set a record for the Philly area, so I¢m going to talk about something positive. Fortunately, I didn¢t have to live in it, just hike in it.I¢ve spoken of my rediscovery of simple things while hiking the AT, but there are many simple accomplishments as well. Said another way, simple victories. Not unlike getting your sea legs while boating, the Appalachian Trail helps you¢¦requires you, to discover your trail legs. What are trail legs? I would describe it as the ability to wed both balance and nimbleness to your pace without missing a beat regardless of the terrain. Getting your mastery of stride becomes quite useful before entering Pennsylvania. What thru-hikers face in the last days of Virginia-West Virginia, they¢ll face nearly the entire state, which are rocks the size of lemons, oranges, grapefruits and Volkswagens. They lay around everywhere and on top of one another and some are diabolically pointed up, ever ready to poke your tender soles. Others have the evil ability to rise up slightly as you approach in hopes of tripping you to the earth so they can get a closer look at your embarrassed face. No really, they do this. At some points you might go miles while touching nary a molecule of dirt. This geologic nuisance can all be blamed on the ice age that happened eons ago. It is this rockin¢ trail that has made Pennsylvania the least popular of the 14 states the AT traverses among many thru-hikers ¢ A surprising distinction since the state is mostly a flat, ridgeline route.In the book ¢Walkin¢ On The Happy Side Of Misery¢ by J.R. ¢Model T¢ Tate, he penned this little poem:                Rocks rocks, they¢s hard on your socks.                        They chews up your boots and hurts your foots.                        Dang¢em rocks. So here¢s how it happens. You¢re moving your legs up the trail, left right left right, while your poles are going right left right left and your lung are going in out in out and it is all rhythmic, smooth and very Zen. Each is independent and yet dependent on the cadence of the other. There is a harmony and purity and power in it all, but it is also fragile and can disintegrate if one aspect of the triad misses. That¢s when you come upon the obstacle. It can be rocks or roots, ledges or boulders. It can be a serpentine weave between oaks or pine or poplar or it can be boulder hopping over a rushing stream.Not unlike the way a pianist just lets go and plays instead of thinking too much, we too let go. What happens next is that our legs and footing gently caress the required surface only but an instant because the other has now taken our momentum on and then its repeated over and over. What happens is step step step hop step step step hop step. (All you know is that Olympic champion Nadia Comminech has nothing on you.) The miracle of it all is that the obstacle didn¢t produce so much as a raised eyebrow.You emerge on the other side of the obstacle still in full stride and rhythm and you know something special just happened. A blush of pride finds you and your posture finds a bit more height. Wow. Isn¢t it amazing how easily I¢m entertained? (hiking to road crossings with a visit home is nice when you¢re as wet as a tuna. This is a multiple mileage day. The travel back and forth doesn¢t leave me enough time for daily update.)