Slacking with the “Hiker in Training” pack

I found a computer! This is amazing. I don’t know if I’ll ever post again from my cellular device (sorry), so this is a treat. My iPhone is just too old and small and slow and the internet is slow and the backend interface is a bit tough to use. But now that I have a computer, I’d like to write about the deeper spiritual journey I am embarking on.

The hikers had a ‘float’ in the 4th of July parade in Wardsboro, VT! Coordination and swag courtesy of Wicked Waystation hostel.

In the beginning…

When Nikki asked me to hike the AT with her in March 2023, I was totally coasting off the high of my own 4-day backpacking trip in the Linville Gorge Wilderness of NC, so I said yes. My only reason to hike was for fun. At that point, I was an atheist with an open mind to those of religious affiliations. That summer, I wanted to investigate ecovillages and find what factors help these places build community and support the sustainable and democratic goals of utopian dreams. The first place I stayed at was Hiranyagarbha Yuga Ashram, a spiritual community located only an hour away from my college residence. There I found what I didn’t know I was looking for (cliche? maybe, but true)

GOD

After my 6-week stay at HYA, I decided to be a student of the ashram’s guru: Jnanda. This involved bi-weekly 1-on-1 meetings, Sunday classes, and my own spiritual practices involving Reiki, mantra, and prayers. 

Fast-forward a few months, and Nikki said she couldn’t do the whole hike anymore. I was a little disappointed, but I decided to carry on and make plans to hike it solo. As plans were formed and the start date neared, the question floated to the forefront of my mind: Why? It sounds fun I guess, but doing it solo would get lonely. What’s the motivating factor that can carry me through 5 or 6 months of walking along the Appalachian mountains? 

Making friends with a sheep 🙂

To recap my first blog post, I made my mission about connecting with God and following the 4 yogas, along with other growth goals. Then, on my first day on trail, I stopped doing my spiritual practices. Yogas – done. God – I’d find on my own. I lost motivation and interest in doing the practices, thinking that I could achieve growth through my immersion in nature and my own meditations. I listened to Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi on audiobook and did some awareness meditations. I figured I knew what I was doing because I had achieved tremendous growth in awareness before, although it was unexpected at the time. I made it 8 weeks without doing my spiritual practices or contacting Jnanda, and then I got…

Lyme Disease

I was sick for 3 days in Kent, Connecticut, with a high fever and body aches. I was sleeping 12 hours a day. On the third day, I felt better, told myself I got over the mysterious illness, and hiked out for a campsite 10 miles away. About 6 miles in, I felt exhausted again. I needed some medical help. This lovely family whom I met at the campsite volunteered to drive me to the ER (and buy me raw milk) and there I was admitted to the hospital for 3 days. Blood tests confirmed I had Lyme disease, and a colonoscopy found that I had gastritis and a stomach polyp which slowly let blood into my stools until I was borderline anemic. I needed a blood transfusion and a prescription for over 2 weeks of antibiotics to set me back on my feet. 

Vermont forests are new to me and gorgeous!

While I lay there in the hospital, I had a chance to rethink my priorities on trail. I had been pushing for miles, 18-20 a day, leaving meditation for any bits of free time left after socializing and eating and pretty much everything else. Although I told myself I was on a spiritual pilgrimage, I evidently was not acting as though I was. A call with a friend from the ashram told me that my guru knew I had stopped my spiritual practices and even that I had been bitten by something. Plus, on top of everything, I didn’t feel like I had grown at all in those 8 weeks of self-guided spirituality. I was a bit depressed. 

Upper Goose Pond Cabin offered a great place to swim, canoe, and relax.

A Return to the Light

On the same call with my ashram friend, it was suggested that I ask Jnanda’s Facebook group for spiritual healing. A number of people volunteered, including my guru. While I’m unsure of what exactly resulted from the healings, I was touched by everyone’s willingness to help me out, particularly Jnanda who knew I had ignored his teachings for 2 months. I remembered the testimonies by so many of Jnanda’s students attesting to their spiritual growth and improved mental health as a result of working with him. I believed I could understand him better from Yogananda’s book which gave me insights into true enlightened gurus and the guru-student relationship. I also remembered Jnanda’s 3 key ingredients of soul evolution: humility, remorse, and sincerity. 

The views up north just get better and better.

True humility is what I have been lacking on the trail. I didn’t really know what I was doing spiritually. There are dozens of students who have been helped by Jnanda and I thought that I knew how to help myself better than he could. I accepted that I needed guidance and began again to do my spiritual practices daily, all 1.5 hours of them. 

Now

It’s been two weeks of consistently doing my practices and I feel so much more in tune with myself and my surroundings. I have found more love in myself for myself and for others. I am finding less anxiety and more peace. I found a new group of hikers to hang out with, some on a spiritual path of their own, and have been having wonderfully deep conversations about spiritual growth and perspectives. At this moment, we are finishing our third full day at a hostel in Vermont, enjoying the town and each other to the fullest. I am thankful for the path that has been lighted for me by Jnanda, and for all of the accepting and supporting friends I have found along my journey. 

Friends and tramily! From left: Me, Garden, Mystic, and Jackie Poo (aka Norman). Not pictured: Perch and Sweet Stuff!

Tummy Time with Jackie Poo and Sweet Stuff.

Also, I am recovering from Lyme quite well! I just finished my Doxycycline and have been feeling my anemia wane. In the next few days I hope to build my miles back up, so long as my tramily is willing to…

Peace, love, and Namaste’

P.S. The pictures mostly have nothing to do with my writing content. Enjoy the mix!