What Does Rob Thomas Have To Do With My Mental Prep?

 I live in central Virginia and I’ve hiked most of the AT in Shenandoah National Park. Essentially, it’s my “home ballpark”.

I’m preparing for a 2023 NOBO hike, and as my start date comes closer I’m working especially on the mental part.  

One afternoon last summer, while hiking in Shenandoah NP, I crossed Skyline Drive at Simmons Gap and took a short break. As I sat on a small log bench, looking at the trail, I thought “That’s it. That’s the Appalachian Trail. The trail that so many people have hiked, and dreamed about hiking. That little slice of dirt in the grass is that famous trail and I’m just sitting here on a log, hot and sweaty, eating a snack, looking at it.”

It’s on one of those sections in Shenandoah that’s, frankly, kind of boring. There are no scenic views in this section and the trail is often overgrown with grass and weeds. About a hundred yards back is the 900-mile mark, but then the trail returns to its everyday state. Nothing is all that interesting.

These Small Hours

One of my favorite songs is “Little Wonders” by Rob Thomas. It’s about how the most meaningful times in life often aren’t the significant, mountaintop moments, but rather the everyday, mundane, normal scenes and routines:

“Our lives are made in these small hours, these little wonders, these twists and turns of fate
Time falls away, but these small hours, these small hours, still remain”

To me, this little piece of trail is one of those “small hours”. I wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t been sitting there snacking. But all the same, it’s part of the whole trail. It makes up the total experience  from Georgia to Maine. It’s a lesson that the trail is often just a slice of dirt in the woods. Nothing interesting, no scenic overlooks, no mountain tops. But, it’s all part of the same trail, and it’s all part of the journey.