Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Blue Ridge Runner

I got some funny looks on the Appalachian Trail, jogging along alone with my running shorts and water bottle. Each of the 2 times I met other people, they were in good-sized groups, dressed up for serious multi-day hiking with big backpacks. Perhaps to them I looked like a crazy person in the wilderness.

I met the second group at a trail crossroads. High school kids, mostly. The adult leader kept trying to talk to me, looking at me like he was trying to solve a puzzle. I said hello, but mostly I was looking at the carved wooden signs, making sure I went the right way. He called out "Good luck!" to me as I jogged away.

Apparently the Appalachian Trail has a higher level of mystique than I realized. Much is made of the fact that it's a "wilderness" trail. Well, I suppose it is, but it's crossed by a lot of roads, and it's well marked.

Besides, I was a Boy Scout. How lost could I get? I had examined a map. I had a compass in my pocket. I had a runner's GPS on my wrist. And I had a cellphone - which actually showed 3 bars at the higher elevations. Piece of cake. But my legs are still sore from running up and down those big blue ridges!

I'm a city boy
But I still enjoy
Hauling my tail
Over forest trails.

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