19. We’re only human (Cosby Knob NC to Standing Bear Farm TN)

Mossy and Sparrow parted from me again after we descended together from the Smokies, The descent warmed doubly fast: one part elevation, one part morning sun. The final drop to the Pigeon River wound alonside a tumbling creek, cascading over the angular metamorphic rock. Water! After the Smokies, where water trickles from mountaintop springs, its abundance now roared in sharp contrast.

Where the creek poured into the Pigeon River (lowest point of the trail so far), my friends drove off. I crossed over the river and under I-40 alone for now, arriving shortly at Standing Besr Farm hostel.

What you learn making music

The man I discussed 3 days ago in the free rider discussion also showed up. He is named Christian. We started talking together alongside with a free-spirited writer named Honey Badger. We talked of what the trail means to us. All afternoon, a fire blazed and people were gathered.

Christian and I played guitar together through the mid-afternoon. He shared beautiful music that he’d written. “I love the way you express yourself in these songs,” Honey Badger encouraged. 

When I would lead backpacking trips for incoming freshman in college, sharing our stories together was a critical part of the experience. I found it helpful to remind the students that it’s as if we are gathered at a lake. We each took a different path to reach the lake, some walking up a gentle creek, some switchbacking over a pass, some mountaineering over a granite peak. These journeys are part of who we are – they shape us – but they do not make us better or worse people, no more or less worthy of respect and attention.

Christian’s journey to meet me here was more difficult than mine. While he was scaling boulders, I walked through quiet forest. Though we took different paths to our meeting, we both yearn for respect and attention. We are only human.

That doesn’t change the fact that Christian approached the trail without a good plan and ended up in a difficult spot as a result. He will follow his hopes down a new path now, ending the hiking portion of his journey and heading to a new city. I hope he finds some stability and eventually, a more gentle path.

When we played music together, Christian could be seen and heard as a person. Honey Badger and I offeref him encouragement. Christian might not have found what he was looking for on the trail, but I hope he keeps trying.