Day 4: Dancing in the Rain

May 27, 2025

With the rain forecasted to get worse by late morning, we decided to shorten our itinerary by 2 miles to avoid the steep elevation in the last leg. That worked out well, as the last 2 hours of our walk from Thornton Gap to Elkwallow Wayside meant trying to hustle as it rained harder. The good thing is that this leg wasn’t as rocky as the last few days.

Do you see it?

We saw a couple of people at the start of this trek and basically saw no one until we were almost at the end of our trail. It was so peaceful so quiet, compared to the last few days. It was only the two of us for hours, and as we walked on our own for miles, it really gave you a chance to be alone with your thoughts, and just listen to the raindrops, the birds, your own footsteps, the poles hitting the ground, the drops of rain on the leaves, and the sounds of the trees. It gave a lot of time for singing out loud (“Forever Young”), for reflection, for wishfulness, for healing, for peace, for appreciation, for brief moments of joy and  for tears…..

Have you ever played a Paul Simon song out in the middle of nowhere as loud as you can? Have you ever danced in the rain out in the middle of nowhere? Have you ever twirled around in the middle of nowhere? Have you ever looked up and feel the drops of rain on your face in the middle of nowhere? Have you ever done all of this all at once while you say hello to your child and tell him how much you love him and thank him for the experience in the middle of nowhere?

It was a very wet day, but a very rewarding one.   Matt, I know how much you loved steak. That’s what I had for dinner tonight.

Mathews Arm would have to wait until tomorrow.

In loving memory of Matthew- Rest in peace.