Well I’ve made it to Maine. In the mountainous outback (or outback to me anyway) at the Human Nature Hostel, owned by Ryan Holt. I came across this place this past February when I was looking to get away for an affordable price and searched for hostels in Maine. I’d never been to Maine but had heard lots of great things about how pretty it is.
Maine is for sure pretty, I love it. The hostel is a dome shaped building and Ryan runs it in the summer hiking months catered to the Appalachian Trail thru hikers. It is welcoming and is a wonderful respite to those who have been on the trail for 5-6 months by the time they arrive in Maine.
Ryan is on the right and the other three bearded men are the great work team behind Ryan and the hostel. It runs like a well oiled machine. Below are Ryan’s dogs Aywa and Ebenieser the pug, and also Ryan talking to some visitors in the Dome.
I would like to think I can hike the whole trail, but my knees wont stand for it. Literally. But after asking a few hikers what part was their favorite and was not too challenging physically they all said Roan Highlands and Grayson Highlands. I think I could be a section hiker and do those parts and may plan to next summer.
While in the dome I took the opportunity to speak to some hikers asking why they are hiking and what they have learned if anything. Here are some of the responses to my question “what have you learned or what is your take-away from hiking the trail?”
– I like the hiking culture because there is no bullshit and the facade people put on breaks down.
– I have learned that when things get tough, I know this time will pass making the proverb “this too shall pass” very true.
– I have learned how to forgive myself for not meeting my own high goals, to accept that on a given day I may not go as far as I wanted, but it’t Ok and to relax in how far I have gone.
– I’ve learned to be more patient with myself.
– Everyone needs someone at some point.
– Do your own thing and don’t worry what others are doing. Some people hike for the adventure and some for endurance but you can’t really do both.
….so, MY take away from speaking to hikers is this: that anytime we take a hiatus from life, from the ‘rat race’ and from the everyday demands of life for a prolonged time, we are released from the mental debris that clogs our thinking and we have the opportunity to listen to our insides because the are not drowned out by our obligations and stresses. Certainly while driving my bus around, I am in this same category and have found similar epiphanies entering my thinking.
We are not victims of life, we are the pilots. We cannot blame outside sources for our own unhappiness, we have only ourselves to hold accountable. And additionally, we have ourselves who can create the change we need to carve out the life that fits our insides.
I don’t think life is static. It is ever changing and we have to change with it. The only thing we can count on is change and the only person we can count on to make life happen is ourselves. It is no one else’s job and therefor any issues we have are ours to manage and deal with. Friends help of course, but we are the engine that drives the train. Friends and family are passengers who come on and get off along the way. The only thing constant is the conductor, ourselves.
Seamus - “The Rusty Bus” 