love note to tragedy

This is a thank you note.

My trail family and I had been jumping all over each other for the first few weeks. Then, I received an invitation from Neon to join them at an AirBnB in Gatlinburg. Hmm… let me think if I would like to do that, yes. So I started hanging out with the group and for the last few weeks I had a great time.

Neon, Birdie, Duck, Bottleneck, Sugar Bear and me, Partly Sunny.

Being part of a tram doesn’t mean we are always together. I walk alone a lot and enjoy that time. But having lunch and camping together are also precious moments. Sometimes walking with other people is also helpful, as conversation makes the miles go by easily and my pace quickens when I want to keep up with someone else.

Having social support along the way means staying on the path. I can say hee hee and ha ha all day long, engaging in silly antics and the silliest jokes I’ve ever heard. I can hear loud curses on the long, hot climbs that tell me I’m not alone in my suffering. I can have conversations about everything I’m missing at home and how painful it is, about the complicated relationships we have with our deceased parents, about what we’ve learned from relationships. I receive support and love when I cry in the high mountains and I can encourage others when the days are difficult. I get help hanging bears and teach my first yoga class. I talk about bathroom business more than in my usual life.

We become a small community, doing tasks for the well-being of the group: getting water for everyone, sharing food, reserving transportation and stays for the group, etc.

Our ages range from twenty to fifty and we are all from different states and walks of life. We negotiate budgets and deadlines so we can stay together. We understand each other’s situations, including our aggressiveness and our soft hiker brain. It’s not so weird when we say weird things. Although Duck writes our best one-liners.

Thank you, Regulators, for the support, love and camaraderie. The road would be much more difficult without you.

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