Today I went on a hike with one of my friends, Jon, to a gorgeous place called McAfee Knob. It's a very long hike, mainly uphill, and then you come out at the top of the mountain and can stand on huge, jutting rocks that overlook the valley below and the blue ridge mountains all around. We came to the top of the mountain during the magic hour (a photography reference) when the light was getting golden and the shadows began to stretch out. The view was fantastic. We looked down on rolling hills thickly covered with trees and cleared areas for fields and a few houses here and there. Mainly it was the hills, the mountains, and the trees. Civilization had stepped lightly over this grand stretch of country side, leaving only hesitant footsteps here and there as it went. The blue haze that covers the mountains grew thicker and thicker the farther you look out until far away mountains were barely visible as a faint line of darker blue against the horizon.
Soon after we arrived at the top, we met two men about our age (in their twenties) who were trying to hike most or all of the Appalachian Trail over the summer. One of them, nicknamed "Spoon," was trying to go as far as he could before having to go back and return to college in Georgia. He got his nickname along the way by losing his spoon on the trail somewhere. After that, he had to carve out his own spoon, which he said was more like a spatula, and eat with it instead. The other man had a large, thick beard, despite looking young. They were both very nice and offered to take a picture of me and Jon without being asked. After talking with them a while, we went to explore the rest of the outcropping and marvel at the views. Jon kept taking pictures of me, some of which he tried to do without me noticing. I appreciate that because I'm a fan of candid shots and I hope he got some good ones.
The hike itself was great and torturous. Both of us were slick with sweat and the gnats and flies swarmed our heads like crazy. Of course, both of us being college kids, neither of us put on bug spray, so they were having a field day, dive bombing our ears and going for our eyes. I go a little stir crazy when gnats swarm me, so I was slapping them away and threatening them with horrible buggy deaths for a long time-they were not intimidated in the least. I would go to wipe gunk of my mouth and instead smear salty sweat all over my lips-hooray. Sweat dampened my shirt in the middle of my back and took up residence at my hairline. I'm not a big sweater-it takes quite a lot-but the hike was pretty rough and it was hot. The temperature was, overall, perfect for the hike. It was sunny and hot but we had shade under the trees and a breeze would roll through every now and again. By the time we got to the top, I had a persistent headache and my joints were screaming at me. I'm not in the best of shape, but I did make it, so that's something!
There were beautiful flowers and rock formations along the trail. Huge boulders stood sentry over the path, covered in lichens. We climbed one and there were plants and even trees growing on it at the top. There were several cool types of mushrooms. Some were deep orange, some were plain and tan, and others were small and brown but grew out of tiny holes in a fallen tree. At one point the trail passed through an area that had once been cleared out for the power lines to go through. It was beautiful because nature had crept in and obstinately put its stamp over man's handiwork. Thick, flowering bushes grew up and down the hills over top the cut trees, which had been left as they were once they had been cut down-as far as we could tell.
It started getting dark as we were about 15min away from the car. It was almost dark enough for flashlights by the time we came out of the trees and crossed the road. On the way back we saw a deer and several frogs hopping across the road-of course the deer wasn't hopping... Anyway, lightning started dancing across the sky at frequent intervals, brightening the whole sky to electric blue and purple. Some of the strikes we saw bright and sharp in front of us and it was wonderful. After a while it started raining, then pouring as we neared Blacksburg. It rained so hard the last little bit of our drive that we had to go very slowly because it was hard to see the lines in the road.
Once we reached the apartment, I stepped out onto a flooded parking lot and heavy, cold rain. After we showered and changed in the apartment, we went out to eat with two of Jon's friends. The food was more than welcome after the long, tiresome hike and we feasted like champs. I tried some weird cheesy, spicy shrimp dip on peta bread even though I don't like shrimp and it tasted fantastic! After good conversation and good food, we left to go to our cars. Jon walked me to my vehicle holding an enormous umbrella and we parted ways, saying we would meet up again in two days to go to the Cascades. He just graduated from VT and had never been to any of the local hiking trails-that was why we went out on this excursion-so we were trying to make sure he got to see some before he left to go pursue the uncertain.
He is sad when he says he will miss me and his roommates, and college in general, but he is also excited at the uncertainty of his situation. There is something thrilling, to him, of being able to potentially go anywhere and not be tied down to anything. He's never been in love, though he seems to truly want to, so hopefully he'll find love when he goes out into the rest of the world. We were talking about life and religion during the car ride home and I said my purpose in life was to try new things, live my life, enjoy it, love others, and try to be a good person along the way. I said that no matter what your culture or religion is, loving others and trying to be a good person is something all people can share and aspire to. And although Jon is atheist, he gave an amen to that.
Update on the marketing job: I decided to decline it and work two jobs closer to home. I'll be working at Food Lion and at a restaurant when it opens this summer. I figure I'll be able to make more money that way and keep more of it, since I don't have to pay rent. Besides, I'll be close to my friends and everyone should work in the service industry at least once.
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