We recently found ourselves on a trip within a trip. We decided to escape the primitive lifestyle of the Appalachian Trail and enter the contemporary existence that was New York City. Talk about your culture shock. On our visit we view historic landmarks such as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and a pizza parlor claiming “Worlds Best Pizza”. While these sites were exciting and much deserving of a photo they didn’t seem to follow me back to the trail. In fact two discreet experiences seemed to reoccur in hiking day dreams. The first consisted of a girl I casually walked past on the sidewalk. She seemed to be slightly older than me, dressed for exercise, and had a physical deformity that restricted her natural fluid walking body motion. I noticed that when this stranger’s and my steps crossed she seemed to hide her eyes in the pavement opposite of my direction. The second experience was a very large very expensive personal boat docked in a Hudson River port right off the coast of Manhattan. Similarly while I was looking stunned at the sheer magnitude of this individual’s ship I noticed that a black curtain was drawn over already tented windows.
Once I was back on the trail I couldn’t help but to think of these two totally separate experiences and the similarity in defense, security, or protection. The differences seemed easy to stereotype: giant verses miniature, substandard verses luxurious, humble verses arrogant. In addition, I quickly developed a similarity between the two in both of their habits to restrict and hide themselves. To take my mind off the trail I decided to try and play a game. I had hoped to combine the two experiences under one word. This word would have to serve as definition which takes these two nonchalant happenings and hyperbolizes them into greatness. For some reason I couldn’t escape the idea of heroic. Over time this idea faded in and out of my mind during the hikes. I kept trying to twist and skew the two experiences into heroism. For some reason I was never really satisfied with my struggle. Something just didn’t seem right and I never grew comfortable with the idea of defining both under this word. Nevertheless I liked the challenge and stayed persistent.
One day I was walking along a detour marked path. The Appalachian Trail was under construction and the new blazes lead me down a road parallel a river. The sun had just dodged a cloud and warmed the constantly cool Ct. air. The architecture of three story houses and old large barns were a nice alternate site for my eyes. The day was developing nicely. A few miles into my walk a car pulled beside me and told me that there had been an accident earlier in the day in the area. A few miles after this conversation I realized that heroic was the wrong word.
And as I type now, in this moment, I have come to learn that greatness is already the experience.
and this one.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Nothin but Love...
Wut up boys?? i think about yall all the time. It looks like you are makin it alright....miss you guys. -fittie a.k.a dirty seven a.k.a da fireman
Pictures from Penn to Mass
These pictures are a little bit out of order (start from bottom in order to be most chronologically correct), but at least they're up...
Huge snapping turtle in the middle of the trail. He said he started in Georgia in 1947.
Me asleep on top of Mt. Greylock after 24 hours of straight hiking...we made it 44 miles.
Statue on top of Mt. Greylock
Some beautiful views at sunrise above the clouds on Mt. Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts.
A frog enjoying the excess water that has been on the trail.
Caleb is a bit reluctant to leave his sleeping bag one wet, rainy morning.
Race Brook Falls just past the Connecticut/Massachusetts line, which possessed some of the cleanest looking water on the trail
A stop at the coffee shop in Salisbury, Connecticut before heading back on the trail.
We got a pizza delivered and stealth camped behind the library of Salisbury, Connecticut.
Rand's View in Connecticut
Caleb had been looking forward to climbing Caleb's Peak this entire trip.
There's a lot of moments I just stop and can't believe how lucky I am to be where I am at. This was one of those moments.
Caleb was hiking ahead of me when I crossed into Connecticut leaving New York.
Caleb in front of the Dover Oak, the largest Oak tree along the A.T. We thought the Keffer Oak, the second largest Oak we saw with Mike, Mike, and Matt was a cooler tree, though.
New York
A memorial to 9/11 was located on top of one of the mountains in New York.
A wet night of camping.
There were tons of delis and convenience stores along the New Jersey/New York hike. We had the self discipline to only stop a few times.
This is the only fire that Caleb and I have started when we were by ourselves this whole trip. Caleb did all the work with the fire, but I documented the occasion well.
Crossing the Hudson River on Bear Mountain Bridge
Seeing this sign was awesome. We walked from Georgia to outside of New York City! It's hard to believe...
The A.T. was difficult in parts of the beginning of New York
Trail Angels: Tom, Joyce, and their wonderful grandson
A huge bird 
The real New York/New Jersey state line
We thought this was the state line of New York/New Jersey, but it was only directing us to the "State Line Trail"
Two red ants carrying a black ant up a tree.
River Wallkill in New Jersey is beautiful
Tiny turtle closeup
After seeing the huge turtle, I found this baby turtle on a road
Huge snapping turtle that is pictured above.
My 34-mile-day was one of the most beautiful days I had on the trail.
I caught the sunset at High Point, the highest peak in New Jersey. 
Dinner from an awesome view
The climb outside of Palmerton, PA was the rockiest part of the entire trail.
Some cool panaramics in Pennsylvania
Who knew porcupines could climb trees?
A few random pictures from our recent hike...
Two hours after being in NYC, we were back in the woods with some cows.
Huge snapping turtle in the middle of the trail. He said he started in Georgia in 1947.
Me asleep on top of Mt. Greylock after 24 hours of straight hiking...we made it 44 miles.
Statue on top of Mt. Greylock
Some beautiful views at sunrise above the clouds on Mt. Greylock, the highest peak in Massachusetts.
A frog enjoying the excess water that has been on the trail.
Caleb is a bit reluctant to leave his sleeping bag one wet, rainy morning.
Race Brook Falls just past the Connecticut/Massachusetts line, which possessed some of the cleanest looking water on the trail
A stop at the coffee shop in Salisbury, Connecticut before heading back on the trail.
We got a pizza delivered and stealth camped behind the library of Salisbury, Connecticut.
Rand's View in Connecticut
Caleb had been looking forward to climbing Caleb's Peak this entire trip.
There's a lot of moments I just stop and can't believe how lucky I am to be where I am at. This was one of those moments.
Caleb was hiking ahead of me when I crossed into Connecticut leaving New York.
Caleb in front of the Dover Oak, the largest Oak tree along the A.T. We thought the Keffer Oak, the second largest Oak we saw with Mike, Mike, and Matt was a cooler tree, though.
New York
A memorial to 9/11 was located on top of one of the mountains in New York.
A wet night of camping.
There were tons of delis and convenience stores along the New Jersey/New York hike. We had the self discipline to only stop a few times.
This is the only fire that Caleb and I have started when we were by ourselves this whole trip. Caleb did all the work with the fire, but I documented the occasion well.
Crossing the Hudson River on Bear Mountain Bridge
Seeing this sign was awesome. We walked from Georgia to outside of New York City! It's hard to believe...
The A.T. was difficult in parts of the beginning of New York
Trail Angels: Tom, Joyce, and their wonderful grandson
A huge bird
The real New York/New Jersey state line
We thought this was the state line of New York/New Jersey, but it was only directing us to the "State Line Trail"
Two red ants carrying a black ant up a tree.
River Wallkill in New Jersey is beautiful
Tiny turtle closeup
After seeing the huge turtle, I found this baby turtle on a road
Huge snapping turtle that is pictured above.
My 34-mile-day was one of the most beautiful days I had on the trail.
I caught the sunset at High Point, the highest peak in New Jersey.
Dinner from an awesome view
The climb outside of Palmerton, PA was the rockiest part of the entire trail.
Some cool panaramics in Pennsylvania
Who knew porcupines could climb trees?
A few random pictures from our recent hike...
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