Back To . . . Reality?

NC from the Appalachian Trial.

Back from a week long respite from the nonsense that is our current reality here in the States, I've been cleansed and rejuvenated.  On the list of my favorites things to do is to hike in the high country of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  This I do as often as is humanly possible, and I did so again last week.  It is not only physically and psychologically rewarding, but spiritually so.  I can tune into the spirit of the forest, rivers, sky and mountains just as my ancient ancestors did - and without the banal, inane garbage that we heap on ourselves here in Realville.  This is really real, and I was spared the aggravating and frustrating news for eight wonderful days.

The many trails and paths in the park - some 800 miles in all - would take decades to explore properly.  But in the fifty-plus years I've been hiking these mountains, I never tire of their beauty, their majesty and their beckoning to me.  And of course I have my favorites, and I always return to them when I'm there.

Appalachian Trail at 6,000 ft. elevation

On the trail, you get a sense of oneness with nature, and wildlife is all around you.  Sometimes it takes a keen eye to see them, but turkey, deer and bear are common encounters on the trail.  I've seen bobcat and wolves, too, but only when I'm hiking solo.

In the high country the spruce and fir forests are simply enchanting and the views magnificent. The rarefied air is clean and brisk.  The water is sweet and cold. Blueberries and blackberries grow abundantly along the high trails, and they're yours for the picking.  

So I'll take a moment to share this brief moment of true reality with you, before I get back to my regular, common sense commentary on the insanity in which we live.