Trillium on the Trail: Starting Point

Monday, April 23, 2012

Starting Point

Trillium is on the trail. She started at noon this afternoon at Springer Mountain in Georgia. High winds and 37 degrees. Already met five other thru-hikers.

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In 1974, I spent a week backpacking a section of the Appalachian Trail leading to Roan Mountain. I thought it was the hardest backpacking I had ever done. The trail seemed to climb steeply and continuously for miles. All curiosity about the A.T. was eliminated on that trip, and I was sure I would never again hike the A.T. So how has it happened that I am once again on the A.T.? The truth is that I don’t know the answer except it has hung in the back of my mind for all these years as unfinished business.

Now that my professional work life at the Louisville Courier-Journal has ended before I expected (Courier-Journal grants buyouts), I find I need a transition to the next stage of my life. I don’t know how far I will walk. I don’t know how well my body will hold up to the rugged demands of the trail. I don’t know how long I will think I’m having a good time. I am open to all possibilities.

The spontaneous outpourings of affection and support have taken me by surprise. It takes the help of wonderful people to attempt something this monumental and I am grateful.

For those who want to know more about the A.T., I recommend a book called Just Passin’ Thru by Winton Porter. It’s about a store on the A.T. and the unforgettable characters crossing its threshold. It’s a good book in its own right and a good introduction to the trail.

For a book about the trail experience of a 60-year-old woman, I recommend In Beauty May She Walk by Leslie Mass. For a book about the trail experience of a young woman, I recommend Becoming Odyssa: Epic Adventures on the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer Pharr Davis. She is also the record holder for the fastest thru-hike (male or female).

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Monday, April 23, 2012

Starting Point

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