Today was spent at the hotel, cleaning, curating, consolidating, packing and repacking, until I was happy with the results. As the day wore on, two thoughts filled my mind.
Thought One: Less is More
The further north I go, the less I need or want. My pack is terribly heavy. I looked at every single piece of gear today, thinking of all the miles I’ve schlepped them, and realizing that I don’t really need some of them. Things like my flint/steel, compass, paper maps, the AT data book, extra bug wipes, extra food, extra clothes and socks. When I mail it, I’ll check the weight, but I bet I cut 5 pounds of gear that I simply don’t need.
The point is that doing with less is the path of getting older. My kids ask me what I want for Christmas, and I truly don’t want anything other than to be with them, to cook some family meals, and share time with them. I think not needing more also goes hand in hand with understanding that time is getting shorter as well. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not despairing about death, and I don’t feel old yet, but I’m not a spring chicken anymore either. This hike has me hyper focused – HYPER FOCUSED – on making every moment count.
Though Two: Identity
I’ve spent most of my life cultivating different identities based upon roles. I’ve been a husband, father, student, professional, teacher, mentor, manager, etc. It seems that we move in life, whether from day to day or even moment to moment, between these identities. When the kids left yesterday, I was sad because I love them and knew I’d miss them, but I had a deeper insight. I also missed them because when they left, I had no object on which to exercise my “father” identity. You see, the trail doesn’t allow you to put on an identity. Hikers don’t care that I have a PhD, or that I was a CIO of a state agency – it doesn’t even come up. The trail forces you to live in the moment. When you’re out here, the thing that matters – the only thing that really matters – is that you’re a child of God finding your way. Maybe that’s the attraction.
The Canticle of Daniel comes up frequently in the morning Lauds and has this passage:
Sun and moon, bless the Lord;
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord;
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord;
All you winds, bless the Lord;
Fire and heat, bless the Lord;
Cold and chill, bless the Lord;
Dew and rain, bless the Lord;
Frost and chill, bless the Lord;
Hoarfrost and snow, bless the Lord;
Nights and days, bless the Lord;
Light and darkness, bless the Lord;
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord;
Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord;
Everything growing on earth, bless the Lord;
You springs, bless the Lord;
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord;
You sea monsters and all water creatures, bless the Lord;
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord;
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord;
All you mortals, bless the Lord;
O Israel, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
Sounds like Daniel was a hiker.
The plan for tomorrow is for Jim to drop me off at the northern ridge to make the ascent. I’m skipping all of the flat farmland between the lower and upper ranges. I should be in Duncannon, PA in two days.
Today’s mileage: 0
Total trail miles: 76.8