summer time, and the livin' is easy

Life is good. The sun is shining, and I'm on the trail for most of the summer. I found a job that allows me to go backpacking on a small section of the AT (among other duties) and get to know the area and the people on the trail. For those of you out there who want a good, cheap way to get in shape, I highly recommend backpacking, just make sure you know what you're doing before you go out. Often when I'm with city folks who haven't spent much if any time in the woods, I have an urge to quote the Lord of the Rings at them (the book, not the movie) - "Fear no nightly noises". People are often scared of what they are not familiar with, be it new people, or a new area, or the thought of creatures watching them from the darkness. I think that if everybody would take the time (could take the time) to familiarize themselves with what wilderness remains in theis country, we'd not only have a better chance of keeping that wilderness, but we'd also have many healthier, happier, more relaxed people in this country, and that can only be a good thing. That being said, don't worry about a little dirt, because it'll wash off. If you get grimy for a week, you can go back to smelling like roses and clover the same day you get back. Don't worry about bugs either, because while the are annoying and disgusting, there are very few that are dangerous in this country. Do a little research, and take the time to get out and breath the fresh mountain air. Humans as a species are made to travel long distances under their oown power. If you're nice to you body, it'll take you places you can't get with an SUV or a chairlift, and you'll se things only a few miles from the nearest town that would amaze people from across the world. I've been living in the woods most of my life, and I took it for granted till I saw the reaction of a friend from an area with no forests. We are surrounded by the lands that first awed the europeans and were sacred (are sacred) the the Native Americans. That's something worth thinking about.