February 9, 2008

Today’s miles: 15.3

Days like today are the reason that I am out here! It was cool, then warm, and the sky was blue blue blue and there were lots of people out and recreating in the woods. The trail started out paralleling the Boone Fork River, and I had to take off my shoes and wade across it this morning. I passed lots of water all day, gorgeous stone boulders, rhododendron, a few fields, LOTS of dayhikers and even a group of about 8 backpackers going to the Grandfather Mountain trails. I talked to a woman named Anna about American attitudes towards global warming and water. Apparently last year Atlanta had 6 days worth of water left!

It was a rocky, wonderful climb on the Tanawha Trail up to Rough Ridge boardwalk with totally amazing views.

I ran into a group of 4 hikers from Greensboro at the end of the day. The younger man in the group said this long, beautiful prayer for me, thanking God for running into me and for the inspiration that my trip gave them. And for God to stay with me and guide me in the miles ahead. This trip is making me think so much about religion. A few days ago when I was listening to NPR, there was an interview with the documentarians who made “Seeing Purple” about the series of conversations they had about faith and religion, between a believer and a non-believer who were roommates in college at Davidson.

I almost lost my camera, but the group of 4 hikers from Greensboro found it and came looking for me. It is a good thing, because it is a prime source of entertainment for me at the end of the day. In order to process the day and keep it distinct from all of the other days, I look through that day's photos once before I go to sleep. It gives me unimaginable pleasure, which is surely a sign of how deprived I am of technological stimulation.