Christmas 2012

It's fun to put pictures and videos together using Smilebox; it's set to music.

This slideshow customized with Smilebox

The Great Encounter

Stanton Lanier's music brings peace to my life. May the peace of the Lord (the peace that surpasses all understanding) settle into your heart as you watch and listen. 





We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter, between God and mankind. He who has faith knows this truly; let him rejoice. ~Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)

A Wild Goose Chase

             (Photo by Pete Wetzel - Appalachian Double Thru-Hiker 2012)

A wild goose chase, that's what some might think when they hear I hope to walk the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. I had not thought of it in those terms though until recently but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

For many who plan this adventure, it is a dream of a lifetime but not for me. This past February for Valentine's Day we spent a couple of nights at Len Foote Hike Inn in Amicalola Falls State Park. After dinner, Wade Chandler, Assistant Manager of Len Foote Hike Inn, presented a slide show and talked about his thru-hike of the AT in 2008. It was the second time for me to hear his story and see pictures and I enjoyed the second time just as much as the first. At the conclusion he asked those present if there were any questions and so I asked if he had seen "any old codgers on the trail." All he said was "yes" with a little smile on his face ... not sure what the smile was about but I didn't follow up with any other questions.

Prior to that hike to Len Foote, I had been planning for 2013 to Walk the Camino in Spain starting at the French border and traveling 500 miles across the northern edge of Spain to Santiago de Compostella.  Some years ago I'd read a book by Joyce Rupp, Walk In A Relaxed Manner. It was the story of her journey along this ancient route with a friend. I'd read many of her previous books and enjoyed each one. I could always hear God speaking to me through her writing and this book has lots of turned down page corners (that's how I mark places I want to remember).  God even gave me one of the desires of my heart and I attended a day retreat with Sister Joyce sponsored by a church in North Carolina.  Sister Joyce lives in Kansas. From her books I knew she was a holy woman and it was a very special day. Have you ever met someone and just felt that by being in their presence you were very near to God? If so, that's the love and peace that radiates from her. She walked the Camino and wrote her book before there was the movie, The Way. I saw it at a local theater and then bought the DVD when it came out. If you missed the movie, the DVD is great.

Wade mentioned the trailjournals.com website and I checked it out. In fact, I started to read the daily writings of many who were on their Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2012. I began to think that since I was not growing any younger, perhaps I should plan for the AT and delay the Camino until 2014. Originally I thought the Camino could be a warm up for the AT since I had no backpacking experience. Somehow, I don't remember how, after the hike to Len Foote in February, I stumbled on a website and a guided hike with  fitpacking.com called the Appalachian Trail Primer. I figured that could be a good introduction and a gauge to see if I was cut out for backpacking. The 5 1/2 day trek at the end of October was quite a learning experience for me and whetted my appetite for more. If you've read this far, you may be thinking my writing is like a wild goose chase.

At the beginning of November I read the Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God by Mark Batterson. I bought the Kindle version and while I didn't have pages to turn down, I highlighted and saved passages that really spoke to me. The book helped to confirm my thoughts that God was inviting me to take a pilgrimage along the Appalachian Trail. He was offering me the gift of a spiritual adventure.

I expect that may sound strange to many people but I have taken several pilgrimages in
the past - to Rome, Italy and Assisi with a group from our parish in Darmstadt, Germany. 

The catacombs

St. Peter's Cathedral

I traveled to Medjugore in Herzegovina two times (known as Yugoslavia when I visited). The first pilgrimage I went with a group from several churches and the second pilgrimage my two young sons and sister came with me. My husband made a pilgrimage there a year later.

Mt. Krizevac

Garden of Gethsemane

My last pilgrimage was to the Holy Land.
This spot particularly touched my heart and soul.

Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane

My pilgrimage on the Appalachian Trail will be the closest to home since I won't be leaving the United States but it will be the longest of my journeys. Mr. Batterson writes "We underestimate the interconnection between geography and spirituality. And part of the reason is that we worship God in man-made buildings that keep us insulated from the elements." He says that "When God wants us to experience a change in perspective, He often does it via a change in scenery."

