UPDATED - Back in 1972, I had embraced the dream of Thru Hiking the Appalachian Trail. I had done some section hiking, but after a near accident on the Trail in 2009, I gave up the dream. Before my Dad died in July 2012, his final instructions to me were: "I want you to hike the Trail." At the age of 68 1/2, I began "Chasing The Trail." However, I learned that what Dad had in mind was not a Thru Hike but that the Trail should teach me a life lesson. This Blog is that story.
Happiness and contentment in life come from the merging of Opportunity and Talent. My Dad had Talent but no Opportunity so could not find a way to learn to play the Violin. I had Opportunity but no Talent -- I lack the physical ability to complete a Thru Hike of the Appalachian Trail. I failed to learn this lesson even after numerous section hikes, but in the Spring of 2013, after 41.6 miles hiking in MD and PA, I learned the lesson that Dad had in mind when he told me to "hike the Trail." This Blog is now about the Merging of Opportunity and Talent more than it is about hiking the Appalachian Trail, but I still plan to include snippets of the Trail in the Blog. It's about Chasing the Trail of Life. I hope you enjoy my posts.
COMPUTER TRESPASS---RCW 9A.52.110---Computer trespass in the first degree.
(1) A person is guilty of computer trespass in the first degree if the person, without authorization, intentionally gains access to a computer system or electronic database of another; and (a) The access is made with the intent to commit another crime; or (b) The violation involves a computer or database maintained by a government agency.
(2) Computer trespass in the first degree is a class C felony.
This Blog is Dedicated to my Dad. Although he never accomplished his dream of learning to play the Violin, he did construct and play a Dulcimer at an Elderhostel.
Today I turned 69 years old. I had a fantastic day. First, my daughter sent me a happy birthday text message. Then after we fed the horse and pony, I spent the day with my neighbors (BFFs). We drove to Harrah's in Cherokee NC and stopped for lunch on the way at River's End Restaurant at Nantahala Outdoor Center in Wesser NC. I shared a Greek Pizza. Then we drove on to Harrah's and spent a couple hours at the slot machines. I "won" some money and walked out losing only $13.35. And I have a voucher for next time. When we got back, we went to Blue Jeans' Restaurant in Blue Ridge GA and shared a Greek Salad and appetizers, including fried pickles.
Mom called to wish me a happy birthday. My son called and later called back and we had a nice long conversation. The Toyota dealership where I bought my car called to wish me a happy birthday. My daughter in law and granddaughters texted me birthday wishes. A dear friend who lives in Mom's building called to extend birthday wishes. And then my niece called and sang Happy Birthday and I spoke with my brother who has a 65th birthday later this month.
My neighbors gave me my own manure fork which I got to use this morning.
I also got a "neighing" coffee mug from them and a "barn crew" cap. My daughter (& family) and brother (& wife) sent cards. Mom (& Dad - RIP) had already sent me three cards and a monetery gift.
I had a really wonderful day!
I've ended it by watching "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel."
"Sometimes when things don't work out as you expect them to, what happens instead is the Good Stuff."
I have not been keeping up with my blog. Since moving to North Georgia, I've been wonderfully distracted by life and the living of it. I've made new friends, got involved at Church, worked on moving in and buying a few items of furniture and helping out with the horse and in the pasture. It's so peaceful here. I love it!
Princess April
Moving Princess April's manure
Removing rocks from the other half of the pasture so Princess April won't trip when she's moved there.
In response to a comment by someone about a book entitled "Black Heart on the Appalachian Trail" ... no review was given, this person just didn't like hearing about bad things that can happen on the AT and didn't want anyone else to read the book. [Turns out the book is a NOVEL and not even factual.]
