Twenty years ago, when I first began working as a trail maintenance volunteer on the ‘Jerry Cabin’ section of the Appalachian Trail with the legendary trail maintainer Sam Waddle and his trail maintenance protégé, ‘Rat Patrol’, I suppose I was in fair physical condition—not exactly ‘Superman’, but somewhat resilient, if not mostly indestructible. Even then, however, the aches and pains of maintaining a trail were apparent–it is hard work. Today, unlike the ‘man of steel’, I feel more like the ‘man-of-duct-tape’, as it seems I am constantly rehabbing strained muscles, sore shoulders, jammed fingers, or trying to healing some other assorted physical or mental abrasion. Having a nice trail you can be proud of is worth a little pain, I suppose, but getting the time to hike it and enjoy it is even better. My former landlord told me once that if you live long enough, you are going to have to deal with some pain, and I believe him; he lived to be 98. I suppose the theme I am searching for here is that ‘it is important to try to take care of our bodies, regardless of age’. For me, hiking is a good way to get some exercise, fresh air, and possibly meet interesting people.
View from Sampson Mountain of the Clarks Creek Valley