Living for the most part out of pack I carry on my back for 6 months in the woods will be a change from my home - that's for certain. I hope to experience His presence in the quiet beauty of the woods and I hope it will be easy to pray as I walk. I think God is also inviting me to attend mass along the journey as part of the pilgrimage. Throughout all of my life, mass on Saturday and/or Sunday and daily mass when I wasn't working has drawn me closer to Him through His word, the gift of community, and the gift of the Eucharist. I've found Catholic churches along the Appalachian Trail and I've placed notes in my guide book but I'm not sure about getting from the trail, to a road and to the church. The hitchhiking aspect is pretty frightening to me but I trust that if it is His will for me to attend mass, then He will make a way. Batterson writes it is "our moment-by-moment sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that turns life into an everyday adventure."

Christopher Columbus credited the Holy Spirit with the idea to sail to the West Indies. He said "It was the Lord who put it into my mind, (I could feel His hand upon me), the fact that it would be possible." He said that all who heard of his project rejected it with laughter but the Holy Spirit comforted him through rays of marvelous inspiration from the Holy Scriptures. Scripture speaks and comforts me as well. I chose Proverbs 16:9 many months ago as my signature on trailjournals.com because it seemed a promise to me from God. God confirmed His word to me on Page 129 of Wild Goose Chase... "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." During this Advent season, Fr. John's homily last Sunday, Fr. Michael's homily today and the beautiful music from the 9 AM choir spoke words of confirmation to me as well.

I'm excited and grateful and looking forward with joyful anticipation to beginning my pilgrimage on the Appalachian Trail. I'm also a little nervous but I thank God for giving me the faith to take the first step and the certainty that He walks with me. Thank you, Father; thank you, Jesus; thank you, Holy Spirit.


The following is from  wildgoosedove. blogspot

"Following a wild goose" (in the best sense of the phrase) has some affinities with the well known Celtic view of the Christian spiritual life as pilgrimage. Consider this hymn, attributed to Columba (521-597 AD):

Alone with none but thee, my God,
I journey on my way.
What need I fear when thou art near,
O King of night and day?
More safe am I within thy hand
than if a host should round me stand.

My destined time is known to thee,
and death will keep his hour;
did warriors strong around me throng,
they could not stay his power:
no walls of stone can man defend
when thou thy messenger dost send.

My life I yield to thy decree,
and bow to thy control
in peaceful calm, for from thine arm
no power can wrest my soul.
Could earthly omens e'er appal
a man that heeds the heavenly call?

The child of God can fear no ill,
his chosen dread no foe;
we leave our fate with thee, and wait
thy bidding when to go.
'Tis not from chance our comfort springs.
thou art our trust, O King of kings.

Pilgrimage was the Christian Celts' chosen metaphor to speak of the dynamics of the Christian journey, a risky venture in which one becomes totally dependent on God. (Ian Bradley, Colonies of Heaven). To that extent, pursing the wild goose is Celtish, if not actually derived from the Celts themselves.

39.7 Miles on the Appalachian Trail

What a wonderful learning experience and an opportunity to test my gear and mettle. I was really nervous before leaving to begin the hike wondering if I could go the distance with the pack on my back. We were a small group (6 women and 3 men) from various parts of the United States and I enjoyed spending the week with them. Wasn't surprised to be the oldest and hoped that I could keep up. Some had prior backpacking experience and for the rest of us, it was our first time backpacking. The weather was incredible -- sunshine, mild temperatures and no rain. God's glory was abundant in the beautiful fall colors and blue sky. 

Day 1 - We started at the top of Amicalola Falls parking lot on the A.T. Approach Trail and stopped the first night at Black Gap Shelter. First time for me to set up my tent other than in my own yard. First time to get water from a little trickle of a stream and to purify it. First time to put my food bag up on a bear cable. First time to use my little home made alcohol stove (check out the video tab to see it in action in my kitchen during a test) to cook at a shelter. Wore my Salomon trail runners for the day but realized at the end of the day, my Teva Hurricane XLT's would have been better. So I hiked the rest of the week in my Tevas and my feet thanked me. Thanks, again, to Mouse, Class of 2012, who thru-hiked entirely in Tevas and her system with socks. Works for me.

Day 2 - Next morning up and over Springer Mountain; we spent the night at Hawk Mountain Shelter. At the shelter were two women from Florida who were hiking part of the A.T. and just before bed two SOBO's (started in Maine and came south to Georgia), trail names, Boot Stomper, I think, and Chesty -- stopped for the night. They were from Kentucky and would finish their thru-hike the next day. Boot Stomper could bend his boot at the ball of the foot and bring his insole through the opening. They were nice young men. Again, spent the night in my tent. Never realized how loud leaves falling on my tent could sound.

