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.

Stony Man Mountain

Until next time...I wish you all a smile or joy in something throughout your day. Something simple, beautiful, and meaningful to you. 

Lot of Love,
Alan

Peg Leg, Butter Bar, and Tusk, enjoying an active rest day at the Loft Mountain camp store

Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park

New shoes; loud but comfy!

Astin (the birthday boy), me, and my sis Amy at their house

tis real nice to be back in the mountains again

As of June 14th:
Shower total: 26
Laundry total: 13

Total miles to date: 1327.7
Total miles remaining: 856.5