September 13 - Sugarloaf Mountain (Day 178 – milepoint 1961.3)

Today (just like most every day) has been filled with a lot of random thoughts, stimulating conversation, and the beautiful diversity of the Trail.

I was reading through my journal a little bit this evening and noticed how my entries appear to be redundant at times: “Hiked x-miles today, saw cool stuff, cool folks, dogs are barking, food, ice cream, etc.”

It would be really cool to get all of the little details and daily stories into this thing, but alas, most of my entries are made at the end of the day, before bed, when my body desperately lobbies my mind for sleep.

Each person and experience is worth mentioning and I wish I had the time to give them all the attention they deserve to give people a better understanding of what’s going on out here. But as entertaining as it all may be, my words won’t allow you to breathe it, see it, hear it, smell it, or taste it. The best, the only way to understand, is to DO it.

Then you’ll understand how the pain in your feet at the end of every day feels like “barking dogs.”

You’ll understand the power…usefulness…simplicity…freedom…the timeless value of Eat-Drink-Walk-Laugh-Breathe--”Lighten-the-Load”–Sleep…Repeat…

You’ll understand community…happiness in the present moment…Trail Angels…your personal thresholds for pain and ecstasy…a direct connection to God that you’ll never experience in a church…the Real real world…rhythm…

Aquaholic