MY TRAIL NAME 

For those of you unfamiliar with the Appalachian Trail, thru-hikers usually use trail names rather than their real names. It is a fun way to identify people as the names usually describe the individual's attitude (e.g., Smiles), hiking speed (e.g., Fast Mover), look (e.g., Pigpen), addiction (e.g., Peanut Butter), etc. For many people, this also helps enable the "escapism" and personal change many are attempting on the journey. Lastly, it lowers the odds of mistaken identities as personal news is communicated up and down the trail. So with that said, my trail name is Thoroughfare Gap. It comes from a song by Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. The lyrics spoke to me because they describe how I feel about where I am in life right now as a whole.

"Thoroughfare Gap"

Sometimes When I Consider My Pace

I'm Reminded Of A Train Gathering Speed

For The Climb To The Pass.

In Whose Shadow Already Lies

A Small Metal Dragon Approaching

The Ever-Present Ascending Rise

To The Southern Mountain.

Reeling And Snaking And Leaping

It Seems Like It Wants To Come Loose

From Its Path Cast In Iron.

But It Can't Slow Down Now

As The Earth Has Presented

A New Crest To Reach

Without Barely A Rest

From The Latest One.

And You Wonder Just What Lies Beyond

Though You've Been There Before

And Forget About The Effort And The Strain.

Always Ascending

Each Yard Adds A Mile

To The Never-ending Pull

Of The Steepening Grade

That's Before You.

A Valley, A Forest, A Desert, A Stream

With An Oversized Bridge

For The Trickle There Beneath.

You Remember The Torrent

It Turned To Last Spring

From The Snows Melting Fast

And The River It Became

In The Summer.

Perhaps It Is Ruined

From A Fire That Has Scorched It

So Badly That Nothing

Will Grow Without Rain

To Wash Away The Blackened Soil

Now Useless Till Called Upon Again

In A Future As Twisted And Far Away

As The Next Range Of Mountains.

So Take It As Far As You See

And Beyond

With Eyes You Don't Use Enough

Gather Up Strength

As Thoroughfare Gap

Will Await You Forever.

You'll See When You Get There

Or Even Before

It's Not Matter.

Nor Distance.

It's The Ride.