[at-l] Searching for the Divine

[RET33@prodigy.net (Robert Tomlinson)]

Last October (2000), I was hiking south on the AT (near Tellico Gap) and
even though I was in a group with nine other people, we were spread out
along the trail so that I found myself alone one morning. A cold snap had
just passed through and had given the trees, still full of changing leaves,
an extra jolt towards winter. As a result, as I hiked along the trail that
autumn day, all I could hear was a soft pitter patter, not of rain, but of
leaves as they mystically, magically, softly dropped from the trees all
around as far as I could see. This went on for a couple of hours - a
continuos, unbroken and most of all, gentle, shower of autumn leaves. As I
hiked the (for now) easy trail, the crisp air, a light breeze, and the
sunlight filtering through the trees, combined with the sights and sounds of
that gentle leaf shower that seemed to be happening just for me, made it the
perfect (and Divine) hiking moment.

RET in Sunny Fla

----- Original Message -----
From: Martin Fors <revmrf@kingcon.com>
To: <at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2001 1:10 PM
Subject: [at-l] Searching for the Divine


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What drives us out to the trail, to the mountains, to the wilderness?

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What calls US back to hike?  Sure there's many reasons we can say, but
I haven't heard on this list, yet, a 'transcending or transcendental
experience'  which might have to do with our 'calling back.'  Surely, there
must have been a moment on your thru-hike or another hike where you were
'struck by something.'   Something which came your way by utter
surprise!  A flower, a bird, a sound, a thought, a view, a
vision.  Something which, perhaps, changed your way of thinking.

I have a suspicion that, having been surprised by such a moment, it has
become a major drawing back for you to continue to long distance hike and
even re-hike portions of trails which you've hiked many times over -
perhaps to recapture and remember the moment[s].

I thought that maybe these moments would be nice to share with each
other.

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