Old Lady on the Trail- Triple Crown at 76 by Mary E Davison

Author:Mary E Davison [Davison, Mary E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780988518650
Published: 2018-10-21T22:00:00+00:00

Once in a Lifetime?

The 2011 hike on the AT was a strenuous hike, definitely the most difficult part of the trail, although the entire AT was challenging. I am a western girl and an old lady, partial to trails one can walk without having to use hands as well as feet scrambling over rocks. Still, the AT, while having an Eastern Forest feel instead of a Western Mountain feel, was a beautiful trail.

The Rhodie forests of the south, the Hobble Bushes of the north, pastures and farmland, history and stone fences, lakes, rivers, snow in the spring, snow in the fall, fall color and not so much fall color, all were worth seeing.

And the people. People are always on the AT. Almost every day I saw at least one other person, even when hiking in November. Some of the people I met, I am fortunate to call friends. As the years went by, knee problems made me walk more slowly, and I had less opportunity to know as many people, especially going in the opposite direction from the flow of hiker traffic.

But there were always people, no matter the time of the year. They brought companionship and joy as only hikers sharing what they love can do. I experienced plenty of trail magic, trail angels appearing when I needed them. On the AT, even the most macho, independent hiker, who’d begun their hike soured on life, came to realize kindness and help freely given by total strangers is the norm, not the exception. Many hikers, so helped, go on to give that help to others.

Completing the AT, I wondered what should come next. There were times on both the AT and the PCT when the thought of buying a travel van and doing a few day hikes now and then certainly seemed appealing, especially on long slogs uphill or when walking on snow or with wet feet. Yet I didn't think I was quite ready to hang up the backpack.

I’d become accustomed to taking long hikes every year. I was no longer taking a section hike. My mindset had changed. I’d become a regular long-section hiker, a different mindset than a thru hiker or a day hiker. I didn't take out five months to do an adventure of a lifetime. After finishing a hike, I started planning the next year's hikes. Doing 300-400 miles on each trail each year was a doable yearly adventure, not a once in a lifetime opportunity. I didn’t thru hike and didn’t consider hiking a complete lifestyle change followed by re-entry into the non-hiking world, but I’d developed a lifestyle that included hiking two long sections of some trail each year, every year.

I still had about 80 miles to finish the PCT, but I was used to planning two long hikes every year. There are a great many trails in the world I have not yet walked. God blessed this world with beauty, wilderness, and people. I hoped to see more of it. I needed a spring hike.

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