[at-l] Hiking anyone?

[Bror8588 at aol.com (Bror8588@aol.com)]

In a message dated 7/7/04 23:35:13 Eastern Daylight Time, 
shellydhale@earthlink.net writes:


> Soooo true, so true.
> 
> 

Thanks for your comment.  We have trails (even the AT) within an hour from 
NYC and yet there are millions who do not know about them.  Of course, I would 
hate to go hiking and see millions of people out there.  Keep it a secret?  Not 
likely, but I would guess that most people would not want to take the effort 
to hike anyway.  The opportunity to take some homeless people on the trail is 
something that enriches me.  Even the persons who came along that were 
complaining (a few were) were affected by the woods experience.  An hour after the 
hike while having dinner, one of the complainers was still expressing some doubt 
about her experience and I told her that she had done a difficult thing and 
succeeded, and that she could always have the memory of her success as she 
faced other difficult experiences in life.  

It is usually the difficult efforts in life that give us impetus to go on.  
At least, the memory of the difficult times stays with us.  I remember the 
teachers that I had in school who were the most disciplinarian and who gave the 
tough assignments.  Passing (and even failing) the courses that were the 
hardest, brought knowledge that was hard won and some of that knowledge still remains 
(though a lot has faded in recent years).  I hope that the experience of 
hiking, that those who have never hiked had, will continue to be "alive" as they 
face life.  And then, it may be, that some will just go on as usual without 
showing or feeling anything special.  I doubt that.

Skylander