Slacking off with the “Hikers in Training” pack
I found a computer! This is awesome. I’m not sure if I’ll ever post from my phone (sorry), but this is nice. My iPhone is too old, small and slow, the internet is slow, and the back-end interface is clunky. But now that I have a computer, I want to write about the deeper spiritual journey I’m embarking on.
Hikers rode a “float” in the Fourth of July Independence Day Parade in Wardsboro, Vermont. Coordination and giveaways were kindly provided by the Wicked Waystation hostel.
When Nikki asked me to hike the AT with her in March 2023, I accepted, still riding the excitement of a four-day backpacking trip in the Linville Gorge Wilderness in North Carolina. The only reason I hiked was for fun. At that point, I was an atheist with an open mind to people with religious affiliations. That summer, I wanted to research ecovillages and find out what factors help these places build community and support the sustainable and democratic goals of the Utopian Dream. The first place I stayed was Hiranyagarbha Yuga Ashram, a spiritual community just an hour away from my college dorm. There, I found something I didn’t know I was looking for (cliché? Maybe, but true).
God
After six weeks at HYA, I decided to become a disciple of Jnanda, the ashram guru, which included biweekly one-on-one meetings, Sunday classes, and my own spiritual practice that included Reiki, mantra, and prayer.
A few months passed and Nikki told me she couldn’t do the entire hike anymore. I was a little disappointed, but decided to go ahead and make plans to hike alone. As the plan came together and the departure date approached, a question came to mind: Why? It sounds fun, but doing it alone would be lonely. What motivates me to keep walking along the Appalachian Mountains for five or six months?
Make friends with sheep 🙂
To summarise my first blog post, I set out to connect with God, follow the four yogas and other growth goals. Then on the first day of the trail, I stopped my spiritual practice. Yoga was over. I was going to find God on my own. I lost motivation and interest in the practice and thought I could grow through immersion in nature and my own meditation. Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi I did some consciousness meditations on the audiobook. I had achieved great growth in consciousness before, so I thought I knew what I was doing, but it was unexpected at the time. I went 8 weeks without doing any spiritual practice or contact with Junanda, and then…
Lyme disease
I spent three days in Kent, Connecticut with high fevers, body aches, and 12 hours a day in bed. On the third day, I felt better, convinced myself I was over the mystery illness, and hiked 10 miles to a campground. I got about six miles in before I felt tired again. I needed medical help. A nice family I met at the campground offered to drive me to the emergency room (and buy me raw milk), so I was hospitalized for three days. Blood tests confirmed I had Lyme disease, a colonoscopy revealed gastritis and stomach polyps, and I was slowly having blood in my stool and on the verge of anemia. It took a blood transfusion and over two weeks of antibiotic prescriptions to get me back on my feet.
The Vermont woods are new to me and beautiful!
While lying in the hospital, I had a chance to rethink my priorities on the trail. I continued to walk 18-20 miles every day, meditating in the little free time I had after socializing, eating, and pretty much everything else. I told myself I was on a spiritual pilgrimage, but I was clearly not acting like it. A phone call with a friend from the ashram told me that my guru knew I had stopped spiritual practice and even had been bitten by something. And, to top it all off, I didn’t feel like I’d made any progress at all in the 8 weeks of self-guided spirituality. I was feeling a bit depressed.
Upper Goose Pond Cabin is the perfect place to swim, canoe and relax.
Return to the Light
During the same call with a friend from the ashram, I was encouraged to turn to Junanda’s Facebook group for spiritual healing. Several people volunteered, including my guru. I don’t know what the exact outcome of the healing was, but I was touched by everyone’s willingness to help me. Junanda was especially touched, knowing that I had been ignoring his teachings for two months. I remembered that many of Junanda’s students had testified to their spiritual growth and improved mental health as a result of working with him. I thought Yogananda’s book would give me insight into a truly enlightened guru and the guru-student relationship, helping me understand him more deeply. I also remembered the three key elements of soul evolution that Junanda preached: humility, remorse, and sincerity.
The views to the north are getting better and better.
True humility is what I was missing in my training. I really didn’t know what I was doing spiritually. Junanda has helped dozens of students, but I thought I knew how to help myself better than he did. I accepted my need for guidance and began my spiritual practice again, an hour and a half each day.
now
After two weeks of consistent practice, I feel much more in tune with myself and my environment. I have more love for myself and others. I feel less anxiety and more peace. I have found a new group of hikers to hang out with, some on their own spiritual paths, and we are having deep conversations about spiritual growth and perspective. We are currently on our third day in a hostel in Vermont, thoroughly enjoying the city and each other. I am grateful for Junanda’s illuminating path and the accepting and supportive friends we have met along the way.
Tramily with friends! From left: me, Garden, Mystic and Jackie Poo (aka Norman). Not pictured: Perch and Sweet Stuff!
Enjoy tummy time with Jackie Poo and Sweet Stuff.
I am also feeling much better from my Lyme disease. I just finished taking Doxycycline and am feeling the anemia subsiding. I hope to get my mileage back up in the next few days, as long as Tramily cooperates…
Peace, Love and Namaste
PS Most of the photos have nothing to do with my writing, so enjoy the mix!
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