Date: 2004-06-03
From: Tye River (VA, Route 56)

To: The Woods near Laurel Springs Gap
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

Hiking the Appalachian Trail really appeals to two distinct aspects of my personality. Maybe this is true for other hikers as well, but it is certainly true for me. The ¢Type A¢ part of me (which admittedly is probably the best known part (or at least the most observable aspect) of me enjoys setting a goal and then ¢Kat-bar-the door, here and go!¢ As you¢ve probably already noticed from my prior journal entries, sometimes I¢ll challenge myself to see if I can get to a certain place by a certain time, while at other times; I¢ll try to maintain a certain pace over a particular distance. Sometimes when heading up a steep ascent I¢ll push myself not to stop until reaching the summit just to see if I can ¢will¢ myself to conquer the Trail-Classic ¢Type A¢ behavior. The other part of me that loves the AT is the ¢go with the flow¢ part that says ¢ getting there¢wherever ¢there¢ may be¢doesn¢t matter¢it¢s the journey and the sights and smells and experiences along the way that make it all worthwhile. When I¢m in this mode, it¢s the terrain that dictates how far or how fast I go. At first I thought this was a ¢new part of me¢ that was being developed by the AT until I realized that, most of the time, this is how I¢ve come to ski for several decades¢to let the mountain set the cadence and let the pitch determine the rhythm of the run. Certainly, through the AT is expanding on that ¢go with the flow¢ part of me.What¢s important, I think, is that both aspects are essential to really do this hike. If I were ¢Type A Bump¢ all the time; I would (as I believe some others who have tried this approach have painfully learned) end up breaking myself on the indomitable size and scale of the Trail. It¢s just too big and filled with too many surprises and twists¢unforeseen steeps, rock-covered segments, miserable weather conditions and the like-to maintain that approach for more than a small segment at a time. There are times you¢ve just gotta surrender to win¢to slow down or take a ¢Zero Day,¢ or adjust your timetable.The flip side of that coin is that equally true (at least for me.) There are other times that I can¢t just go along leisurely enjoying the day and taking in the experience as it comes. There are times when you¢ve got to suck it up, whether you want to or not, and summon all of your will to reach a certain place before dark or before a storm breaks or before you run out of water or food. Listening to the experiences of others, especially successful Thru Hikers who have done this trip before, that there are times when everyone must push themselves to keep from falling into the doldrums and losing their passion to push on.Today, for the most part, was one of those days where I was able to just ¢go with the flow¢ and spent most of the time ambling along and not really Section Hiking per se. The majority of today¢s route was climbing up and over a mountain called The Three Ridges and I think I did the first three miles in about three hours, climbing slowly, taking in the surroundings, taking off my pack at vista points and shooting a lot of pictures.As I hiked I came upon ¢Beast¢ with whom I leap-frogged several times on the Trail. We enjoyed getting to know one another over lunch at Maupin Field Shelter, at different overlooks and while we walked along together. He¢s from RI and was a bicycle courier in Washington before beginning this hike, which will end for him around Harper¢s Ferry at which time he¢s leaving for a long-anticipated trip to Europe for several months.Toward the end of this third picture-perfect hiking day of low temperatures, light breezes and sunshine, I walked past a small side trail marked ¢Overlook¢ I stopped and hear as the words to the song, ¢you may never pass this way again¢¦¢ ran through my head, dropped my pack and went to check it out. The scene that opened up before me was so lovely, I spent nearly an hour just sitting there on a rock out-cropping reveling in the peaceful beauty of the landscape before me ¢farms, roads, fields, mountains, valleys and far away villages. It resembled the tiniest train set imaginable with its detailed mountain and village landscape. What a creation to behold. It was dark by the time I found the ¢tent city¢ erected by ¢Goodtimes,¢ ¢Blueberry Bert¢, ¢Polar¢ ¢Jack¢and ¢Hot Rocks.¢ (Who, I¢ve been told is carrying his father¢s ashes with him to spread at Katahdin upon completion of his hike. Apparently his father had attempted a Thru Hike some years ago but only got as far as West Virginia before he was injured and had to stop.) ¢Polar¢ has a weather radio and the report is for more weather like today for the weekend. No chance of rain except some possible some showers tomorrow afternoon¢huraah! So with no rainfall, I¢m sleeping under the stars tonight, feeling very relaxed and ready for sleep.Lights out now!