March 22, 1997 (Day 3 – Jarrard Gap – milepoint 25.3)

Up with the sun and took a cold morning bath in a creek (Justus Creek) a couple miles up the trail. Caught up to Mr. Mingo and ran into Kurt (from North Carolina) again. With him were two women called the Lucky Laggers and a guy calling himself Chugger. All seem to be doing well so far. I switched to a clean pair of socks, shorts, and a T-shirt. Mother Nature continues to be kind (70+ degrees dark blue, sunny skies) and I remain grateful and respectful because I know better than to take it for granted…

Lunch at Gooch Gap. “Lighten the Load!” I’ve been cooking BIG lunches and having the leftovers for dinner when I am tired and don’t feel like cooking. It seems to be working well and beans and rice are every bit as tasty cold. Mr. Mingo also found that the hiking was a little easier going after a big lunch, so the tone is being set. We also both noticed an increase in our metabolisms. My body feels like it is using everything I feed it. Not a whole lot of waste.

We had our first dose of Trail Magic today. “Trail Magic” is essentially a random act of unexpected kindness, most often consisting of food or a gesture of good will. Wharf Rat (A.T. class of ’96) and his buddy Todd, both from Atlanta, came walking up the trail with Girl Scout cookies and beer. They apologized for the beer not being cold but I hadn’t noticed. Wharf Rat showed us some pictures of his’96 thru-hike. You could really feel his high energy and excitement. We (Mr. Mingo and I) stopped for dinner on a beautiful overlook and joined 7-year old Danielle and her father, ’95 thru-hiker “Nugget,” for some roasted marshmallows at their camp nearby. By this time, it was 7:00 pm and the sun had set, but we felt pretty good, so we decided to take advantage of the full moonlight and go on for a few miles to the next lean-to shelter around mile 22. Well somehow we missed it and went an extra 3 miles. Tired, cold, and grumpy, the coolness of hiking in the moonlight no longer cool, we found a flat spot at Jarrard Gap. The wind was horrendous, and thankfully, two fellas camped nearby, Aaron and Ford from Suwanee, GA, helped us get our tents up then boiled us some water for hot chocolate, which provided a soothing end to a very full day.
-Joe

March 22, 2009

I’ve never learned how to meditate sitting still. It has always happened for me during sustained exercise or in travel mode. When I find a sustainable rhythm, my mind, body, and spirit just fall in tune. The mind relaxes, clears, and expands, and the physical activity throws a few endorphins into the mix. It is no wonder that some of my most enlightening moments come during a good long walk or in an unfamiliar environment.

I went for a mountain bike ride yesterday with two good friends. After riding for a few miles, steadily climbing through a beautiful valley, my mind settled into a nice rhythm. Eventually, we passed a park bench that had been placed along the side of the trail. I’ve passed that bench many times and though I’ve never stopped to sit on it I always appreciate it.

One of my friends said, “That bench makes me want to get up early one morning, come all the way up here with a coffee-thermos and a newspaper, and just relax watching the world go by.”

Up here, watching the world go by is synonymous with watching nothing go by…I like that.

I got to thinking about other not-so-typical features I’ve encountered in remote places that grabbed my attention and made me aware of how far away I was from a typical daily routine. A register at the summit of a remote mountain peak in southeast Arizona; a clay figurine on a hard to access cliff edge up a side creek in Grand Canyon; or the occasional park bench in the middle of nowhere. These things always add meaning and value to where I am and what I’m doing.

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