Date: 2004-04-03
To: Metaphor
Miles today: 0.0

I went to the other doctor today. He's a hiker himself. He said my rotator cuff may be damaged. He said I probably should have it examined by an orthopedic doctor, but he also knew I was going hiking anyway. He gave me a prescription for some heavy duty anti-inflamitory drugs, and said it might heal by itself. I was glad he didn't try the cortisone injection.    I was talking about my coming hike and my experiences on the AT last summer with my minister the other members of a class I've been taking at church. She said that the trail sounded like a good metaphor for life. That encouraged me to put some of the lessons I've been learning down in this journal before I start my hike this year.Life lessons from the AT I am constantly going up and down mountains and traveling rough terrain.There is no way to predict what will happen the next day or even the next moment. Experienced hikers warn the novice not to fight the trail. That is good advice for life. Trying to control life and manage it is a nice thought but about as useless as trying to control the trail. I am often in the depths of despair one moment and in ecstasy the next.Fearful lightning, thunder and pelting rain dissolve into a pleasant drizzle and a rainbow. When my calves are aching, the bugs are biting, and I¢m thirsty and hungry, I want to give up. Then I see an owl, a flower, a fellow hiker, hear the pure rich song of a bird, or reach the summit of a mountain.More trail words of wisdom come to mind, ¢Hike your own hike.¢ Even though we all travel the same trail, it is different for every hiker. Trying to live up to other¢s expectations of how to travel doesn¢t work. Some people travel light and fast. Others carry heavy packs and take their time. Some travel with companions, and some hike mostly by themselves. Some hike from one end to the other in a season and some do it in sections or over a couple of years. Some pass every white blaze, others take short cuts or skip sections. How often we find ourselves trying to hike someone else¢s hike during life. We compare ourselves to each other, or we try to do it ¢their way¢ instead of own. We are often guilty of trying to tell others how to hike their hike or live their life, but what works for us won¢t work for them even if we have the best intentions. Experienced hikers usually follow advice with, ¢But you know, you have to hike your own hike.¢ If you ask hikers what they have experienced on a certain section of trail, there will be a few similarities, but mostly a lot of different responses. Even though everyone travels the same territory, we all bring different expectations, gear, and knowledge. We pay attention to different things, and the trail is never the same from one day to the next. I remember the differing responses to one particular hostel. We didn¢t stop there, but read the registry at the shelter. For one couple, the place was terrible and the owner appeared to be a mean, ill tempered, dirty individual. For another, the place was a refuge, rustic and comfortable. The owner was a sympathetic listener who fed her pancakes and helped her decide to stay on the trail when she was ready to give up. I knew the hikers who had signed the registry, and I had no doubt that they were all telling the truth about their experience. I also believe that the owner and the hostel hadn¢t changed during the week that passed between their two visits. Similar events in life have different meanings for us depending on the experience and expectations we bring to the situation. Help comes when it¢s needed, and it usually comes when it isn¢t expected. On the trail they call this ¢trail magic¢ given by ¢trial angels¢. It¢s the ride given to town by a beat up truck when the hungry, dirty hiker has been waiting for a half hour by the side of the road. It¢s the candy bar left in my bear bag by two young guys we camped with one night when they noticed that we were running out of food. It¢s the cooler full of sodas left in the middle of nowhere for this year¢s hikers by a former thru hiker along with words of encouragement. It happens in life too. It is the friend you find when really need one, the smile and helping hand, or the sympathetic ear. We all have the potential to be trail angels on the journey of life, and we all need the help and encouragement of some ¢trail angels¢ to make it. It would be hard to hike without some faith in trail magic. It is hard to go through life without faith, faith in other people, and faith in a power greater than oneself that will provide what is needed.When the destination is reached, there is exhilaration but also a let down. I haven¢t made it to Katahdin, but I¢ve reached other goals in my life. Most thruhikers talk about the difficult readjustment to normal life after the hike.   That clich©, ¢It¢s the journey not the destination that is important.¢ works for the trail and for life. Reaching the goals we chase rarely brings the big pay off in satisfaction that we anticipate. I remember being rather depressed after reaching Harpers Ferry last year, not because we hadn¢t completed the whole trail as we started out to do, but because I would miss the trail. I was actually happy to have the other half of it to do this year. It¢s great to have goals and plans, but it is important to understand that the only real satisfaction comes from enjoying where one is at the moment.