Day 3 - Onward to Gooch Gap Shelter. Spent my first night in a shelter. There were five women on the bottom floor (3 from our group and the 2 women from Florida we'd met the day before). I slept on the outside next to the ladder (but stayed away from the edge and corner cause I'd heard that's where the mice like to run); Micki was next and her friend, Nancy, then Martha and Nancy from our group on the other outside side (kind of a like a grown up slumber party). Our heads were at the shelter front (again, to stay away from mice). The two young policemen from Florida were on the second floor. No mice -- nice !

Day 4 - To a campsite not far from Dockery Lake Trail. No shelter, no privy (first day for digging a cat hole--probably too much info), no bear cables. We cooked our dinner meal a distance from our tents. Jeff, one of the fitpacking guides, hung our food bags some distance from where we cooked dinner. He chose several trees hoping that if a bear got some of them, he wouldn't get all of them. Bear activity was reported in the area. I was exhausted this night and kept very quiet but for the most part sleep evaded me. The next morning I was ready to go. On the trail I met a man who is a Triple Crowner; he has hiked the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail -- over 7,000 miles & 22 States -- FANTASTIC !! When I asked to take his pic he posed with Mary and Alex from our group. He lives in the north Georgia area. His trail name is Flatfoot but he doesn't have a journal online; said he might post highlights from his hikes at some point. I hope he does one day. The last 800 miles of the Continental Divide Trail he hiked solo because all the others had dropped out. He said his voice remains permanently raspy to this day because he had to shout at every curve in the trail "HEY BEAR !"  in order not to surprise a grizzly and risk being attacked. He does not recommend solo hiking that trail. I wore my brown/black smart wool t-shirt for 4 days; nose-wise it fared much better than the green polyester I changed into for the last two days. I'm sold on smart wool for that reason.

Day 5 - Destination Woods Hole Shelter. We'd met a hiker a couple of days before who told us a bear had tried to get his entire backpack which he'd hung from the bear cables there (pic below has our food bags hanging). He showed us the claw marks on the bottom of the his pack. He scared the bear away about 11 PM and it came back a couple of hours later for a 2nd go but to no avail. It was a beautiful evening and we had a fire. Woods Hole Shelter has resident mice. You could see parts of their nests up high near the roof on both sides. I felt sleep deprived and was determined to get a good night's rest. Went to my tent (pic above), took 2 benadryl, inserted ear plugs, and fell asleep as Bruce, one of our guides, played his recorder while laying in his hammock. I only heard two songs and I think he played 4 songs that night and I was in lala land.

I slept through the bear visitation around 11 PM. I'm a light sleeper - even leaves dropping on my tent kept me awake - so I was amazed to learn the next morning that our guide, Bruce, had acquired a new trail name, "Bear Ninja", because of his fearless confrontation as the bear went for our food bags. The two Florida policemen (remained in their tent with heads peeking out - they were closest to the bear). Every one else was out of their tents/shelter and yelling at the bear to leave. As I was told the next morning, Bruce (dressed in black long johns, boots, head lamp) and white hair shining in the moonlight emerged from his hammock, "striding powerfully" toward the bear. He approached close enough, picked up and threw a good sized branch and hit the bear on its leg. It left. Jeff suggested I not take 2 benadryl at night and sleep with ear plugs on my thru-hike. I was happy not to see the bear. They said it was possibly 20 years old and standing on its hind legs about 8 feet tall ! That's my bear story and I slept through it !!

Day 6 - The trail seemed to climb up, and up, and up for miles to Blood Mountain and the view was worth every gasp of breath. I had my one and only fall almost at the bottom of Blood Mountain. One of my trekking poles collapsed (both sections at once) when I put my weight on it as I stepped down; I fell to that side and my right foot slipped on leaves and mud and I was on my bum. A young couple got to witness the spectacle. My guardian angel came to my rescue; I was OK. Just a little roughened skin on my left knee. The young man asked if he could help me but I figured I'd bring him down with me so I said I just needed a minute to figure out how to get up. Probably should have removed my pack but I thought it might roll off the mountain. I maneuvered my left leg and swung my back to the right and got both feet in front of me and used my powerful thigh muscles (haha) to stand up. Figured I was filthy but there were so many leaves on the rocks that I didn't even get dirty. I need to tighten the locks on my poles. We walked on to Neels Gap and finished the fitpacking.com trip.

