We are finally seeing faces we know again. Last night we camped next to “The Honeymooners”. I wrote about them earlier. They were married in Gatlinburg, TN earlier this year and hiking the AT is their honeymoon. I wanted to name them “Ralph” and “Alice” but it didn’t stick. We haven’t seen them since Port Clinton, which was hundreds of miles ago. I think we’ve only ever been a couple of days apart from one another, but that’s how it is out here. You can be just a few miles ahead for weeks or more and not know it.
We took a couple of longer breaks today. Lunch was on top of a mountain. The views made it difficult to get moving. Afterwards, we came down into a state park and campground. Just a little bit off of the trail was the camp office where you could get sodas and ice cream. Warthog is a sucker for a soda, so we went. As we walked towards the office a mom and two teenage boys were coming towards us. The boys were wearing backpacks. They were heading out on the trail for two nights, three days while their parents enjoyed a nearby condo. They asked where the trail cut into the forest, so we gave them the site number. I was proud and excited for them. Two teenage boys on their own exploring nature. After they left, their mother walked back with us asking us about our own journey. Her east coast accent was thick, her voice was equally boisterous. The way she expressed herself, it sure seemed like life was always exciting, never dull. I appreciated her passionate personality. I love meeting strong, outgoing women – they encourage me.
After getting our sodas we continued on for the day. The trail took us down to a boardwalk near a waterfall, next to a lake, and then up over a mountain. It was a tough climb and we have many like it ahead. I tried to stay motivated putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes your brain hurts because you are trying to push yourself beyond the discomfort of the hike. At those moments, when you feel like you are going to fail, we fall back onto our speaker. Instead of a podcast, tonight we put on a KEXP radio concert featuring The Lumineers. They are an upbeat band with big songs that make you feel like you can bound up the mountain. It took my brain off of the challenge and allowed my body to go into auto pilot. Success!
We reached the shelter around 7p, set up camp, made dinner, and then crashed. Our bodies are tired, but we made it. Tomorrow we will do it all over again – this time just a little bit stronger.
When we were listening to the Lumineers this afternoon, one of the lyrics stood out. It’s one of my favorite lines in this song. It goes; “When she stood, she stood tall.” If you know me, you know I’m a bit of a feminist. I have been stubborn about this since I was a little girl. My family knows that if I hear that something probably can’t be done, it’s basically a challenge for me to prove I can. To prove I’m strong. I’ll admit, I’m stubborn to a fault sometimes. It’s something I’m working on. What I don’t want to change though, is my appreciation for anything that builds women up to be the competent, strong, force of nature creatures that I think we should be. I always want to be the woman that “stands tall”, confident. I think for the most part I do. Sometimes not. Sometimes I allow uncertainty to creep in and alter my decisions or actions. However, the other day I told my dad how much this hike has increased my confidence in myself. Repeatedly, I have literally faced mountains and climbed over them. Almost everyday I reach a point where I feel like I am not able to hike another step, but I do anyway because I have to. Being out here on the AT takes away the option and comfort of a safety net. Having that net gone has fortified the certainty/confidence in myself, in my own strength. I’ve needed that. I thank God for that – for giving me the ability to stand tall. After hitting the 1,700 mile mark today, I have yet another reason to trust the strength that I’ve been given.
-ansel