Thru-Hiker

I wanted to find myself, so I got lost in the woods, Turns out life’s easier without all the shoulds. The rhythm of steps was a meditation Twelve hours a day in God’s lovely creation. Even when I was tired, wet, hungry and cold I didn't get jaded; nature didn't get old In the south, high blue ridges, flowers orange and red. Mist drifted over meadows, clouds moved overhead. I got thin and other-worldly, though grounded too It felt odd to pass day trippers, same trail, different view Both epic and mundane, the trail was short and long Resupplied at Vernon, Conway, Marion band played a country song Five months later, with unexpected friends, I reached the end, the North In the "hundred-mile wilderness" we chatted, but it finally spit us forth We camped in Baxter Park, ten miles from Katahdin’s floor At 5:00 AM we rose, headlamps on, eager for more. The climb began easy, but boulders got large. We grabbed rebar to haul ourselves, still pumped for the charge Hills were tinged with gray and pink, a rising sun showing: summits of gold, a world silent and glowing. Walked onto the tableland, then to the last rise There was the wooden sign, the goal and the prize. I hugged the sign, then a cold wind drove us past. Wherever life takes me, the memory will last. Back in the city, strangers pass like ships in the night Who knows what memories keep their spirits alight. Some live epics, some live tales half-spun If you pursue the far horizon life will be more fun.