Weighed my pack at Neels Gap -- 34 lbs ! That's minus some of the food I carried for the week.  I have work to do on reducing pack weight before beginning my thru-hike. I hope to leave with not more than 25 lbs. total including food (for 4 days) and water. Asked one of the guys at Neels Gap to assess my pack and told him my left shoulder seemed to be carrying more weight. I learned that the load lifter attachments on my shoulder straps were off - one higher than the other - and both should be at the lowest possible adjustment. I didn't even know those rings were on the front of my shoulder straps but it sure felt more comfortable when he made that adjustment. Everything else was fine and it is the right size for me. I'm grateful for that.

It's good to be home. My bed sure feels good and I'm enjoying the comforts of a bathroom. I don't think my feet have ever been so dirty. I had to scrub them before I took my bath.
Fitpacking measurement results: 1 lb. of fat gone in 5 days (think about 4 sticks of butter); decrease of 2.2% body fat (I like that) and a gain of 3.4 lbs. of lean body mass (muscle - nice).

The physical therapy over the course of the last six weeks really strengthened my ankle; I had sprained it in May but didn't seek treatment until August. I rocked it and rolled it and it held up. On Monday, Cheryl, my physical therapist said it was better than before I left. A big thank you to Physical Therapy Centers of Georgia and everyone there.

During the week I came to know Micki and Nancy from Florida. What special women! Micki was attacked by a shark while diving; it is a miracle she lived through it. Her story is in the book "Surviving Survival." She is one of the most joy-filled and peaceful women I have ever met and her friend, Nancy, is a friend and jewel extraordinare, for sure.
This is a link to an article about Micki.

Micki's story

They have expressed a desire to meet me and hike a part of the AT with me; I would be blessed to have their company.

                                      Nancy on the left and Micki on the right

Thank you, Lord, for establishing my steps on this hike.

Fitpacking Hike

 The phone rang yesterday about 5:45 PM. I'd left my phone on the kitchen counter and was upstairs in my little office area. I dashed down the steps and it was a number I didn't recognize but since it was a local number, I answered. It was Jeff, one of the guides of the fitpacking trip I'll be going on in a few days.

What the heck is fitpacking ? "Fitpacking is weight loss backpacking" so it says on the website. Now I could stand to remove fat from this old body of mine, but I'm most interested in learning about hiking the Appalachian Trail and putting some backpacking miles on my feet and under my belt. At the end of the trip if the backpack waist belt needs to be tightened because I'm a half inch smaller, than thanks be to God. This trip is called the Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker Primer and we'll spend 5 nights and 6 days on the trail. We'll cover about 40 miles during that time and my husband keeps asking me what I'm going to be doing all the rest of the hours in each day since we're only going to cover about 40 miles total !  In general my husband and I walk about 50 miles each week usually in the morning. I hadn't really stopped to think about that because I'm focused on whether I'll be able to pick up and carry my backpack for 5 days in a row. We won't be twiddling our thumbs.

Had a great conversation with Jeff who thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2008. His trail name was Jukebox and I've read his journal on trailjournals.com. It's comforting to know that he has hiked the hike (kind of like walking the talk). I think there will be 6 fitpackers on the trip (2 from Minnesota, 2 from Georgia, 1 from Virginia and 1 from South Carolina).  Another guilde will accompany us, Bruce, who has wilderness medicine training. Nice to know but I hope we don't need his expertise on a personal level. I'll bet he will teach us what we need to know ... just in case. 

With the thought of having to carry enough on my back to live in the woods for 5 days, I may have become what's know in hiker lingo as a "gram weenie" -- one who knows the weight of everything in the pack because it has been weighed. I hope to keep my pack weight as low as possible - say 17 lbs. or less (not counting water and food) because Jeff says I'll need to carry 10 LBS. OF FOOD -- WHEW !  They are providing the food and I have no idea what 10 lbs. of hiker food looks like.

