A Snippet

I am preparing my Appalachian Trail memoir for publication and came across this paragraph.

The routine is not bad. I am very, very pleased to be here. But the trail is still tough going. I groan at the sight of another climb and just keep walking, however slowly. Descents are often difficult as I try to keep from falling, tripping or slipping down steep inclines. But with every step, no matter how difficult, I truly walk in beauty. Great trees tower overhead, encompassing the earth and sky in an eternal embrace. And for these few weeks, I join that eternity. A thick mantle of foliage and rock covers the ground under this canopy. Waters flow in timeless streams. I share this wooded place with the grouse, woodpeckers, deer and snakes that I see and hear along the trail. I am part of that forest, one with Mother Earth and Father Sky. I cannot think of anything else that I’d rather be doing day after day.