Date: 2006-06-30
From: PA 443

To: Eagles Nest Shelter area (tenting)
Miles today: 28.9
Weather: few clouds

I forget at times how wonderful it is to be able to hike the AT. A T-Shirt at the ATC is printed with Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Then a caption under it states, ¢See, there is no someday.¢ To find time in one¢s multi-tasking life to hike is difficult. An endeavor like a thru-hike is almost the domain of the twenty-something person before grad school or just after college or it¢s much farther ahead in life when retirement comes along. They are in the majority, but a few in between careers like me are out there. It seems the idea of doing a long-distance hike requires more than time though. Maybe at the top of the list is imagination. That quality may not be at the top of your list, but it becomes all the more clear with the individuals I meet along the trail. Many know of the AT, few ever think of doing more than a day hike and even fewer ever consider doing anything of a week or more. The whole idea of getting out to the woods and mountains without a backup staff or guide seems outside the scope of many an imagination ¢ and yet what a shame it never occurs to them. They can¢t imagine what may be just over their fence. Recently I hiked up on an urban youth group out for a day of discovery in ¢the wilderness.¢ I loved witnessing their total excitement when seeing a caterpillar. Apparently PlayStation or XBox doesn¢t use insects in their digital war games of destruction. When I shared my one-day encounter of five black bears with another group, spine tingling terror was their reaction instead of enthusiastic awe. Urban violence is much worse than that of the woods. Maybe that¢s the explanation? The real world can be a scary place because of others. The best way to avoid those few idiots is to hike up to a mountain, believe me; most idiots are pretty lazy and chipmonks don¢t want anything to do with you. Impatience seems to be the greatest quality of those who have little contact with the outdoors. Speeding and tailgating speak volumes as to ones mindset. The more time I spend on the AT the better I see the world. Call it balance or an improved perspective on things, nearly everyone could benefit from getting out more. There¢d be fewer drama kings and queens, more would learn the difference between what is wanted and needed. Maybe even a few drivers wouldn¢t interpret a car moving in front of them as a personal insult? All these enlightenments are not exclusive to the AT fortunately. The AT however, is a very well marked, civilized stroll through the unknown. The popular book A Walk In The Woods is currently in production for a movie. Although I feel the book fell apart at telling the story of hiking the whole trail once the main characters started skipping sections and then coming off the trail, the movie may help others trapped in suburbia to imagine themselves or their family on a hike. If that happens, a new generation or a directional shift in the current one might think outdoors rather than indoors. Escape and adventure is a multi-trillion dollar past time in America alone with the likes of movies, theme parks and guided tours. Wonderfully, it can cost no more than a sandwich, a bottle of water and some sunscreen. There¢s a great big, beautiful world waiting for you and your family ¢ Go ahead, dare to imagine the possibilities. Let your guide be the white blazes.