The Appalachian Trail was my first long thru hiking experience and it has been such a huge part of my life ever since.
The trail is a teacher, a poet, an artist. Sometimes it’s a lover, a kind stranger or a frustrating hardship. Somehow it has this uncanny ability to be all those things at once. Its endless beauty is unmatched by much in life.
The shelters deep in the woods, folks you meet along the way whom become forever friends that know you better than your own family.
There is a saying on the trail; “The Trail Always Provides”. I’ve probably said it a million times out loud when some unexplainable thing would happen that made my problem disappear. For instance finding a O ring on the ground to replace the one that fell out for my sawyer squeeze water filter in the middle of the 100 mile wilderness. Or a hair tie wrapped around a sign after mine broke just as the wind started to blow. Hard days where giving up felt like a good decision only to find a beautiful stranger with a cooler full of cold drinks grilling up food that replenishes your faith in humanity.
I can go on and on but the trail provided every single time I ever nedded it to. Maybe not exactly what I wanted but always what I needed.
It is a metaphor for life. The universe will provide for those who choose to push forward. And it’s one of the most important lessons the trail has taught me.
This painting is a loose rendition of trail and its endless miles of green, lush tunnel. The trail is a place you can always find yourself even if you’re not sure how. I promise it will provide.
Take a hike!
8x10 acrylic on canvas