I get a zero in Damascus. It’s Saturday, so the busiest time of Trail Days is officially here. Since I will be spending today in the city and not hiking, I thought I would address some of the negative comments I received for doing so.
While I don’t take this criticism personally, I would like to question some of the ideas behind it. I’ve been called a «city rat» for spending time in trail towns and talking about the food I get from trail angels. Some say these things “have nothing to do with long-distance hiking” and distract me from developing a connection with nature. Appreciating these aspects of the path apparently makes me overly dependent on other people, rather than myself.
While many of my posts are about hiking, camping, and nature, these are not the only aspects of the hiking experience. Hiking the AT is also a social experience. One that is wonderful and often involves hikers, day hikers, trail angels, volunteers, locals, ridge runners, trail towns, conservation groups, and, yes, food. A hiker may choose to forgo engaging with these social aspects of the trail (at least to the extent possible). After all, do your own hike.
But we shouldn’t pretend that we could hike the Appalachian Trail (or any other long-distance trail) without the existence of all these people and communities. In fact, we depend on them. And his work has a lot to do with long-distance hiking. No one is doing this hike alone, nor should they strive to do so. This path belongs to all of us and we must embrace it with humility and gratitude. I think Trail Days is the perfect encapsulation of this principle. It’s an opportunity for us to come together and celebrate something we all share.
Happy trails!
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