Jenna Wall: WalkACross

Jenna Wall - 4/23

While looking for trail journals I stumbled upon one that caught my eye. An older couple walked the Appalachian Trail with the trail name WalkACross. They wrote a journal entry on their last day on the trail: day 27. The entry discussed the animals seen on the AT; deer, fawn, chipmunk, and rafters. In addition to the wild animals, there are several berries one could eat along the way. The couple described their end as anticlimactic. The journey taken on the Appalachian Trail had changed their lives, and now they were suddenly having to return to their past. Change had gone on in their ways of living and that change was about to come to an end. The transformation that was done while on their spiritual journey would now have to be applied to a place that is unfamiliar. This is similar to all spiritual journeys. Once one undergoes transformation they must apply it to all aspects of their lives and all dimensions of their personality and lifestyle. After a hike on the Appalachian Trail one must go back home and transform that aspect of their life as well. I found it interesting that people who had years of knowledge, experience, and wisdom were still able to be transformed by the trail. The power of a sacred place is like none other and changes you for the rest of your life.