I packed my clothes in ZipLock bags this morning. Then knelt on them (while praying -- just kidding) and squeezed out all the air. (I hope he doesn't want me to open the bags). Then I weighed the bags. Next I put them in the waterproof stuff sack above and then I repacked them in a compression sack and that's what I took.

One change of hiking clothes          10 3/4    oz.
Windjacket/fleece                              9          oz.
Nano Puff Jacket                              10         oz.
Rain Jacket                                      11 3/4   oz.
Rain Pants                                        11        oz.
Sleeping clothes (sleep socks,
lightweight thermal shirt and
tights, running shorts if I don't 
need thermals)                               1 lb. l oz. 


May leave the rain jacket and pants at home and go with a sil-nylon poncho for rain (if weather is predicted to be nice). May take a trekking umbrella. I sweat ALOT when I hike and putting on rain gear makes the situation worse .... decisions.decisions.

What things look like at camp. I would like to be better organized; guess it takes some practice.

The Will

 This is an interesting article from Backpackinglight.com

Completing a Thru-Hike 

 

What sets successful thru-hikers apart from the rest of the pack? Superfitnessawesomesauce? A trust fund? The best gear? The answer may surprise you.     By Francis Tapon 9/13/2011

 

Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, or Continental Divide Trail has a tendency to kick your butt. Most fail. I met many successful pilgrims on these trails, and I tried to look for a common thread. Here are some characteristics I thought they would share:

Wealth: I figured you probably need the financial wherewithal to support the multi-month journey.

Wrong: One guy (Cheapo) hiked from Georgia to New York on $20. His secret? Live off the freebies in hiker-boxes.

Good Gear: Those who travel with shoddy equipment are surely at a disadvantage.

Wrong: A man named Spider thru-hiked the AT with the same old, decrepit gear he'd had for 35 years.

Superior Nutrition: Poor nutrition would certainly catch up to you during the hike and hamper your ability to finish it.

Wrong: A few thru-hikers survived mainly on Snickers and other junk food.

Excellent Cardiovascular Conditioning: Thru-hiking is the ultimate endurance sport, so surely cardiovascular fitness is paramount.

Wrong: In Virginia I met George Ziegenfuss who blew that theory - he was in his sixties and hiked the AT with only one lung. He was huffing and puffing when he was sitting down, but he overcame that “inconvenience.”

Disease-Free: Your body should be healthy and free of debilitating diseases.

Wrong: Sticks and Stones, two ex-military men, thru-hiked together to raise money for Leukodystrophy, which Sticks battled. Although Leukodystrophy is a progressive disorder that affects the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves, it did not stop Sticks from thru-hiking the AT.

Youth: I initially thought that being young and strong was a common denominator.

Wrong: I recalled the first female thru-hiker I met on the AT - she was in her sixties. Others have completed it in their seventies. In 2004, Lee “The Easy One” Barry became the oldest person to ever thru-hike the AT: he was 81. The fastest thru-hiker our year was Linsey, a man who biked from California to Georgia, hiked up to Maine in about 72 days, and then biked back to California. He averaged about 30 miles a day on the AT and never took a day off. He was 63.

Sight: OK, at the very least, you should be able to see the darn trail! Right?

Wrong: a blind man, Bill Irwin, hiked the whole trail with his trusty seeing-eye dog named Orient. It took him nine months (50% longer than average), and he fell hundreds of times, but he made it.

I was dumbfounded. I couldn’t seem to find a common denominator among all the successful thru-hikers. Yes, the majority were young, strong, ate healthy food, carried lightweight gear, and could actually see the trail, but there were so many exceptions. It wasn’t until I finished a thru-hike that I figured it out.

The only common thread that separated the successful thru-hikers from those who weren’t successful was their will. Those who complete a thru-hike in one season have an unbreakable will. They want to complete the trail so badly that nothing will stop them. Their rock-solid courage triumphs over the fear and adversity that confronts them throughout their arduous journey.

Therefore, if you’re planning to thru-hike, it certainly helps to follow the valuable tips at Backpackinglight.com and lighten your load. However, don’t forget get to load up on the most important ingredient: the WILL.

“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them. A desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.” — Muhammad Ali

Francis Tapon is the first person to yo-yo the Continental Divide Trail. He is the author of Hike Your Own Hike and, most recently, The Hidden Europe. Both books and his 77-minute CDT Yo-Yo Video are available at his website.

