The Appalachian Trail Reenters our Souls

Day 39- 11 Miles today from Rich Mountain Camp to Little Laurel Shelter, 3,100 Feet Up, 3,000 Feet down, Total 370 AT miles

Mystical Encounters

We noticed what seems to be a trend for us every time we go into town. The first day we are back out on the trail we seem to be contemplative. It may be that the hike out of town always involves a hard climb out of a gap as I struggle with the heavy load of supplies now on my back for the next several days. Or it may be the rush of senses that get stimulated by all that the developed world has to offer compared to the simple life out here in the forest. 

Or maybe it is the calm that is a result of the trail reentering our souls. Humans came from the natural world and somewhere deep in our OS is a peace that is lost when we are surrounded by the developed world we have created. Unnatural noises from machines, distractions from our phones, bills, jury duty, blackmail, paperwork. All that disappears when you escape the developed world for God’s creation of the natural world of the woods.

Our pulse slowed yesterday once we left the developed world on that ridge outside of Hot Springs and immersed completely into the natural world and nature’s sounds. It is all part of this encompassing spiritual experience that is a thru hike. It is not one single manifestation but countless incidences.

Laying on the forest floor on top of a ridge while God throws 300 billion to 30 trillion watts of electricity through the clouds into the forest next to you, or wakes you up with the sound of predators barking nearby. The deprivation that leads to a greater appreciation of abundance we have in our other lives outside of the forest. The family that forms from a group of individuals who may not have anything in common in the civilized world but have an immediate bond on this shared pilgrimage. There is so much that this hike means other than a walk from Springer to Katahdin. I have said it before but words can never explain what this experience truly is.

Another Hard Day at Work

We left camp about 9:00 a.m. this morning after I scoured our food supplies to find the heaviest items in my pack to eat so I could lighten my load quicker. I had packed Dave’s blueberry bagels from the DG that I had flattened first. Slathering some butter packets on the flattened bagels, I placed them in my pocket to eat on the trail.  Today was the first day I discovered placing food in my pockets can actually slightly warm the food making the trail food taste better.

Today’s hike was going to be another 3,000 feet of elevation gain but it should not be as rough as yesterday’s continuous climb out of Hot Springs except the last climb up to Little Laurel Shelter. We planned an 11.3 mile hike and so far it was a beautiful day and probably be our warmest days yet with temperatures expected to rise into the 70s. As we traveled we kept passing massive trees of pines, spruces, and hardwoods.

As we made the climb, I made a brief stop so I could eat some of my cold soaked mashed potatoes which were a bit dry but the salt and carbs were exactly what my body needed for that climb. It then struck me that I had been hiking for a while and had completely forgotten that I had a pack on my back! In my mind I had apparently shifted to a place other than the actual place I was physically in.

“Hansel and Gretel”

We were hoping to find the Southern Cookie Lady but this there was no civilization here, only forest, so I thought maybe we had missed her. We continued our descent down and down until we came to a paved road which then gave me hope of a fresh baked cookie.

We then hit a gravel road where a lone log cabin in the middle of the forest was. Signs pointed to the sole cabin where Southern Cookie Lady promised a fresh baked cookie, a place to lighten your load by dumping your trash, and treated cold water. I kept wondering what kind of cookies she would make today.

The story does not usually end well when there is a little lady in the middle of the forest offering you sweet treats to eat if you only come visit.  As I approached her home, I was greeted on the porch by the sweet face of the Southern Cookie Lady. We chatted briefly but Knockerz was back at the trail feeling very ill so I wanted to get back to her to aid her.

Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap- Luke 6:38

I had received donations to my blog here at the Trek (all my donations to my blog here will be used to buy trail magic for other thru hikers). At the Southern Cookie Lady’s house I handed a donation to the Cookie Lady of $20 for future hiker’s cookies. She offered ice cream and cobbler from the donation but I told her to pass it on to future hikers.  The cookie today was peanut butter.

The Cookie Lady had a trash can so I could dump my trash (always a great thing to thru hikers). She also had a cooler with cold filtered water so I filled our bottles with what we would need for the upcoming climb. 

Back at the trail I made a meal to hopefully help Knockerz feel better which she ate while we rested. We had descended so much that I knew it could only mean one thing. We now have to make a big climb up.

So we then did the very rough 3 mile climb up 1,500 feet to the shelter where we quickly set up and called it a day.