Grounded

Even though I’ve scrubbed, had two showers and washed my hands with actual soap several DOZEN times, there is still a bit of dirt under my nails. LOL!

Today is the first “zero” day of our hike. My husband and I are sitting in the quaint Hiawassee Public Library, using visitor logins and getting a few strange looks as we do our best to tuck enormous backpacks under and around the computer desks we are using, as we check email and update our socials.

It’s been 8 days since Nathan and I set foot on the Appalachian Trail. We already have more stories to tell than time to tell them in, met countless other adventure seekers who have become instant friends and seen beauty we can’t find words to describe. 

There is something interesting that happens to me when I walk on technical terrain – meaning there are rocks, roots, holes and streams to consider with every step – the rest of the world seems to go quiet, my mind becomes hyper focused and I become acutely aware of EXACTLY where I am, every…single…step (my watch told me I did over 17000 yesterday!!). A misstep can easily mean injury and when you are at least a day’s hike from any sort of help, you need to be paying attention! #amirite

The ground beneath me. Coming up to meet my feet with every step. The path laid before me. Step. Step. Step.

It’s almost impossible to know exactly what time it is on the trail. I mean, the sun comes up, you get hungry, the sun gets higher, you get hungry…you get hungry again (listen…hiking is a LOT of work!) and the sun goes down.

After even just a few days on the trail, it’s easy to completely lose track of what day of the week it is, let alone know the date, so most of us have some sort of device that keeps us orientated to where we are in time and space…I suppose something many of us are trying to avoid on the trail actually LOL. But for someone like me who has a medication schedule, I NEED my calendar and my reminders (I’ve set several, so I don’t get off track!). My watch does a great job of keeping me grounded…

…so I can enjoy the freedom of becoming lost in the magic of letting go of the constraints of time and immerse myself in what’s before me and all around me…

Just before leaving our home for the year (*gasp!), we invited our friends to swing by to see the van, have some food and enjoy a visit before we left town. So many people came!! Then! A super sneaky surprise BBQ at Nathan’s work followed by a lovely supper at my parents’ home with…oh boy…here come the tears…my aunts and uncles who have shown me love, support and friendship my ENTIRE life no matter the miles that separate us, old friends who know me better than I seem to know myself…and a special visit with my grandma who climbed right up in the van to see for herself what her granddaughter was up to (she’s so great!). Talk about one lucky gal eh!?

To all of you who came. To all of you who sent well wishes and to all of you who gave us undeservingly generous gifts. You have given us more than your already beautiful friendships; you’ve given us such a sense of belonging and of value and of knowing who we are and that we are loved. 

Grounded deep in your friendships, your care and concern, we take each step, we manage each climb, and we are propelled forward on our journey. 

There is so much more trail ahead. There will be ups and downs (literal and figurative). There will be losses and there will be gains.

No matter what. No matter where. No matter when. I know from the ground up, thanks to all of you, I can continue. This hike is so much more than the miles I will walk; it’s the journey of a deeper knowing of who I am.