Food for thought.

On April 14th I embark on a four day backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail. It's my first real backpacking trip in a long time so needless to say I'm twitching with excitement! All winter I've hiked through snow and ice, up mountains and through valleys, and kept myself ready. I feel I am a stronger outdoorsmen than I ever have been and I'm still progressing. There is no denying; it's the very fear and freedom that keeps me wanting more. It's a world where you have no control, you must simply carry on. You coexist with so much else. So much else that you realize that you are a small part of our magnificent world and, in the great words of a women who has pushed me forward countless times, a visitor passing through. You are a visitor passing through. I heard that statement one calming night in a canoe. Stars filled the sky, the water reflected the moon, trees lined the shore, and the owls hooted as if they were speaking. It feels so special. You feel like the worlds doing this all for you. But then you realize: this was here long before me, this is here now, and this will be here long after I'm gone. Take a breath. A deep breath. Exhale. The air now holds part of you. It always will.

This world is always changing. It's alive. The snow falls, the flowers bloom, the sun beats, the leafs fall. Repeat. 

The water flows and the water freezes.

The wind whips and the air stands still.

It's something I cannot put into words. I had no intention of writing about the effect nature has on me but it happen. It flows out of me. It is energy.