My little sister and her boyfriend fiance have been doing a little walking this summer. Actually, they have been walking since the end of April. They have been walking with 30lb backpacks on their shoulders. They have been walking from one white blaze to the next through woods, muddy fields, and up and over mountains of boulders. They have walked past rattlesnakes, biting flies, and black bears. They have been walking with some interestingly awesome people that they've met along the way. They have been walking through some of the most amazing parts of the country not many get to see or experience in their lifetime. They have been 'walking' the Appalachian Trail and they are almost to the end....to Mount Katahdin!
I often get inspired by other people's amazing-ness (that is a new word, by the way). Hiking the Appalachian Trail (or the 'AT') is sort of like walking a marathon...every day, for 5-7 months, with weights on your back. Why would anyone want to do this? Well, I would want to push my body to do something I've never done before. I would want to stretch my mind to believe that I could complete such a feat that most people could never accomplish. I would like to experience the kinder side of people and the camaraderie that forms among hikers and trail caretakers. Let's be honest, I would want to do the "1/2 gallon challenge" for breakfast and not feel bad about it because I knew I would walk it all off in the afternoon. I can only speculate on why someone decides to hike the AT, but hearing stories of my sister's journey inspires me to be more adventerous.
Although I may not hike over 2,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail any time soon, I definitely have respect and admiration for those that do.
1 comments:
Well said loving daughter of mine. We'll have to share that 1/2 gallon and relive the short weekend we had with them on the AT! Painful as it was it was nothing in comparison to what they've reported since.
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