The AT Service Experience: September 2012

September 27, 2012

A visit to Boone & 425 miles to go!

Wow, what a delicious treat; coming back to Boone that is. Easily within the first half hour of being here, I saw at least 3 people I knew, and within 24 hours I had seen and chatted briefly with many familiar smiles and faces.

Being back here for the few days that I am, I feel quite energized and positive. In addition to the familiar mountains and Fall foliage, the people here in this town have been nothing short of overly hospitable and kind. My friend Matt (read: shout-out!) has graciously offered his place for us to stay and his car for myself and Peg Leg to borrow. Other folks here in the High Country have been very welcoming through txt and email messages - offering me an opportunity to visit and share with them of my adventures on the Trail. I find it highly contributory to my holistic energy to be here, and to share of the privilege I have had thus far in my travels.

As I was sharing with a friend today, for me to not find a way after I'm finished walking to repay and replenish the kind goodness that others have shown to me is for me to deny the opportunity that has been this Appalachian Trail thru hike. One way I've been dreaming of sharing is through a self-published short story book; known as a Zine.

As I sit here and try to reflect on things amazing or crazy I struggle to comprehend what those things mean, aside from the raw nature of what has been. In many ways, this whole experience has been amazing and crazy, so for me to take time after I'm done to compile my thoughts in a logical and sensible manner is definitely a light at the end of the walking tunnel.

Much has transpired since my last post. I last posted (aside from the quick blurb in Damascus a few days ago) from Waynesboro, VA - over 450 miles ago. So, I'll take the remaining space for photos and save the words for that publication to follow in the coming months.

a grassy walk; near Cold Mountain, VA

The Priest! a 3,000 foot climb - Central VA

Where are the mountains at? A famous photo opportunity snapped by many hikers along the AT: McAfee's Knob.

the view towards McAfee's Knob (on the left, beside my foot) - taken from Tinker Cliffs

love those clouds!

super important to hug a dinosaur - in Glasgow, VA

Family visit! With Great Uncle Johnny and Diane Baker - in Buchanan, VA

Wood's Hole Hostel; excellent rest day. Check out their website for more: http://www.woodsholehostel.com/

Neville and Michael harvesting their honey hives - @ the Wood's Hole Hostel

I walked 33 miles to eat this 16 ounce burger, then walked another 4.5 miles to the shelter. The burger lasted about 4 minutes before being devoured by a nameless, hungry hiker

The view outback from the Thomas Knob shelter - near Mount Rogers, VA. These mountains are the ones I used to call home when I lived in Boone. Was loving to view and name them as I remembered their unique shapes.

early morning sun...

...well worth the cold temps for the early morning view.

on our way towards Damascus, VA

a field walk in Tennessee

Well, I'm not sure when I'll next have a chance to post with the final 3 weeks between us and the finish at Springer Mountain in Georgia. I wish you all well in the meantime and look forward to sharing much more when the moments allow.

Cherish the simple things; love often, and remember to smile even when you don't feel like it!

Alan

As of June 14th:
Shower total: 34
Laundry total: 17

Total miles to date: 1759.2
Total miles remaining: 425.0

September 25, 2012

Goodbye Virginia!

Hello folks,

Short post this morn: sitting at Mojoe's Coffee shop in Damascus, Virginia. In 5 miles or so, I'll be across the border into Tennessee; yay! This brings great mental resolve, being that Virginia is the longest section on the entire trail.

For those keeping up with me - via the blog, cell phone, etc. - I apologize if I am slow to respond. I will say, however, that I will be even slower to respond via cell phone. My device took an unfortunate plunge into the toilet last night at the hostel here in town. I'm in the midst of "drying" it with rice, but am unsure of its future.

In the meantime, I'll be headed into Boone, NC - my old stomping grounds during Graduate School - tomorrow afternoon till Saturday morn. I'm very excited to be headed back to that special place.

I hope ya'll out there are doing well. If you'd like to help me out in my quest to maintain contact, please send me an email (aldsmith3@gmail.com) with your cell phone contact number. I am unsure if my phone will return to its normal duties, so I could be getting a new phone without numbers. I appreciate the help!

Stay warm in the lovely cool of fall,
Alan

PS, another post with pictures will be coming soon from Boone. Smiles!

September 6, 2012

Is it too early to dream?

Greetings once again all you lovely people in bloggie blog land,

Life is once again has been well as I sit here and reflect in the Waynesboro, VA public library on a zero (rest) day. After a restful and relaxing 6 days off the trail with my sister Amy, brother in-law Andy, and my 2 nephews Atley and Astin, it was nice to get back to the grind of hiking. Sure, half-way was an accomplishment, but not nearly monumental enough to celebrate just yet. So with the halfway point more than 200 miles behind me, I begin to dream about the end. Though, is it too early to dream?

early morning sun in the Shenandoah Mountains

That question is perhaps best left in rhetorical form, though I find my mind wonders towards the end as the days tick on. With that in ponderance, I've heard from other thru hikers that as the end approaches, the reality of finishing begins to weigh heavy on the shoulders and mind. Leaving the trail that has given and shown much is a hard thing to stomach. So, I suppose through this lens it is a bit too early to dream, though, I surely do!

One thing that worried me beginning again after the half-way was with who or whom I'd be hiking with. I've been believing more fully in the phrase that what the hiker needs, the trail provides. In this manner, I was without a hiking partner or partners, and was wondering if I'd be alone for a while. In my first day back out, after a great stop to visit some old friends from Indiana, PA (now residing in Chambersburg, PA), I met Peg Leg and Butter Bar; 2 other southbounders I had yet to meet. What I needed, the trail provided.

You could say that this happens many times in life, though sometimes, I wonder cautiously about the act of wishing. Seems a dangerous game in which our concentrated thought sets in motion a chain of events that results in wishes coming to fruition. Sometimes for good, sometimes not. As for the trail providing, that seems a related realm that I have trouble conceptualizing right now. It's as if there is something greater watching over - knowing when or how to provide just when it seems we've come up empty. Though, I admit, this is not something that just magically happens. It is my belief that we - as conscious and moral human beings -have to give back in some manner, in order to assist in balancing this complex, life equation.

Sure, we choose to live our lives as we may; but, what I may or may not do, does sway in how it can affect another. With that in mind, I do dream; and I dream often. I may not dream towards the end, for in the end lies an escape, a solution to this exit fever. But, a dream that somewhere out there, perhaps through the next turn, or down the next mountain, that life is happening in balance and my presence in that moment could be one of positivity or negativity. The choice hanging in soft suspension.

Oh, these are the things I enjoy most about the trail, about this opportunity to participate in something not quite like the normal, everyday life. For when I exit this experience, I will again have another opportunity to enter the world with a heart and mind for love, learning, and sharing.