Mile 1026. Multi-faceted.

I am a self-proclaimed princess.  

Give me pink fluffy anything.   Give me Vueve Cliquot and crystal chandeliers.  Give me all the fluffy goose-down pillows with 1000-thread-count sheets.

These are the little things that make me chuckle with delight.

And I apologize for none of it.

On the surface, my princess-ness seems to be incompatible with living for 6 months on the Appalachian Trail – where dirt is permanently caked between my toes; three big holes decorate my faded and stretched out shirt; and all the food, shelter and gear I need are carried in my 20-pound backpack.  

The Appalachian Trail is minimalism at its most extreme.   Being a princess is excess at its most extreme.   The two are opposite ends of a very wide life spectrum.

Or are they.

Fully embracing all aspects of my Self is the tie that binds.   Fully embracing.   Unequivocally.   Dive right in and relish all of it – not just parts that are endorsed and accepted by others.    Being multi-faceted is so much fun; and I delight in it all.  

Harpers Ferry is known as the ‘psychological half-way point’ on the Appalachian Trail.   It’s also an hour drive from my home in Reston, Virginia - a utopian bubble world 20 minutes outside the Washington DC beltway.    I love Reston’s walking paths and green spaces and cafes and farmers markets and one-of-a-kind neighborhood community.

Each mile closer to Harpers Ferry gets me more and more excited.   I’m getting closer to fluffy pink.   I’m getting closer to nail salons and hair appointments and bubble baths.   I’m getting closer to all the little things that make me feel pretty and feminine and girly.

For a small and fleeting moment, my two worlds will collide.   

While tempting, I will resist the temptation to vortex.    For a few days, I will rest, refresh and reorganize.    And then I will go back out on Trail for the second half of my Appalachian Trail adventure.