Spiritual Journey

It has been nearly four years since I began my walk on the trail.  I remember reading blogs and books about the trail experience before starting, and everyone seemed to indicate the trail was a life changing spiritual journey.  However, no one could explain very well how the trail experience changed them.  I also remember discussing the trail experience with several others during the Hundred Mile Wilderness at the end of the trail.  We all seemed to have a sense that the trail was a life changing experience, but none of us could explain that change very well.

In the nearly four years since beginning my walk, I've found that I no longer worry about much.  Maybe living with so little for so long gave me the knowledge that material things have little value.  I'm not sure.  Maybe it was the experience of never knowing what to expect next.  Of course, none of us ever know what to expect next, but on the trail, this experience is more intense.  With many people leaving with injuries, you never knew if an unexpected injury would suddenly end your journey.  We also never knew where we would be sleeping at the end of the day or who we might meet along the way.  Maybe it was just the endurance of the constant trail pains or the sense of accomplishment.  I don't know.

The trail experience was good.  I loved the people.  There was a sense that we were all on a spiritual pilgrimage to Mount Katahdin.  That experience obliterated social classifications and boundaries.  Young and old, wealth, and work meant nothing.  I found it very easy to talk to anyone about just about anything.  I miss this part of the trail experience most.  Although, I would like to think I've retained some of this experience even now.

In a few weeks, I will be starting a new adventure.  This time it will be an attempted 740 mile thru paddle of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.  However, I expect this to be mostly a solitary experience.  I would never have even contemplated such a journey had I not already experienced life on the AT.