Perhaps the most asked question on the Appalachian Trail is:“Why are you hiking the whole thing?” It is a good question and one that I kept asking myself during the hike.
My relationship with my brother was certainly a strong inspiration, but there we other influences at play as well. My love of the outdoors, accomplishing something that I didn’t really think I could do, and a fondness for meeting interesting people were all factors.
It certainly wasn’t my first visit to Appalachia, over the years I had motorcycled or bicycled through much of it. However, walking the trail has no parallel. Moving quickly on a motorized vehicle, or even swiftly on a bicycle does not present an opportunity to actually stop and talk with someone face-to-face. Walking means more than just a possible hand wave, it can mean a hand-shake and personal contact.
Long periods of solitude in the forest can loosen up the tightest lips and before long talking to perfect strangers seems pleasingly natural. Except for the moments of sheer terror in the book, most of the time is spent lost in thought or; I hesitantly admit, talking to myself. Of course there were times when I was hiking with others and engaging conversation would ensue, but as a rule, I was alone.
Walking along a forest path offers so much more solitude than even the most solitary street. Signs are rare and other than the path itself and any blazes marking the way, there is almost no sign of humanity. Deep thoughts creep into one’s mind; memories of things long forgotten come to the forefront. How does the brain do that? An image or thought that hasn’t fired a neuron in fifty years will all of a sudden dominate the mental conversation. I found that so amazing, time and again.
In this age of fast-paced, instant communications, it was so cathartic to be removed from that and find myself engaged in conversations in my own mind and with those that I met along the way. Take a walk in the woods,I highly recommend it. You may not find the answer to why you’re taking the walk but you may find that it is the journey that matters, and not the destination.