IF ...

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!           

Rudyard Kipling - first published in 1895

   I hope that I have the physical strength to complete the Appalachian Trail; my body can walk many miles but my mind needs to be prepared too. When we were preparing for the half marathon at Callaway Gardens January of 2012, my husband kept telling me - It's in your mind." He was trying to convince me my body may get tired but my mind will keep me going when I want to stop.

 " If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

A friend's son completed Ironman Wisconsin this month and I'm hoping strategies from Chrissie Wellington, four-time World Ironman champion will help me train mentally:

Train Your Brain 

I am reading her book, Life Without Limits. 

The Sprout Develops Roots - Mt. Leconte

October 1, 2011 (the first day reservations were taken) we put the LeConte Lodge phone number on speed dial because it is very difficult to get a reservation. On the 3rd day we got through and reserved the night of September 5, 2012. Reservations for the season are totally booked in less than a week. We had a great time our first hike there in July of 2011 with friends, Joe and Angie, who we met at a B&B in Georgia; they invited us to join their annual group trip in 2011.  We wanted to return in 2012 but could not go back with the group because we attended my 45th high school class reunion in Illinois. When we made the reservation, I had no plans for a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. 

Ready to hike & test my Cotton Carrier vest holding my camera (with waterproof cover on)

                                                    

 The trail follows this creek for quite some time and I love that sound.

 Used leg muscles along the trail that we normally don't call into duty ...

 The trail goes up for the most part and is very rocky with cables to grab onto for some semblance of security.

I was pleased with my ULA Circuit backpack. Carried about 20 lbs. in it for my first hike. Hope to keep it fully packed at 25 lbs. or less for the AT thru-hike. 

                                  Cabin #9 and our front porch on Mt. LeConte - simplicity

                                                               Double bed size bunk beds

                                     After breakfast, we said good-bye and thank you.

                                         A "muddy good morning" greeting from the trail

            Carefully proceeding ... he'll use the cable up ahead on the left to round the bend.

                                                  Would NOT want to slip right here ....

 I didn't place the leaf; all I saw was the blue flower shimmering in the rain. Cycle of life ...

                                                     Site of a recent landslide

                View as we return to Alum Cave on our descent (a lot easier coming down)

                       The fog has lifted; the rocks remain wet and we proceed carefully ....

                                                 The grandeur of God's creation

                    Almost back to the trail head - beautiful tree and handsome hiker !

                            The Morning Glory room at Eight Gables Inn, Gatlinburg, TN

                                                                      Eight Gables Inn

                            The wrap around porch was beautiful and so comfortable

                          Before hitting the road home, breakfast began with a baked apple

                                                                           In this room

                                                      Delicious and nicely presented

We enjoyed the accommodations at Mt. LeConte and Eight Gables Inn - both are beautiful places and very peaceful.

As we passed by the mountains driving home, I had a sobering thought -- next time I pass this way, I will be walking .... 

                                                    The sign at Clingman's Dome

                                                                       The trail ....

Patron Saint of Hikers

The St. Bernard breed of dogs from the Alps in Italy and Switzerland were originally bred for rescue in those mountains. The dogs were named for a real person, St. Bernard of Montjoux.

St. Bernard was born in 923 and ran away from his home to avoid an arranged marriage. He went to Italy and joined the Benedictine order. In the Alps he found people still following  pagan ways and dedicated the next 42 years of his life to converting the local people. In 962 St. Bernard established a monastery and a hospice at the highest point of a highly traveled and treacherous pass in the Alps between Italy and Switzerland. Eventually that pass came to bear his name.

The monks would go out during heavy snow storms (as well as the rest of the year) accompanied by their dogs in search of travelers or those who had perished trying to travel the pass. The earliest written records of the St. Bernard breed are from 1707 from that very monastery though paintings and pictures date back even further.

St. Bernard (the man) is the patron saint of skiing, snowboarding, hiking, backpacking and mountaineering and the dogs that bear his name are still very tied to the Alpine lifestyle. His feast day is May 28th (our youngest son’s birthday).

I have pinned this medal to my backpack strap as a physical reminder that I have asked St. Bernard to pray for me in my prep hikes and during my Appalachian Trail journey and for the safety of all hikers. I have also asked family and friends for their prayers -- those who have gone before me and those living because we are the communion of saints.