Fresh Perspectives

Summer!  The sweetest season of them all is officially here, and thank goodness, right?  I mean, who doesn’t love summer (besides polar bears and weird people like my brother who prefer the average temperature to be closer to 60 than 85)?

Without a doubt, summer is my favorite season for countless reasons:  long walks on the beach, afternoon thundershowers, gently swaying with the breeze in a backyard hammock.  WAIT…Is it just me, or does that sound like the start of a bad romance novel?  Yeah, I thought so. 

Let’s try this again:summer is my favorite season for countless reasons: no school, trips to Charleston, sleeping late, cookouts, poolside gossip sessions with the girls, sundresses, 4^th of July parties, the beach, and of course flip-flops (or lip-lops as my mom says, referring to my inability to combine the letters F and L when I was younger).

All of these great things are a constant whether you’re in high school or college, however, after you’ve finished those first two semesters….there is one thing that will undoubtedly change.  In high school, you mainly spent the summers with the same 5-10 people, right?  Your ‘group’, ‘clique’, or ‘posse’ (if you prefer to think of yourself as rap artist, which I suppose some of you might?!). Anyway, by the end of the summer, there’s usually two of you who despise each other, or instead of 10 friends, it becomes more like 2 groups of 5…usually due to some childish argument that everyone knows is ridiculous but too immature at the time to admit it.  After that first year of college, it’s great to see all of your old friends again and time has probably healed any harsh feelings between members of your ‘group’.  Things go back to normal, memories are retold, inside jokes become hilarious again, but then….something strange occurs.  You start pining away for the amazingly wonderful people you met in college.  Whether it’s your new best friend who you still talk to every single day or the crazy kid next door that made beats on his computer until 3 a.m. causing you to wake up feeling like you have a metronome inside of your head (true story, by the way), you begin to miss all of the people you met in the 9 months you were away.

And THAT….is another new thing I love about summer!  Instead of feeling obligated to hang out with one small group of friends, you now have people all over the country to go see!  I just recently got back from Mechanicsville, Virginia (right outside of Richmond) to visit Meghan, one of my best friends while in college.  Mechanicsville….doesn’t that seem like the perfect name for a town in one of those creepy horror films.  I can see it now, young couple gets a flat tire and the local mechanic in Mechanicsville is some crazy ax murderer. (And of course somewhere in the movie there has to be the crazy cat lady who helps them out.) Hollywood Screenwriters Guild…here I come!

Okay, back to the point: summer is great and even better when you can visit all of the wonderful people you’ll meet in college.

So high school seniors, or rather high school graduates, enjoy your summers! And remember to plan for a few unexpected road trips next year.

Posted by Kendall at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"In that cool mountain air on the Appalachian Trail....oh, life is better there." - Yonder Mountain String Band

I couldn't shake the words above out of my mind this past week as I hiked 35 miles along the Appalachian Trail in the Northern half of the Great Smoky Mountains.  It was an experience of a lifetime...one that I will certainly never forget.  I've hiked and camped plenty of times, even on the AT, but this trip was the beginning of something new - a chance to really explore.

My stepdad has been hiking different parts of the Southeast since he was my age, and I've gone with him on a few trails before....but this time, we started planning not just for a trip, but for a journey.  (At least in my eyes!)  We were on the trail 4 days and 3 nights.  And yes, ladies, that means 4 days with no make-up, no real shower (besides pouring water over your body and scrubbing a bit), no microwaves, and no cell phones.  This suburban girl was heading for the GREAT OUTDOORS!!!

My mom drove us up through Gatlinburg, TN after we dropped our car off at Newfound Gap, the only road running through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. By the way, 4 quick words about Gatlinburg....don't waste your time.  It was described to me as "Myrtle Beach in the Mountains" and that's precisely what it is - loads of haunted houses, air brush t-shirt stores, and fair food stands.  It just doesn't do the mountains justice.

Anyway, early Monday morning, my mom dropped my stepdad and I off at Cosby Campground (which has a trail of about 2.5 miles leading up to the Appalachian Trail).  After a few tears from a worried mother and a picture or two, we were off!  The first night we stayed in Cosby Shelter, and then Peck's Corner and Icewater Springs Shelter, respectively.  Now when I say shelter, don't get this confused with some kind of luxurious log cabin with a wrap-around front porch and smoke dwindling out of a chimney.  No...these were open-faced stone buildings with a wooden bunk going all the way across in the back so that people could sleep on top or below it.  The floors were either dirt or concrete where bugs, rats, and other rodents are sure to rome freely.  Even though the shelters weren't the greatest things in the world, it was always nice to interact with the other people staying there.  On average, about 10 people spent the night in the shelter.  It was really neat to hear each person's stories and get little bits and pieces of their lives.  Colonel Joe, 73 year old Santa Clause look-alike, had through-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail back in '85 and was still going strong.  Robert, the hypnotist with a heavy Boston accent, attempted to cast spells on other campers in an effort to help them quit smoking.  And Casey, the self-proclaimed, "liberal, feminist, vegetarian, from the backwoods of Tennessee" were just a few of the interesting people we met on the trail. 

Each day we woke up early, cooked a bowl of porridge (or oatmeal as most of the world calls it) packed up our sleeping bags and were on our way.  The hikes were long and tiring, but rewarding all the same.  There were miles of steep incline, straight-aways, and the beloved downhill slopes.  When I got tired, I had little one-on-ones with myself, trying to convince my legs that if they continued to move they'd eventually reach their destination.  My body held out pretty well though, even on our longest day of almost 15 miles.  Regardless, however, that sleeping bag felt great each night. 

The best things about the whole trip were the fresh air and amazing views.  Every so often, while trecking along a ridge, we'd come to a lookout, where the trees opened up revealing miles and miles of rolling mountains.  It was absolutely gorgeous and made me wish more people would take the time to see the beauty in nature.  Sometimes we'd discuss the peaks, guessing which mountain tops we were looking at, but mostly, we'd sit in silence, resting our bones and reflecting on how truly marvelous this world is.

Besides magnificent views, there was all kinds of wildlife to be seen.  I saw it all:  temperamental chipmunks, tiny snails, an evil bunny rabbit,  a buck (who came right up to the privy I was using, I might add), and even a baby black bear. 

This journey was one I will never forget. I only hope that my short descriptions will convince at least one person to turn off the t.v., log off the Internet, and take a walk in the woods.  It WILL be worth it. I promise!

P.S. Pictures coming soon...

Posted by Kendall at 02:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)