Week 20
Week 20 Wednesday- Sunday As I head South, I am hiking solo. I have seen two thru hikers since I started from Damascus, but they are both hiking too fast for me to catch up with on a daily basis. Every now and again they will take a zero and I will see them again, but they pass by me and I don't see them again for days. I meet a few section hikers every now and again, especially on the weekends. They always immediately congratulate me, which makes me feel kind of strange considering I haven't finished yet. They ask me when I started the trail and then usually follow up with a question about why I decided to thru hike. The start date question is easy to answer of course, but I find myself hesitant to answer the why question. I know why I originally started, but what I have gotten out of this experience is far more rewarding than any original ideal I had about taking this journey. I think that is why the hesitation occurs.
They usually end the conversation by telling me what the terrain is like up ahead, an account that always ends with, "It's a bit of a climb, but it will be easy for you" or "this next part will be a walk in the park compared to what you've done". I smile, say thanks, and continue my hike. I'd like to take a moment and tell you that the trail does not get easier. You may get better at hiking, but despite how many weeks or months you have been out here, the deal is still the same. Climbing mountains is hard. My life may not flash before my eyes with every big climb as it did in the beginning, but I still huff and puff and sweat and eventually make it up the mountain.
Since day 2, every part of my body has ached every single day. Most mornings, I can barely walk for the first few minutes I am standing, and I have not had one day on this trip where I have thought, "man, this is easy", no matter how far into it I have been. The trail reminds me of life in recovery in this sense because I often am confronted with people thinking that if they stop drinking, life will become easier. This, and here me out on this one, I believe to be a common misconception. Life is not easy. Life will never be easy. No matter how long you have been walking the trail of life, challenge and difficulty will be a part of the journey. If life becomes easy for someone, it would be my suspicion that they are no longer working to better themselves. If you have a problem with drugs or alcohol and you stop using, do not think life will get easier. This belief will most likely be an ideology that will set you on a path toward a failed attempt at sobriety. Think instead that you will get better at life. You will be able to live in a way that allows you to approach challenges in a better more productive way, but the challenges will still be there. You might think this idea of life getting easier versus one getting better at life is a 'six of one, half a dozen of the other' concept, but it is not. It is a completely different perception, and accurate perception is so important in this situation. I have seen many an alcoholic and many a thru hiker end their journey because it did not get easier for them after a while of working on it. Skewed perceptions more than likely had a hand in this failed attempt. If anything, when I quit drinking my life got a lot more complex and challenging. I couldn't just get drunk, fade out, and forget about my problems anymore. I had to be present and face them 24/7, and everyday I huffed and puffed and sweated, and Eventually overcame the challenge. I know for a fact I have many more mountains ahead of me on this trip, and I am sure more climbs to face in life that will not be any easier than the ones I have already endured, but I will continue to try and hopefully continue to find strength I didn't even know I had.
My favorite part of the hike this week was the stretch that ran through the Roan Highlands. Big Hump and Little Hump were two balds that I crossed over as I headed toward Carver Gap and Roan Mountain. The views were 360 degrees as I hiked this range. The Blue ridges of the Cherokee National Forest were breathtaking.
It was right before this section that I crossed officially into North Carolina. The AT runs along the Tennessee/North Carolina border for quite some time after this crossing, so I am not exactly finished seeing the Tennessee landscape, but as far as the actual trail is concerned, I only have two more states to conquer.
After the Roan Highlands, I found myself in Erwin, NC. I stayed at a Hostel called Uncle Johnny's where I met Uncle Johnny of course, as well as two guys named Gary and Jeb who were on his staff. They were a crew, super hospitable and sweet. The hostel was right on the Nolichuky River, but they had road bikes you could take out and ride to town.
I took one out and biked the four miles to town on one of the nicest bike trails I ever seen. It ran parallel with the river and then then highway, then plopped you out right into the middle of the small trail town. They were having their annual Fall apple festival when I was there so there were people and tents and all kinds of homemade apple goods everywhere. It was so much fun waking around all the action. I only wished I had somewhere there with me to enjoy it. The week ended with a 20M hike in an all day downpour on Sunday. My feet were absolute mush by the end of the day, but I managed to make it to a shelter and take cover before the crazy winds from the Hurricane Nate came through that evening. Hiking through the rain is grueling, but I have a visit from Wes to look forward to when I make it to Hot Springs, NC. I am so excited to see him and spend the day with him in town.
