Sister Christine's Poem

The trail is calling
It whispered his name
Together they will travel
From Georgia to Maine

Strong and determined
With Heart open wide
The journey is long
She's by his side

Revisit the places
Where they were before
Then he'll travel on
Showing her more

He'll give her away
To the rivers and trees
Then high on a mountain
He'll set her free

As she becomes part
Of all who believe
That love does not end
When we cease to breathe

Stillness surround him
Peaceful and deep
Always and forever
Her love he will keep

Who will watch over him
If not for the stars
The  Earth, the Moon
And all of the Gods

The trail is calling
It whispered his name
Together they will travel
From Georgia to Maine

-mfp-

THANK YOU IMP!

The Super Moon

A Super Moon shines down tonight
I can’t be blue in it’s bright light
But just in case, in case I might
I’ll dance with you in the firelight
We’ll dance until the ember’s gone
And sing an old forgotten song
A song of love both lost and found
Love does sometimes come back around
This moon shines one in twenty years
Love’s random orbit my sweetheart dear


-yfp-

Hikers of the Thru

The Fates stepped in and flogged our pride,
Till we lost our pace and stood denied,
But a promise made is a debt unpaid,
Our dream remains a thirst unstayed,
The night before you Angel Blazed,
A promise made in the dimming haze,
Sworn to you as you are mine,
That you would reach Katahdin's sign,
And so our journey begins anew,
I can't repay my debt to you,
Until we're hikers of the Thru!

-yfp-

Katahdin Won't Seem So Far

Your bandanas will be my prayer flags
Your smile will win me friends
Your heart will push me up mountains
Your arms will be shelter again
Your laugh will chase off thunder
Your twinkling eye the north star
Your whisper will still make me wonder
And Katahdin won't seem so far

-yfp-

Soft Bed of Down

A mountain in Georgia is calling my name
Just bought a ticket on the southbound train
Two thousand miles in wind and the rain
Chaco is carrying Toesocks to Maine


Last time we left Georgia Toesocks would lead
Smiling and happy with “BELIEVE” as her creed
Though she was much older, to hikers she’d say…
Each blaze I will walk, slackpackin' NO WAY!


We walked for three months with the rain and the bears
Blown north by THE DREAM, no worries, no cares
We slept in the tents, the shelters, the towns
Cozy and warm in our soft bed of down

Our last trip together, this time she may lag
Passing each blaze on my back in that bag
Protected from cold and snow she’ll be found
Still cozy and warm in our soft bed of down


A mountain in Georgia is calling my name
Just bought a ticket on the southbound train
Two thousand miles in wind and the rain
Chaco is carrying Toesocks to Maine

-yfp-

Chaco and Toesock's Last Great Adventure

The last six months have been, well ......like an long evil episode of the Twilight Zone. Not quite sure where's it was going, if it was real, or if it was just a bad dream that I would eventually wake from. Hard as I tried to carry on like I know Toesocks would have without me, it has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows the like of which I have never experienced. Even now as I prepare to carry her ashes the 2180 miles of the Applachhian Trail, I just cannot get excited and find myself dragging my feet and not wanting to even gather up the gear.....our gear.....to begin this journey. But the journey will begin, I will meet new and fantastic people on the AT, friends and family will join "us" along the way and she will be a thru-hiker! She will always be at Springer and Katahdin and special places along the trail. Of all the places we travelled and all the adventures we had, from paddling with orcas in Alaska to camping in brown bear country, from the great Everglades to the rugged Oregon coast she was the happiest while on the AT. The reason was simple.....it was the people she met along the trail and in the towns as we hiked north. Toesocks loved people and everyone she met loved her. She never had a bad day on the trail, no matter the weather or the difficulty of the hike she was always smiling and laughing and enjoying the wonderful people we encountered.
  Today I bought the ticket for Amtrak to take me to Gainesville Georgia where the Hiker Hostel will pick me up, give me a bunk for the night, breakfast and a ride to the trailhead that leads to Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the 2180 mile long Appalachia Trail. I plan to start the four to five month trek to Maine on April 1st which is fitting being All Fools Day!!

The Frog and the Ladybug

The Frog and the Ladybug rode up to the sky,
Each on a kite to ride higher than high,
The Frog came back down with a tear in his eye,
His Lady the Bug had bid him goodbye,
She found her own wings and away she did fly,
The Frog filled his pond with the tears he did cry.
                             -yfp-