One Thing I Learned, and Loved, When I Thru-Hiked the Appalachian Trail

Have you ever had something outdoors planned–maybe a hike, canoe ride, or walk with your dog–and cancelled because of a threat of rain? I’m sure this is true of all of us, including myself. But I would like to suggest that maybe instead of being so hyper focused on what might happen with the weather, we just go about our plans.

One thing I LOVED about my thru-hike of the 2175 mile Appalachian Trail was that it was in the days before everyone had a phone in their pocket. I owned a cell phone then, but it wasn’t a smart phone and most of the time it was off and not even charged up. I went days or even weeks without looking at it! These days everyone who hikes the AT surely has a phone with them at all times, and I bet they look at it daily, if not hourly. I am so glad I hiked the AT before this eventuality– for how can you immerse yourself in nature and the beauty of the forest if you are always looking at your phone, checking your emails, or texts? I feel so lucky that I did the AT before the era of smart phones because I think there is priceless value in just being in the moment, focused on your surroundings and cut off from out-of-forest distractions.

Another thing I LOVED about my hike, and continue to practice even now all of these years later, is operating without influence from the weather forecast. On my hike I never knew the weather forecast, and thus, could never allow it to influence my day. Each morning I got up and set off, hiking north. If it rained, I kept on walking, maybe putting on a raincoat if the temperature was cold, or in the summer, reveling in the feel of the rain on my skin and enjoying the natural shower. If it was windy, or stormy, I either holed up in my tent, or kept right on walking. It was exhilarating to be a part of the natural world–just another earthling in the wild landscape.

I loved that my day was never influenced by what the weather might do!

Last night I was hosting a private event at my house to see the blue ghost fireflies. As many of you will know, these very special fireflies are found only in North America. They require undisturbed, moist leaf litter and darkness. When the males move around through the forest, they turn on one or both of their tiny lights for up to a minute. A person witnessing this sees light trails moving silently through the pitch blackness. It is pure magic– food for the soul! I experience it every single night for around two weeks every May and never get tired of it. In my mind, it is a silent symphony, a joyful moment I hold with me to replay again and again when life’s troubles become overwhelming.

Anyway, I had about 47 guests signed up for this event. But as is often the case in the month of May here in western NC, there was a threat of rain. The skies were cloudy all day, with intermittent rain, and if you tuned in to the weather channel, they most likely were going on and on about the rain, or the chance of rain. Just about half of my guests got in touch with me to cancel, allowing the chance of rain to dictate their actions. Guess what? The blue ghost firefly show last night was FABULOUS!!!! Those of us who ignored the bad forecast–or who didn’t even look at the forecast in the first place!– were treated to an amazing show, courtesy of these tiny, magical beings. 

So I write this simply to remind you–and me!– of two things: 

1. When you’re outside in nature, be outside in nature. Turn off your phone, don’t answer your texts or email. Just embrace the immersion and allow it to feed your soul. Look around. Listen. Smell. Close your eyes and feel the breeze on your skin. There is great value in just BEING. We humans don’t do this nearly enough! 
2. Sometimes, you just have to go with your plans, even if the weather channel warns you of rain. Rain is talked about as if it’s going to cause us to melt, or get sick, or be miserable. But rainy days are glorious! There is so much to love about them, from the fog they often bring, to the critters we get to see because everyone else has been scared off and now we have the forest all to ourselves. The weather channel makes generalizations. It may be raining hard in one place, but 20 minutes away, it may be perfectly clear. (Obviously, the treat of a hurricane, tornado, severe thunderstorm, etc, need to be taken seriously! I’m just talking about the threat of some rain!) It’s worth just doing what you planned, even if it means you might get a little wet. 

Spring is full of rainy days. My wish for you is that you get outside and learn to enjoy them!