[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: [at-l] why am I here?
And yet there are those moments of epiphany for those of us that don't thru-hike
also. And in fact, my latest ones were as a result of thru-hikers.
By getting caught up in the grind of being open 7 days a week at the Hostel, doing
maintenance, mowing grass, making sure everything was right for our guests... it was
easy to lose sight of the reasons why people come out to the AT, and to our Hostel
as well. It was a thru-hiker that pointed out to me how beautiful our area is, that
made me look again through fresh eyes, and made me realize with amazement that it
reminded me of the Smokies back in the 70's when I first started hiking. That hiker
opened my eyes to what had first drawn us to the Hostel.
And again last night, having the time to spend talking with the thru-hikers who
stayed at our place, I realized that it wasn't the size of the kitchen that counted,
it was the camraderie of people and the enjoyment of the "little" things like hot
showers and soft couches that made them thankful to be there. And it was the obvious
interest that they had in their surroundings that caused them to listen to me go on
and on about the Mansion and the Furnace, and caused me to again have another of
those moments when I realized why Maria and I had decided to become houseparents,
that these are "our people".
Sorry for the long winded-ness, but it just came over me. :)
Tom
Virginia Owen wrote:
> snip
> For some lucky people, before it's too late, there comes a moment of
> ephiphany - or sometimes several moments - when you reconnect with yourself
> and are vividly reminded of your reasons for doing a long distance hike.
> You may be given a glimpse of what it takes to get back the excitement and
> joy with which you started the trail. If not, it gets very hard to continue.
>
* From the Appalachian Trail Mailing List | For info http://www.hack.net/lists *
==============================================================================