…one year later.

First, to address the obvious.  Life right now is surreal.  The COVID-19 pandemic has brought strain and tragedy upon so many. I am so thankful to all the essential workers whose effort and sacrifice are fighting this virus and providing for our communities.  I am heartened by the stories of hope, courage, and selflessness that have emerged along with the growth and spread of the pandemic.

I try to remind myself every day how fortunate I am.  I am still employed.  I have been able to work safely from my apartment for over a month.  I have access to outdoor space where I can safely distance myself from others.  I have the company of my wonderful boyfriend and our highly entertaining cats, Waldo and George.  Still, I find myself feeling overwhelmed, anxious, afraid, frustrated.  Some of the ways I work through these feelings are productive, others are not.

Now that I have done a bit of binge-watching, reorganized my closet, read several books, and spent a ridiculous amount of time scrolling on my phone, I find myself back on this blog.  Last time I was here, I was writing from the Appalachian Trail (or rather a couple miles from the trail, as I rested after my second week of hiking).  My journey continued, and there is so much more I want to share and preserve somewhere other than my phone. 

My hike, in a way, provided some preparation for this strange time.  On the trail I had to embrace the unknown.  I learned the best plans are flexible, not rigid.  I learned to surrender to elements that were out of my control, instead of worry about them.  I learned that walking, sun, lots of water, and fresh fruit will always make me feel better (remedies I am applying often these days). The trail teaches so many good lessons, and surely there are more I have yet to realize (Spoiler: I still have half the trail to walk).

April 14, 2020 marked one year since I began my hike.  Today marks one year since my last post. My phone keeps alerting me to the memories ‘on this day’, and each ping comes with photos of where I was one year ago.  A real walk down memory lane…  These memories spark a myriad of emotions—nostalgia, joy, yearning, sadness, gratitude. My heart aches for the hikers who would be out there now, if not for the pandemic.

Over the next several weeks, I will be picking up where I left off, escaping into the memories of my time on trail.  Using my trail journal (which I regrettably did not keep up with), the remnants of my guidebook, and photos, I plan to reconstruct as much as I can.  Looking through these materials, so many small details and vivid memories have come back to me.  I will share stories and photos chronologically, with some current content (mostly the funny antics of Waldo and George, and other ways I am entertaining myself) thrown in. 

Wishing all safety and good health! 

—Catch Up (seems my trail name still fits)