Post 7. The Curtain Parts for Act 2

As we were driving toward Harpers Ferry, WV, on Sunday, May 23, my thoughts were drifting towards my fears, apprehension, and self doubt.  I had spent four weeks on the trail in March and you would think I would be filled with confidence.  But nooooo, not me.  This is like starting a whole new hike- different terrain with its own challenges,  and instead of trying to stay warm at night now I have to try to stay cool.  And speaking of sleeping, there will be no more quiet nights; there will be a constant din of crickets and cicadas.  I will be hiking through a state known in the hiking community as Rocksylvania, I have to be alert for rattlesnakes, poison ivy, and ticks.  How does one hike in 90* temperatures with 90% humidity?

I haven’t even mentioned the ramifications of hiking during a pandemic.  I must have stepped off the trail 15 times an hour to let people pass during the holiday weekend. I also fear being judged- being known as a thru hiker used to be an asset, now I’m concerned it may be a liability.  Some folks might be afraid of me.

Oh, and I am also carrying an additional 10 lbs. Anita thought it quite humorous that I had to lengthen my hip belt on my backpack so that I could buckle it.

Moving through fears and self doubt is a necessary step that is required for personal growth.  That is why I chose to attempt a thru hike, to put myself in situations where I have to adapt and learn to overcome adversity, to attempt to do something that is far bigger than I am.

Thanks to Covid19, my NOBO thru hike attempt has now become a flip flop.  Act 2 started just north of Harpers Ferry and will go through MD and PA.  Hopefully trail access in the New England states will open by the time I get there.  In early September, when I reach Mt. Katahdin in ME, I plan to get a ride back to HF and hike south through autumn.

The AT in MD goes through a handful of civil war battle sites.  It was appropriate for me to reflect on the causes of that awful conflict while hiking through the battlegrounds during Memorial Day weekend.  It’s too bad my kids weren’t with me so that I could annoy them by stopping to read every placard.  

Let me know what you think silk blazing is in the comments.  Since I’ve started hiking early in the morning to beat the summer heat, I get to silk blaze until other hikers get on the trail.

During my first morning on the trail, I was contemplating how my senses were getting assaulted.  My eyes nearly had to squint because everything they saw was some brilliant hue of green.  My eardrums were vibrating from the scolding of chipmunks, the pounding of pileated woodpeckers, and the mating calls of scores of birds of a plethora of species.  In addition to the typical forest smells, my olfactory was also tantalized with gentle aromas from a farm wafting up from the valley below.  My tastebuds were massaged by Anita’s homemade granola.  And my skin tingled as drops of dew fell from the tree canopy above and landed on my bare arms. 

In The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis talks about people on a bus trip to heaven.  The physical realm of heaven was more real than anything on earth; so real that it was painful to the earthly senses.  This reflection made me wonder if we will gain additional senses in heaven and if our current five senses will be awakened from the state of dullness from which they have degenerated.

That’s the real adventure that we have to look forward to.