As I was coming down to Damascus for the last 2 miles of the trail, I saw a group of trail runners coming up the hill. I greeted them by yielding to the side of the trail. Out of the blue, one of them said, “Miho?!” I was caught off guard since I didn’t expect anybody to know me in this mountain town in Virginia. It was a former NatureBridge coworker! It was comforting to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar place.
Later, she and her husband found me at the library. I learned that they moved to North Carolina, got married near Damascus, and came for the Appalachian Trail festival for the weekend. They kindly invited me to camp with them and offered to be my trail angel if I ever came close to their home. Her husband said he would talk to his parents, who live about 45 minutes from the AT, to be my trail angels in northern Virginia. NatureBridge and NOLS friends understand the scale of my adventure and my needs without much explanation. They are supportive and consistently impress me. People come to NatureBridge for the mission and stay for the community. I’m blessed with the friendship for the rest of my life. What a full circle moment, I thought.
I named the Triple Crown of Full Circle for this multi-year grand adventure. Reconnecting with people I haven’t seen for a while and getting to know them a little deeper is part of the journey. I cherish these moments, hoping to meet them again.
The festival was in full swing with lots of people from all over the country. In the early evening, I decided to keep going, leaving the festivities behind, and hiked into the woods where I feel grounded. I took Iron Mountain Trail, an alternative route to bypass the closed AT section due to reconstruction work to repair the damage from Hurricane Helene. I hiked till sundown and settled for the night. I had a tiny visitor, a salamander, walking slowly just outside my tent. I asked for permission to share space in their home. The salamander stopped and slowly moved away, leaving me space to stay for a night.
I know they don’t speak human, and I make a point to ask for permission since I’m entering the home of plants and animals. I do my best to choose a pre-impacted camping site to minimize my impact and leave it as is or better than when I arrived.
Asking for permission or consent is essential to establishing a positive relationship with friends or strangers.
At the Damascus library, I was enjoying quiet time, which allowed me to focus on my writing. Two young people showed up and started playing a video game. I was annoyed with the sound of the game, and I asked to wear earbuds, but they kept playing without headphones. A few minutes later, one of them asked me to move to a different computer so they could sit next to each other and play the game. The librarian looked at me and said firmly, “No, you already established yourself there and don’t need to move.” I really appreciated how she drew the line. Another librarian came and asked them to turn down the volume.
As I was leaving the library, I thanked the librarians. These women mentioned how entitled these kids were, and helped me process what happened. Being aware of taking up space and asking for permission or getting consent needs to be taught from a young age, especially those with privilege.
Humans take up a lot of space. I can relate to how plants and animals may feel since I’m often on the side, trying to set a boundary and watching things unfold. I have to work hard to create a space to insert my voice, feelings, opinions, and perspectives. So I ask, “May I……?” when drinking water, choosing a campsite, picking berries, etc., and say thank you. Part of the reason I wanted to get going was that I didn’t feel comfortable being in the space with lots of people, noise, and social interactions. I feel much more at home in nature.
When I started the next morning, I was surrounded by the bird songs, blue sky, and lots of water. I felt peaceful and content. Something I noticed about this section was that the landscape drastically changed from trees to open grassland with cows. I’m surprised to say this- I miss the dense green humid forest in the first 400 miles. Perhaps it feels dry because of the severe drought in the Appalachian Mountains. I also noticed more rocks and boulders on the trail. I am a rock climber, and I learned how to move on the rock by using delicate footwork and trusting my feet without hesitation. Climbing techniques can be applied to walking over boulders and rocks on the trail to move efficiently and effortlessly. As a result, I would keep the speed and benefit from less fatigue.
I had amazing energy yesterday, and I wanted to continue improving my walking technique. I imagined my movement similar to how water glides over rocks and logs smoothly, as I hiked through the forest. That movement is ultimately what I would like to attain. It must feel amazing to move like water. Perhaps that helped. I felt great flow in my walk and, as a result, clocked 15 miles in less than 6 hours, a sign of efficiency and yet no fatigue.
In the afternoon, I had a special moment to meet the Eastern Rat Snake twice! It was the first time I saw such a beautiful black, almost metallic, smooth snake. I thought the snake was the forest protector. Also, I passed Rhododendron flowers surrounding the trail. It was another hot day, but these things kept me refreshed until the final 0.5 mile. The forecast predicted its high around 83 degrees, and since the direct sunlight shone through the trees, I was heating up. When I saw a flat pre-impacted camp spot, I just walked over there and dropped my pack, taking a moment to collect myself. The hot wind was blowing. I touched my face and felt salt crust. I took a sip of water and remembered to ask, “May I camp here tonight?”, imagining the Eastern Rat Snake, the forest guardian, slowly moving through the fallen leaves, giving me permission to settle for the night.
