The first time I was on the Appalachian Trail (AT), I didn’t even know that I was on it. All I wanted to do was go on a hike for a day, so I went to a nearby trailhead. Toward the end of the day, the trail I was on began to run along a stream. I could see that it followed the stream a little longer, then a bridge crossed the stream, with the trail continuing backward on the other side. I could see that I would be on the other side in a few minutes.

There was another man hiking parallel to me on the other side. We would meet shortly somewhere near the bridge. He had an ungroomed beard, messy hair, pretty basic-looking hiking gear, and overall looked pretty rough. (In contrast, I had showered that morning, looked decent, and had good and expensive equipment. Overall, I was just full of myself and caught up in feeling good and righteous). I made up my mind to walk quickly by him.

He might have sensed my aversion. When we came close to meeting, he stepped out of the way to let me pass and didn’t say a word. As we passed each other, I took a look at him. For one moment, our eyes locked, and there was something in his look that startled me. Thinking back, I can only describe it as an enormous presence and feeling of peace.

So, I stopped, and we started talking. He talked about how his life took unexpected turns when he left military service; how he hiked the AT for the first time then; how his money went down to $20 (that’s not just money at hand but total assets); how he had to find some work along the trail, worked for someone for four months, and earned $1200; and how he got everything he ever wanted. Now, many years after his first through-hike, he was there for the second time. He was fully ready to experience what life would give him. We both talked about many experiences and adventures that got us to where we were at that moment.

What came through in the conversation was his ability to be fully present in each current moment of his life. He was able to listen – to really listen, and there was a lot of power in his words and in his being.

It was this encounter that inspired me to hike the Appalachian Trail. It was this encounter that has shaped many of my weekends for the last three years. And it was this encounter that has brought many great experiences and many new thoughts into my life.

Make it Real

For this week, pay attention to which people you tend to avoid. Who is it you don’t like? Who would you rather not spend time with? Find at least one person to give another chance and see where it takes you.

PS: Before we parted, we talked about how far each of us still had ahead of us. We both checked where exactly we were on the trail. He pulled out a scruffy and soiled piece of paper with what looked like hieroglyphs to me (I later learned that it was a page from a trail book). He took a look and told me where we were. I wasn’t convinced and pulled out my iPhone. I opened the trail app only to discover that I couldn’t get a GPS signal.

I’m still learning – and I will put my own advice to work as well.