Nothing is permanent is one of the universal truths that I work to keep in mind. Whether I like it or not, things will come and pass.

Perhaps one of our duties that our creator gave us to human beings is to be the bearers of the truth and make peace with it. We have bodies. We have feelings. It’s difficult to live by the truth because we’re human. 

Thru-hiking allows me to embody the truth. I work to welcome whatever comes my way and let go of whatever doesn’t serve me by letting it pass through me. It’s a constant work to do it well, and I’ll keep working on it for the rest of my life. 

As I walk, I greet plants, animals, insects, rocks, and many things. The next moment, I’m gone. I’m just seeing as whatever they are. Nobody’s working hard here in nature to impress me. They are just being who they are, fulfilling their role and responsibility to be part of the ecosystem. I find them beautiful. We have a lot to learn from them.

I also greet and meet people briefly on the trail and as I come through towns to resupply. My first resupply town, Hiawassee in Georgia, was very welcoming. 

At Dick’s Creek Gap, there was a free shuttle service that was organized by local businesses. I was greeted by the driver, and he drove us to a grocery store in town. First things first, I dried my wet tent and damp gear in the sun. Next, I went inside the store to charge my devices and get some fresh food. I was delighted to find sushi because I didn’t expect it in Georgia! Then I walked over to Trailful, a local outfitter, to pick up my resupply package. They’re so kind and even have a room designated for thru-hikers. I was able to repack and organize my food and gear and get on Wi-Fi. I was able to take care of all this in just about 2 1/2 hours. Then I hopped on the shuttle back to Dick‘s Creek Gap. It felt a little rushed, and it was perfect. Everything comes and goes. I hope I left a good impression of a thru-hiker in Hiawassee for those who come behind me.

From Dicks Creek Gap, I enjoyed the afternoon hike and crossed the state border of Georgia and North Carolina in the early evening. There are 14 states along the Appalachian Trail. I was surprised how quickly I passed one of them already! The Georgia section took me only five days, and that’s it! I walked for another hour and found a campsite that had a wildflower garden on the way. I settled in and watched a beautiful sunset, surrounded by flowers. The sun sets and rises. There I was, and the next day I’m gone.

Since I entered North Carolina, I started seeing less poison ivy and more new flowers. I love seeing these changes. I share the trail with other folks, like lots of snails. They camouflage very well, so I was careful not to step on them.

It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine, and it was easy to keep going. I also knew the lightning thunderstorm forecast in the early morning the next day. I wanted to put in extra miles for the potential later start the next day. In the evening, I made it to the top of Mount Albert. There was a fire overlook which was closed to protect it from vandalism. I could still climb the stairs and enjoyed the view from there.

The climb to Mount Albert was the steepest so far. I appreciate people who put effort into putting stairs on the steep slope. I don’t know them, and I will probably never meet these people who built, maintain, and will continue to do so. We may come and go, and we certainly leave an impact behind us. I often think about what kind of impact I want to leave behind. On the trail, I see what I consider a destructive impact that was left behind by the fellow hikers. Compared to the other two trails, I see more toilet paper on the ground, trash, and empty fuel canisters. At the fire pit, I often see cigarette butts. There may be no bad intentions for those who leave trash behind, and I find that impact to be destructive and negative. We are put on the earth to be caretakers. Nature is not a trash can. “Pack in and pack out” needs to be common sense among us, no matter where we go and what we do. We need to own both the intention and the impact of our actions and words. Our time together might be a second, a few minutes, an hour, or a lifetime. Whatever it is, I want my impact to be constructive and positive.

When I woke up to lightning thunderstorms the next morning, I was like here it comes and it will pass. At one point, the lightning was right above me, and I took a lightning position to avoid any ground currents if the lightning hit somewhere near me. 

I usually leave my camp by 7 am, and I waited until it passed. I left my camp at 10 am and decided to hike till sunset. Here, I don’t control and conquer Mother Nature. I’m here to adapt and change my behaviors depending on what she does, and look for ways to coexist with her.

Although lightning, thunderstorms, and heavy rain are challenging aspects of thru-hiking, nature has its own way to sustain itself. What I need to do is to be patient and wait until the birds, one of my mentors in nature, tell me to go. They sing when it’s safe to go.

In the evening, I made it up to Wayne overlook. From there, I could see the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! In the south, I could see where I came from.

This morning, it rained for about two hours and stopped, so I was able to leave my camp by 8 am. The misty fog covered the forest. The sun greeted me through the mist, and soon I was above all of it, looking down on nearby mountains. Slow-moving clouds glided over a thick green belt. I took a deep breath, inhaled the view and air that was saturated by fresh rain. I kept walking to Nantahala Outdoor Center for my second resupply.

As I was hiking, I wondered what Nantahala Outdoor Center was like. Then I thought of NatureBridge, where I worked as an environmental educator and the Director of Equity and Inclusion for 24 years. I came to the organization as a brand new environmental educator, fresh out of school, landing in my dream job, thinking that I would stay for my entire professional career. Then I caught a bug of thru-hiking and left the organization two years ago.

Again, nothing is permanent. Things and people come and go. My only hope is that I left an impact that lasts longer than my time there, benefiting people who are still there, and those who came after me to feel welcome and belong to the organization, regardless of their backgrounds.

Nothing is indeed permanent, and yet, everything is a cycle! Spending a lot of time in nature and observing things around me, I learned that linear thinking doesn’t go with nature. Everything is a cycle- water cycle, carbon cycle, life cycle, Moon cycle…

When one thing ends, it’s a new beginning of something. In a way, nothing is permanent, and everything is eternal.

It’s a circle!