*Seeking Fellowship with the Wilderness*

I have been hiking the Appalachian Trail my whole life. I grew up in Northern New Jersey within minutes of the highest point on the NJ AT and my family spent many weekends day hiking the AT there. My fondest NJ AT memories are those spent with my family and my Hungarian Popi, eatting salami sandwiches and listening to Popi through a thick accent tell stories about dissension created by communist regimes in Hungary and that during my Daddio's youth, Popi would drag his children into the Alps for hiking trips and nature study. While I do not have a litany of memories with my Hungarian Popi, I realized sometime ago and learned to appreciate that: my love for the mountains and the respite I desire and acquire in the mountains is a quality I inherited from my HP.

Once again I live close to the Appalachian Trail and I make frequent sojourns to the AT with friends and dogs a ritual. It is where we retreat together to celebrate or to find comfort. It is where we delight in God's presence and contemplate the light He does bring and can bring in times of darkness. Alone, I feel peace and feel safe hiking the AT here with Ember. Ember and I have our flavorite spots that we've seen in all seasons, with various companions: Mt. Rogers, Max Patch, Rice Fields, Pearis Mountain. I have "awesomest" memories: New Years Eve on Dragons Tooth (2005), New Years Eve on Firescald (2006), Tri-corner Knob Shelter on Cinco de Mayo, my conversation with God on Mt. Sterling, the morning of February 18 on Hawk Mountain, and most recently, the first date with Ranger on New Years Eve (2007) at Max Patch. I've made love on the AT in almost as many states as I've hiked on it. I love the AT because you can drop your drawers and pee anywhere, you don't have to hold it! Perhaps, I also love the AT because of the folks I meet out there on the trail; they may be strangers but they quickly become friends. In my experience I have met many, many good people on the AT. I think many of the best Americans know the secret spot, or sanctuary, of the east is the 2100 miles of AT and surrounding land and vistas. It is where we transcend the work-a-day world, the pressures imposed there, the judgements passed there, and meet the other best Americans who quickly become friends - regardless of career and status, the common bond is a love for the AT and the social fabric that makes it special.

The news of Meredith Emerson and her dog's disappearance on the Appalachian Trail earlier this week hit me profoundly. Had I met Meredith on the trail, I know we would have made instant friends. The latest news that the search has moved from search-and-rescue to search-and-recovery has left me very shakened. I did not know Meredith, but I will not soon forget her. The only positive light from this tragic event is that Gary Hilton will no longer be walking the AT with his baton and sick thoughts.

I will continue to pray for Meredith's family and friends and the rescue personnel and investigators who wanted to find her alive, and for all who walk the AT to experience love of wild places and to find joy among special people. I pray for Ella the dog, and that her new owner continues to train her as a therapy dog for children. Also, I pray that a single woman can walk in a park, in the daylight, on a holiday, safely. That is what our public parks and hiking trails are for. I question the freedom to enjoy these places when it turns to dust after a sicko like Hilton makes me fearful to enjoy the outdoors in solitude.