Joy vs. Dread

We have made it to Damascus, Virginia healthy and happy.

Some Musings on the Trail:

Out here our senses are on 24 hour call. The smells, the sights, the sounds - they are never ending. Some of the sensations bring instant joy and elation, others bring a feeling of dread.

Examples of sensations that bring dread: (1) the smell of damp, dirty socks in the morning (putting them on is a must no matter how musty they smell. (2) a drop of temperature by 10 degrees with a slight breeze to boot (rain within 15 minutes for sure). (3) the sight of a completely filled shelter when we've just hiked 20 miles in the cold rain.

I like to focus on the sensations that bring joy and elation. I can't say I always focus on these, but I do try my hardest to overcome the feeling of dread that sometimes sneaks into my being. Examples of sensations that bring joy: (1) the smell of pine needles as you enter a pine forest at high elevations. (2) the smell of laundry detergent on newly washed clothes (this one doesn't last very long - an hour tops). (3) the glimpse of the sun through a small hole in the gray covered sky or the sight of my shadow for a brief moment before the clouds swallow up the sun once again. (4) the sound of cars on a highway in addition to the barking of dogs.

I'd like to expand on #4 if I may.

The reason I feel joy when I hear traffic and dogs barking at the same time is because if you take one of those sounds without the other, there is an entirely different means at the end. For instance, the sound of traffic means there is a road that will eventually intersect with the trail. That, in and of itself, is not too terribly exciting. The A.T. crosses numerous roads: county roads, forest service roads, highways, interstates. Traffic does not mean town. Now think about the traffic sound and add a dog barking -- now the sound means something entirely different than just a highway or byway. It speaks to me saying there is a community of people down there at the bottom of this mountain. And if a dog is barking I can assume there are some houses, houses mean people, people mean jobs, jobs mean shops. I get super excited when I hear this combination of sounds. My mind usually begins to go into overdrive, I begin imagining the people of the community below me in the valley. People who care for pets as well as the others within their homes. People who live in structures with four sides, a roof, and windows and doors. Structures with furniture inside such as an easy chair, sofa, and a bed. A bed that most likely has clean linens on it and smells fresh like spring flowers. Porches with rockers and tall glasses of sweet tea or lemonade, maybe a few homemade muffins or cookies on a plate nearby. You see where I'm going, no wonder I get so darn excited about hearing dogs and traffic noises. A simple joy.