After reading a few trail journals, I wanted to gain more insight and feedback on ones' journey on the Appalachian trail. A man named Tom Cate, with the trail name "Casper", has written almost two-hundred trail journals about his adventure. His journal written on October 6, 2014 struck my eye because it is the day he decided to summit Katahdin. He traveled 10.20 miles that day, beginning at the Katahdin Stream Campground. He said he made the decision to summit Katahdin because of a fellow trail walker referred to as "Ole Man" who advised him to take the opportunity. It's fascinating to see how fellow trail walkers have such a big impact on others, even if you are just meeting them in a day. "Casper" was encouraged and reached the highest point of his hike due to a simple friendly encounter.I was surprised that he didn't talk more about the impact of his summit day. In his next journal, he simply admits the journey is over. This only makes me wonder how much of an impact self-reflection can have at a sacred place. I also realize that the most influential or sacred moments may not happen at the highest peak, but may happen along the journey. He obviously took thousands of steps to reach the highest peak of the Appalachian Trail, which is no simple task. The picture shows how truly breath-taking the range of mountains are, and how proud they are to have reached the summit. One day, I hope I can go on a journey of my own where I can have my own summit day. Although I have traveled the Shenandoah many times, I have not encountered a day quite like Tom did on October 6th.
Cate, Tom. Summit Day. (2014). Trail Journals: Appalachian Trail Journal. Retrieved from http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=476062.
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