Mile 456. Happy Birthday to me.

I wake up to the sound of a powerful rumble.   It reverberates in my chest, commanding attention and respect. 

“Ahhhh….” I sigh out loud.   I yawn, stretch and smile at the same time.  “Happy birthday to me.”

I unzip my tent and welcome a magnificent view of Laurel Fork Falls.   Tens of thousands of gallons of water overtake a solid granite wall forty feet high and fifty feet wide.   The fine cool mist spritzes the warm air.

I have the waterfall to myself this morning.   This is the first of many gifts the Trail provides on my special day.

The waterfall cascades into a wide, shallow stream.   It begs me to stand in the middle, cooling my feet as I carefully balance among the slippery rocks.   All thoughts are replaced by the sound of water rushing by me.  I am absorbed in its stillness.   I feel alive.

The Appalachian Trail partners with the same stream.   It’s a symbiotic friendship that inspires a hop and a skip and a whistled melody.    Miles pass effortlessly.

Even as the Trail moves up and around the mountain, several smaller and gentler waterfalls also come out to wish me a happy day.   I nod my head to acknowledge each.   “Thank you for being here today.”

I walk with a quiet contentment.   And I reflect on the significance of so much water at this starting line of my 53rd trip around the sun.   

Water is:   Life.  Purification. Healing.  

The Trail knows.   The Trail provides.