I wrote: I don't think anyone harmed Geraldine Largay. I think she did what many of us "of a certain age" are prone to do --- let a schedule dictate our lives and rush to meet our deadline, throwing caution to the wind ---
However, the book referenced apparently strikes at the core of the "Mystic Order of the Appalachian Trail" from the brief description [depressing, something 'like this' might happen to Geraldine] and IM(not so)HO should be part of the whole of a hiker's preparation for hiking the Trail, even if it is fiction, as the author of the book clearly notes. A person - male or female - makes decisions in life based on as much Information as she or he can gather - denying a person information, even if it's a "What If" novel, could prove detrimental --- whether we're talking about Whitewater Kayaking which has drowning hazards or Rock Climbing which as falling hazards or Mountain Bike riding in places with grizzly bears and panthers or Canoeing in places where there are alligators --- few would want anyone to go on those adventures not knowing the dangers and learning how to prepare for them --- WHY is it so different when it comes to the Appalachian Trail?? WHAT IF scenarios are often used in preparation for real life, so what's so inherently 'wrong' about reading a novel with a What If story that has an unhappy ending?
An Editorial Aside:
Bill Bryson's fictional and questionable satire work, "A Walk in the Woods." gave the readers a mythical and inaccurate version of Thru Hiking the Appalachian Trail and of the Southern Appalachian Trail States and her people. It's about as accurate as the novel in question, yet it is available at bookstores in the "Hiking" or "Appalachian Trail" sections and Mr Bryson has been a speaker at a number of venues, from stores that sell hiking equipment to AT hiking clubs and events. [Some may question my dislike for the Southernphobe Mr Bryson ... in the South, we despise people who mock our disabled and elderly mothers and grandmothers as he did of Mrs. Mull's mother. If ever there was a book not to read or a person not to support with your American dollars, it is Mr Bryson.]
Few are frightened out of Whitewater Kayaking, Rock Climbing, Mountain Bike Riding or Canoeing after reading stories of drownings, broken necks, maulings or other injuries or deaths In these activities --- so why the fear that one or a dozen stories which include harrowing experiences or deaths on the Appalachian Trail will deter anyone?
When I watch the made for TV movies about fictionalized real life adventures that "nearly went wrong and could have ended in death but didn't" it does not invoke fear of embarking on a similar adventure. When I read accounts of people who overcome the harrowing odds during an adventure (books about K2 come to mind), it doesn't preclude my risking my life on a similar experience. But I do learn something from those Adventure Books -- they are beneficial. And denying me knowledge of them, be they a string of facts, a woven story, or a fictionalized tale, were I to plan such a Trek, such an exciting Once in a Lifetime Adventure, would be tantamount to blind folding me and telling me to cross 8 lanes of Interstate at rush hour.
Other sports do not get the censorship given to the AT - and most hiking in general - WHY the censorship of a novel about the Appalachian Trail just because someone doesn't like the way it ends?
Another Editorial Aside:
When I responded to the remark about "Black Heart on the Appalachian Trail" I was unaware that it was JUST A NOVEL and not a factual account. It was a 'what if' tale that apparently has some very accurate descriptions of various places along the Appalachian Trail and the reader got caught up in it ... which is fine. But to try to censor others from reading it? Let's censor all the books with unhappy endings or endings which don't suit our fancy of the moment. ~~ A little sarcasm to end this post.
PS ... I never have read "Lady Chatterley's Lover" ... it was censored when I was in High School. Maybe I should see if I can find it online and read it. Or maybe even buy a copy when I buy "Black Heart on the Appalachian Trail."
In my previous posts about the dangers of the Appalachian Trail, I have tried to educate the reader to understand that being informed is healthier than blithely thinking that hiking is just "putting one foot in front of the other." It is NOT that simplistic.
From the article: If not for white blazes on granite, a hiker could clamber off the trail on the way up. On the way down, a missed step could mean a snapped ankle or something worse, like a tumble off the narrow trail.
Please read the entire article. And pray for the SAR teams and the volunteer searchers and the Rangers and all the others --- because finding a dead body is not easy on any of them. And those who think that "well, she died doing what she loved" need to reconsider that thought --- sincerely reconsider that thought.
My conjecture is that it was raining, the rocks were slick, Geraldine was slower than she had planned and was hurrying, she did get to the Carrabassett River, it was high, she slipped on the rocks and her body will be found downstream. I hope and pray that I'm wrong, but after reading the story, from my experience on the AT, even though it was 'only 41.6 miles,' this is the scenario that comes to mind.
"Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony, Please come 'round, there's someone lost who must be found."
