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August 2 - August 10, 2022
seems to me that women handle grief better than men do. Perhaps women are more community-minded; they have a wider circle of friends and are willing to speak more openly about their emotions. Unfortunately, when pain descends upon us men we react as we’ve been taught: keep emotions in check and solve the problem.
One of the first lessons in Grief 101 is a caution against making any big, life-changing decisions for at least one year. That includes buying or selling your home, quitting or changing jobs, or getting remarried.
no one has a guarantee of tomorrow. That’s why it is so important today to tell our spouses and loved ones what they mean to us.
Don’t take your spouse and family for granted. Enjoy today fully. Don’t assume you have tomorrow to tell your loved ones what they mean to you.
Preparation for a long-distance hike should include building an appropriate degree of physical fitness.
my stress factory.
Taking comfort from the sound of the falling water, I felt a kinship with this river. My life, flowing merrily along, had suddenly arrived at an abyss where everything fell away and the waters tumbled and crashed over the edge. But after the abrupt, headlong plunge down the cliff, the river quiets itself in pools and then moves on steadily and unhindered. I wanted the same for my life.
Appalachian Trail Georgia to Maine A Footpath for Those who seek Fellowship with the Wilderness.
I’d chosen Apostle, not only because my name was Paul, but because the definition of apostle is “one sent forth on a special mission.”
It was eight o’clock—hiker midnight, as it’s known on the trail.
disagreements within a congregation on superficial things like dress, color of vehicles, and other vital issues that determine eternal destiny.
Our church taught that outward appearance was to set us apart from the world, but I observed that the ladies carried the burden of this nonconformity requirement.
I had a vague expectation that the Appalachian Trail might lead me through experiences that would push out the tight boundaries of my life.
And I would leave behind my lifelong traveling companion, Guilt.
I knew the trail saying, “No rain, no Maine,”
“My wife passed away recently, and I’m trying to find peace and healing.”
One of the greatest pleasures on the trail is that first drink of cold, filtered spring water.
Trail magic is an unexpected gift of food or drink from strangers, and comes at some of the most unlikely times and locations.
From our campsite, we had a five-mile hike to reach the summit, five miles that included numerous PUDS (the trail acronym for “pointless ups and downs”).
your hike must be the most important thing in your life at the moment, or you probably won’t finish.
Perhaps his heavy load had exhausted his determination.
Last In, First Out was a hiking style that suited us both.
Staying upright was a challenge, and my hiking poles saved me countless times when I slipped on wet leaves.
He was oblivious to modern technology, but he was in great shape, and that seemed to compensate for everything else. Seventy marathons had prepared Marathon Man for this rigorous hike;
When I slipped or stumbled, but recovered without falling or twisting my ankle or breaking a limb, I heard myself say aloud, “Thank You, God” or “Thank You, Jesus.” That day, I was probably thanking the Good Lord all day long.
Chafing can be prevented or minimized by wearing tight-fitting clothes and applying a cream before hiking. Some men wear a kilt so air can then move freely through the area in question. I do grudgingly admire an outdoorsman who is willing to wear a skirt to avoid this pain.
In a short time, we had moved from the outhouse to the penthouse.
A purist is a hiker who passes every white blaze on the Appalachian Trail. Individual interpretations assign different levels of purity. I know this sounds silly, but with so many eccentric people on a small path for 2,176 miles, some measure of silliness will always surface.
no slackpacking.
Normally, “bald” brings to mind a hairless head, but in this case it meant a treeless mountain summit.
morel mushroom, standing alone in the middle of my path.
The reply, “Hike your own hike” is heard time and again on the trail, and it’s just a polite way of saying, “Shut up and mind your own business.”
We would be losing our leader, a singer of songs, who had introduced us to the birds along the trail. His hiking leadership had pushed me quickly into shape, he loved books as much as I did, and his agile intellect had sharpened mine as we bounced ideas back and forth.
Everywhere these days, people are plugging their ears and depriving themselves of good conversation. That earpiece is like putting up a “Do Not Disturb” sign. This ear-plugged hiker shut out not only all conversation with fellow humans, but also all the sounds of nature. He could not hear the singing birds or the whispering pines.
McAfee Knob
we fell into the easy and quick fellowship of the AT community.
bottle of Vitamin I. More commonly known as ibuprofen, this is a hiker’s best friend.
Something that has been eluding me for years has finally overtaken me. Contentment. I’ve been living life too fast. But now that I’m traveling at two miles per hour, contentment has caught up with me. God, why do we make our lives so difficult, trying to find contentment?
The next several hours were misery as I’d never known misery. Misery and fear. Sleet and high winds pummeled us. My hands were so cold I could no longer feel the hiking poles I held. At Symms Gap Meadow, the thunder roared and lightning flashed as we hiked through the open field.
Benton MacKaye, the originator of the AT. He said the ultimate purpose of the Appalachian Trail would be “to walk; to see and to see what you see.”[1]
McAfee Knob,
For the next two days, Ina pumped me full of anti-inflammatory drugs and huge quantities of high-calorie foods. In retrospect, my trail boss probably saved my hike.
A city of tents springs up, and everything quirky and timeless about the trail permeates this celebration of the AT family.
“Bill pursued his passions, honored his dreams, and cherished those around him.” This man had not just raced thoughtlessly through his life. I compared my own life. Did I even know what my passions were? Had I let my dreams die? Would I cherish the people in my life and appreciate what they brought to me?
God had allowed two rock dwellers to sit ringside while He worked His majesty. I am astounded that some folks think this all started with one big bang.
Two months ago at Springer Mountain, a thousand miles seemed an impossible dream; yet by getting up each morning and stubbornly hiking north one step at a time, I had walked that dream into reality. And here I was, with over a thousand miles behind me. Yes, I will admit it—it felt good.
One of the greatest pleasures on my hike was being safe and dry in a shelter during a storm.
being a rigid purist by now,
a Gypsy moth rain.
The sound of rain in the woods this morning came from the caterpillars’ excrement falling through the few leaves on the trees. Bits of leaves floated down and covered the forest floor with a layer of chopped green, and small poop pellets bounced off my head as I hiked.
