Goals
No time for dillydallying since I want to get to Katahdin by June 17. So I took an early flight to Georgia today, got to the trailhead, did my orientation, and walked through the magic stone arch trailhead with enough daylight to make some miles.
Though this ambitious start and my previous adventure history and my time goal indicate otherwise, I think the main objective of hiking should not be to get somewhere fast. My goals for this hike include to walk gently and deliberately, to stay uninjured, and to enjoy the small details. However, those goals are inherently in conflict with the aforementioned finish date goal. Every day will therefore hold tension between lingering to enjoy the forest and making extra miles to get closer to Maine. As a travel day, I approached today as a day whose main objective is simply to go forward (move ahead! Try to detect it!).
Then I entered the forest. Car tire rumbles on pavement melded with tumbling water. Then the car noises faded as the waterfall crescendoed.
Sound and time
This soundscape mimics my present experience. The franticness of the last few days and hours, an intermittentcy of activity like the alternating roar and quiet of the cars, yields to a constantcy like rushing water. The constant is footsteps. Metronomic footsteps, but they do not mark the passage of time very well. Time slips by as footsteps proceed, and no one cares to count the ratio between the two.
This is fine because I would rather not have a metronome – a watch beating out the miles or the hours. Time still moves but more like a river when it’s beat at irregular intervals. No staring at a GPS. Just putting one foot in front of the other.
A human interaction
Within a quarter mile of the start, someone told me congratulations. It felt awkward because I have not accomplished anything yet. Thank you? But I suppose it is a brave thing to start something new or to follow through on a dream. It’s happening. The dream has begun.
YES!! The dream has begun indeed- we are cheering you on, Nate!
It’s not too late. To whip it. Whip it good!
Looks like a grand start!
“to walk gently and deliberately” I really love that phrase. This reminds me of a saying Thich Nhat Hanh said, that your feet should kiss the earth with every step. Wishing that for you on this first leg of your trip!
This is so good, as both a physical and mental approach to walking. Someone told me “take each step gently” before I left, and I’ve been thinking about that. Now I will think of kissing the earth as well.