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Rule #32: Enjoy the Little Things.
The movie Zombieland provides a very useful list of rules to help one survive a zombie apocalypse. These rules also seem to apply to surviving the Appalachian Trail. After getting second-degree burns in sub-freezing weather, I can attest that “a little sunscreen never hurt anybody.” After seeing another hiker’s photo of a snake inside a privy, I’d say that “beware of bathrooms” is applicable as well. My 30-function “Swiss Army Knife” is the best thing I brought with me, but ultimately the most important zombie/AT rule is
Of course, there are many big things to enjoy on the AT: Spectacular views…
I take a lot of panoramas. This one is from Sinking Creek Ridge.
Close encounters with wildlife…
Like this white-tailed deer! (I still haven’t seen a black bear)
The mindblowing realization of how far I have already walked…
I would walk 1,000 miles and I would walk 1,000 more…
The ATC headquarters in Harper’s Ferry is the ceremonial halfway point, although a bit short of the actual midpoint.
But I set out on the AT, in part, so that I would live simply and better appreciate things I once took for granted. Each day, there is some little thing that I am grateful for:
A delicious, stove-less meal…
Tortilla, cheese, pepperoni, bell pepper, and habanero salsa.
The first signs of spring on the top of a ridgeline…
Despite my 30-pound pack and angry knees, I jumped for joy.
Claritin and Advil that double as poker chips…
It isn’t what it looks like; I promise.
Trail Magic on Easter…
Pure, clear, mountain spring water…
(I didn’t actually drink this water, but it was more picturesque than the springs I usually drink from).
The list goes on and on.
A week ago, I found myself taking a break at a lower elevation, amidst an abundance of vegetation and a medley of birdsongs. I suddenly recalled Aaron Copeland’s orchestral suite Appalachian Spring, so I pulled out my phone and listened to it. I felt as if that song, composed seventy years ago, was written just for that moment.
In the seventh movement, Copeland borrows a melody from the Shaker folk song “Simple Gifts.” I don’t know the original meaning of that phrase, but to me, “simple gifts” are “the little things.” They are the things I appreciate now that I never noticed before, along with the things I am experiencing for the first time. Somewhere in between the life of an Appalachian pioneer and that of a zombie apocalypse survivor, I can relate to the folk song and to the list of rules as I increasingly appreciate the little things: the simple gifts.
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