A Week Devoid of Electricity

A Week Devoid of Electricity

My favorite holiday memory is the time when I hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail during Christmas break in January of 2012. Spending a week in the backwoods on a trail, aware of the fact that it goes on for 2,181 miles, is a remarkable experience. The seclusion and isolation that is experienced on the foot-worn path undoubtedly transforms the way you view the world.

The trek began as only an invitation from my best pal, Sean Thomas, on a cloudless Sunday evening. I was quite wound up by merely the thought of spending a week in the wilderness. Once invited, I instantaneously beckoned upon my mother for acquiescence. And with much consideration by my mother and much built up anticipation by me, she said yes.

As the trip came closer, I dreamt of the green mountains and the coniferous trees that inhabit them. Then, before I knew it, it was time to put on our backpacks and begin the trek. Sean and I were accompanied by his father, Chad, his young brother, Austin, and his Uncle Jimmy. After an insufferable car ride to our starting point, Neil’s Gap, we began our hike.

The first day of the week was by far the easiest. We hiked six miles up Blood Mountain and stayed the night there. At 4,461 feet, Blood Mountain is the highest point on the trail in Georgia. While Chad, Uncle Jimmy, and Austin stayed in the shelter that night, Sean and I decided to set our tent up outside. Everyone got in bed around five thirty that evening because the wind was beginning to pick up and it was already fifteen degrees outside. Around sundown, while everyone else was enjoying their night in their enclosed shelter, Sean and I were realizing exactly what big mistake we made. We could only sit in our tent while we listened to the rustling of the trees and the cracking of limbs. After what seemed to be a nightmare,