I Miss It All
I miss it all.
I miss the trail. I miss the constant feeling of knowing where I’m going. The pull of the trail that drags you forward for six long months. Feeling the purpose to push on.
I miss the blazes, telling me where to go in a forest of vast mystery. Carrying me through the deserts and streams and mountains. I miss the peaceful thought of having a direction.
I miss the people. Those who only build you up instead of tearing you down. Who accept you for everything and all that you are, and like you anyway. The people who you spend your life with for half a year. Who you make up silly group personas with and laugh until it hurts. The strangers who become family. Those who are there when you want to quit and when you succeed. I miss them.
I miss the community. Full of people willing to help solely for the purpose of being part of your incredible journey. The group that opens up their homes to us. Who clean and feed us. Who share their stories, making everything a little easier.
I miss the feeling. The daily soreness, always shifting places. Being full in mind and body. The feeling of waking up every morning with the sun, ready to conquer each day. The confidence to accomplish anything. The flexibility of life.
I feel this lacking in my life that pulls me forward to a new trail, a new community, new experiences, yet still…
…I miss it all.
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Comments 1
This is very well said, I have yet to do my thru-hike but this relates almost perfectly with the feeling of being deployed in the military. That is a big reason I am doing the AT, to get that bond and sense of direction back.