This is what I have been trying to explain to those planning to hike the Appalachian Trail and to Appalachian Trail hikers. It's NOT a walk in the woods, it's a DANGEROUS endeavor. And it may be 'the last thing you do.'
Read the articles and look at the photos in the second article.
When you hike the AT or any trail, you take your own life in your hands. YES, I love hiking and backpacking, and YES, I am well aware of the dangers. Do I want it to be 'the last thing I do in life?' NO! One of the many reasons I got off the Trail when I was hurt was so that I would not push myself while in pain and make a regrettable decision. You may decide to ruin your health over a hike, but I didn't.
Some will comment, if it turns out that this woman has died on the Trail, that she 'died doing what she loved' and I will ask 'REALLY?' Don't you think she'd have rather died at a later date? Don't you think she had other things she was planning to do before she died? What about her husband? Do you think he wants to remember his wife 'died doing what she wanted to do' rather than their living a long happy life together? What about her children, grandchildren, family and friends? Do you not think that ALL of them will be second guessing themselves for the rest of their natural lives for not saying something that might have saved her life? "Take another day off, you're tired" or "Don't worry about any deadlines" or "If it gets dark, just stop and camp beside the Trail" or "Carry those maps, even if they weigh 6 extra ounces, they may come in handy" or "The AT can be confusing around all those snow-mobile and backwoods and ski trails, be sure to check your maps and blazes often." And what about the rescuers? Their time, effort, expense, and then the trauma if they find her dead? It's not all about that Romanticized Version of Dying on the Trail.
Resign from the Mystic Order of the Appalachian Trail and come live in reality.
What are you going to say to Geraldine's distraught family? "Well, at least she had fun before she died?" I doubt that will help them come to closure. And I personally think it is very unkind and selfish if that's your first thought.
My first thought is ...
Dear God, Geraldine has been missing for over a week, please help the rescuers locate her or her body. Please be with her family and comfort them. Please help open the eyes of the hiking community to the reality of the dangers of hiking. Please help everyone to be more honest and truthful in reporting about their hikes, especially their Appalachian Trail hikes.
My hike was cut short by my knees and then my camping trip to the Shenandoah Mountains was shortened by a day due to sub 28* weather. I returned to my Mom's apartment and was there for my Mom exactly when she needed me. The timing was impeccable -- as if orchestrated by an Unseen Force. My brother spent time sharing with me, which was inspiring and good. I got to go kayaking on the Monacacy River with him and his family -- trip planner was my niece -- and had a great time.
While at my Mom's my Best Friend from North Georgia called. Her tenant had moved out and her Cabin in the Mountains was available if I wanted to rent it. I said I do!
So on July first, I got a second chance to live in the North Georgia Mountains. Not everyone gets an opportunity to return to a pleasant place to live. I'm sitting on the porch as I write this -- night noises, crickets, rain dripping from trees, sky mellowing into night, lightening bugs. Earlier, BFF's dh [dear husband] brought me a handful of fresh blueberries from the garden beside the cabin. I'll put them in my oatmeal in the morning. There are apples ripening on the tree beside the blueberry bush.
I'm surrounded by pines and hardwoods. The horse pasture is just beyond the trees and the barn has faded from sight and blended in with the trees beyond it.
Hymns are playing on my CD player.
I opened one of my AT Hike Maildrop boxes [I have 5 more to open] and put the food in the cupboard. It was the Port Clinton, PA, box -- I expected to be there on May 23. That seems like a lifetime ago. And in a sense, it was. Do I regret salvaging my knee and getting off the Trail? Honestly -- no. I've had plenty of time to search my heart -- I have looked at my answers to Zach Davis' questions [Appalachian Trials - see previous posts] -- I've reflected, I've pondered, I've prayed -- and I have no regrets. I believe I have learned what Dad wanted me to know when he told me to hike the Trail. And I am still learning.
Tonight, I am in that place of peace and contentment. Everything is not "perfect" in my life, by any means. I wax nostalgic about my kids and grand kids and great grandson -- I wonder how they are.
Ah, the music has stopped and the rain has started -- perfect timing to bid the reader a gentle goodnight for now.
