An Assortment of Rambles.

Hello, friends. Welcome.

I have begun this blog as a method of maintaining some semblance of contact over the coming months. Of course, I won’t often be by a computer, but should be able to find internet at least sporadically in my travels.

Now! I am, and have always been, given to mental wanderings. As I sometimes joke, the only difference in adult life is that no one chastises me for daydreaming. With age, I have entered frequently into spiritual and philosophical wanderings. And now I shall connect the dots with physical wandering as well.

I’m also prone to syntactic wanderings, which years of literary study never succeeded in correcting. However, I will try to keep them to a minimum.

We’ll start with the What & Why:
One month from today, Friday March 13th, I will be leaving for Georgia to embark upon an attempted “thru-hike” of the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail extends 2,178.3 miles from Springer Mountain in northern Georgia to Mount Katahdin of Baxter Park in Maine. It traverses parts of fourteen states, and has been marked for its entire length by 2”x6” white paint blazes. My best friend and I conceived of this trip in the early months of 2006, and have been seriously planning for the past year and a half. For personal reasons, my intended Partner in Crime recently opted out of the trip. This announcement came as a devastating blow. However, as I found myself occupationally, fiscally, equipmentally, and more importantly, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually committed to this trip, I decided to continue as planned. My brother, who had previously expressed interest in meeting us for a portion of the trip, jumped at the opportunity. As such, the circumstances and personnel have changed, but the endeavor remains generally the same. On March 15th, we will depart from Springer Mountain and begin northward. No, the sardonic humor implicit in date choice is not entirely coincidental. But then, it did also happen to work out that way.

Oh why, oh why?
I am not sure that I can entirely articulate all my reasons for wanting to do this. I do honestly think partial insanity is involved, after all. Questions of mental health aside, I have thought quite a lot about it. Obviously, at its most immediate level, this is about hiking. I enjoy hiking. I do it a lot. I like nature and solitude. I seek out both. However, in this trip, as often with myself, my concerns are only minimally present in immediacy. On high, this is a meditative act and an artistic representation of my personal philosophies. It is a celebration of life, made by being in it wholly and personally. It is a translation of my Being-- about the quest for challenge, the search for growth in self-understanding, and the ability to be present in a struggle. It is an experiment in individualism, performed with knowledge that the ecstatic dance of Self and Life is its own reward. The journey is meant as pilgrimage, as a test of will and character. It has become a dream from which, whatever the outcome, I will grow and learn. The only real failure would be to succumb to the fear that keeps me from trying; the fear that would inhibit me from leaving my comfort zone, remaining stagnant and stale and scared. This possibility frightens me exponentially more that whatever dangers might be encountered on the trail. This is the failure of regret.

So, friends, this is my translation-- my Zorba, my Howard Roark, my Zarathustra, my NotAllThoseWhoWanderAreLost. It is my ‘Song of Myself’. Of course, there are as many ways to celebrate the self as there are selves to be celebrated. This simply represents my most current chosen mode of personal expression. However, as the very witty and wise (and often strangely sexual-- however, that's not entirely applicable here) John Donne tells us, no man is an island, entire of himself, and I too, of course, am involved in mankind. This adventure is not meant as an escape from people or place. It's about running with and into, not running from or away from. Consequently, I hope to use this time to dialogue with myself, but also with those at home. It would be a most joyous addition to my journey if I had a letter or a thought or a long-winded musing (or a dinner off the trail, or a visit, or a large batch of baked goods... I'm sorry, what?) to share with a distant someone along the way. I certainly will have much time to think about any of these. I hope you’ll share a part of your experience with me as I intend to share mine with you. I have compiled a tentative lists of stops/post office visits, etc., and will be posting them in the coming week(s). Until then, friends, take care of yourselves, and feel free to ask me any questions, whether logistical, emotional, spiritual or other, and I will try my best to keep up.

Be well, stay well.

Love!
Bee