Discovery

I've been on the trail now and again over the summer, meeting many wonderful people.  There was the gal from England who was anxious to get to New York and meet up with some friends.  I met another gent from the UK who was laboring in the July heat and humidity.  He didn't want to admit it, but he looked tired and over packed.  A trio of ladies graced the trail in early June, through hiking with three generations!

Last weekend, I ran/hiked a steep portion of The Trail where it intersects with the Darlington and Tuscarora Trails.  There was a father with two children, perhaps 8 and 10 years old.  They were practicing hiking, as they would be hiking and staying on the floor of the Grand Canyon at Phantom Ranch.

That same day, I talked to a young man from Michigan.  He was taking a rest beside an old wrecked car on the trail.  The car has degenerated to the point of being only a frame.  It came to rest on its roof, with the front bumper bent like a horseshoe around a tree.  I can't imagine how it got there or what its story is.  It has been there so long, the tree has begun envelope the bumper.  We pondered the etiology of such an unusual finding.  Then I resumed running and he finished his Clif Bar, heading to Boiling Springs.

Apples

Life is funny.  You go through the day to day motions and life moves forward.  Then one day, an event upsets the apple cart.  My apple cart was upset recently.  My loved one fell and broke his arm.  Not a simple fracture, but a comminuted, displaced humeral head fracture.  This meant surgery, an artificial joint and no use of his dominant arm.  Life gets turned upside down when you now have a dependent adult in the house.


Running has continued, but with less frequency, at shorter intervals.  We took the opportunity to explore new areas to run.  Finding trail heads and making visual notes helps me know where to go when the time is right.


The trails still beckon.  I will heed the call.  But only after I gather all the apples and put them back in the cart.

Mute

On the trail again yesterday.  A nice warm day, which brought out many delicious fragrances.  Sweet, warm, with some local fertilizer mixed in.  A woodpecker pecked.  And I met several hikers, although no one wanted to talk today.  Perhaps it was just a good day for introspection.

Blazes

Another glorious day on the AT.  I met a man, probably in his 80's who was delightful.  He walks the trail everyday.  He was a little later getting out today because he had breakfast with friends.  We both remarked how we wouldn't have met each other today if he was out at his usual time.  Fate is funny.  I'm glad fate brought us together today.  I will see him again on the trail, I'm sure.


A volunteer was also out repainting the blaze markers.  I spoke with him for a bit.  He was quiet and soft spoken.  A calming source in the hectic world.  I thanked him for his efforts.


I am thankful for the ability to run and meet these wonderful human beings on the Appalachian Trail.

The AT is a Wonderful Place to Be

I love to run.  There I said it.  I enjoy being outdoors.  Yesterday while running on the Appalachian Trail, I heard birds chirping, woodpeckers knocking and other unseen animals rustling in the brush.  It rained the night before, so the air was damp and the brush smelled wet and wonderful.  At times the sun shone brightly.  And at the end of the run, my socks were wet and my shoes were muddy.  A wonderful time indeed.