There Is No 'Done': Reflections on a Completed AT Thru-Hike
There Is No "Done": Reflections on a Completed at Thru-Hike (2022)
After five and a half months and 2,200 miles on the Appalachian Trail, the author reflects on the physical and emotional journey. She describes the daily grind of hiking, the constant battle with weather and terrain, and the profound lessons learned about grief and acceptance. The trail stripped away her defenses, forcing her to confront the raw pain of losing her father. She realizes that, like grief, the trail is never truly 'done'—it leaves a lasting mark, and healing is an ongoing process.
The only way out is through.
- Remnant44
This was an unexpected find on HN but I found it very moving. Good writing lets you do something that is almost impossible otherwise; to get a glimpse inside someone else's mind and experience, the thing that is forever hidden from us unassisted.
I think it's all too easy to view other humans almost like NPCs, and most of the interactions we have in our day to day life reinforce this. You interact with the grocery checker, the waiter, even unfortunately sometimes your loved ones, and those interactions are 'on rails', following a script.
What a nice change of pace from AI-written linked-in articles.
- kyletraff
Thank you for the article. I appreciate its authenticity, and I really hope you continue to find peace and healing with your dad‘s passing.
Experiences like this amplify what I think is our longing for permanence and I think CS Lewis sums it up well when he says “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
Even the longest trails on this side of eternity must end at some point. But I think they point us to something more eternal and lasting, something our hearts all long for.
- bwl
Great read! Looks like she just published a memoir too:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/748921/all-thats-un...