Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Go For A Hike
Sophia,
Do you enjoy hiking? I suspect that you don’t get to go hiking very often. It’s too bad. When I was in Iraq many years ago, I sent Morey Percy a book on hiking trails in Virginia. There are some really spectacular trails in the mountains near the Virginia - West Virginia border. I even had a nice tent back then. I don’t go camping often, but I know how. I thought a long hike would be nice. I wanted Morey to pick out a trail for us.
But she wasn’t very interested. We never hiked anywhere after I came back from Iraq.
Two years ago, I invited you to hike Mount Kilimanjaro. I still think it would be amazing, but I know it’s probably a little extreme. It’s hardly a hike for beginners. If you wanted to try it someday, I could make it happen.
There is a long hiking trail in Spain and France called Camino de Santiago, sometimes simply called “The Way”. It’s an ancient trail laid-out by religious pilgrims, but still in use today. I’ve hiked parts of it. Maybe someday you and I could hike the rest of it.
There’s a hiking trail in South America with the rather innocent name of “Circuit W”. It’s neither strenuous nor difficult.
A simple name… BUT THE VIEWS!. Check it out. Toto, you’re not in Kansas Lynchburg anymore!
My dear Sophia, I want you to see and experience great things. I want you to experience something difficult, dirty, exhausting and far from your comfort zone. I want you to know what I know: That returning home is the most difficult part of a great hike; You will have grown outside the puzzle and your piece no longer fits. It changes who you are.
I miss you.
Dad