Bobby Esposito: Assignment 2

The Crawford Notch is a hub for families and individuals looking for a nice weekend in a country setting and hikers who have travelled for months out on the Appalachian Trail. This mixed culture is what makes Crawford Notch the amazing place that it is. The Highland Center Lodge is a retreat from the chaos of city life but it still maintains the luxuries of home. Guests staying at the lodge are most likely day hikers, taking a few hours out of their day to explore the local trails. There is a real juxtaposition between the day hikers at the lodge and the Thru-Hikers that inhabit the trails. 

Having gone on hikes with my Dad when I was younger, I understand why people set out on these long trips into the wilderness. There is a certain charm to the rugged paths of a hiking trail, the harsh cliff faces and the dense woods that surround you in every direction. This charm may get you on the trail but life on the Appalachian Trail is harsh. For day hikers the perils are still very real but there is a certain change in mentality that one experiences when being on the trail for months at a time. 

Karen Berger is an AT Veteran who wrote about her experience on a Thru-Hike. She describes the enormous appetite she built up by hiking the trail, the aches and pains that she felt every day by navigating rocky terrain on foot. She also describes the change of heart that she went through between setting out and being on the trail itself. The infatuation and the wonder was replaced with fear and stress about where clean water was, what dinner would be and how many miles to the next rest stop. She said the biggest change she experienced was the transition from the trail to everyday society. Having a place to sleep that had four walls and a roof felt like confinement. She had to remember not to say hello to strangers. Towards the end of her journey, she met a pastor who commonly met with thru-hikers, couples and individuals struggling to grasp why they were making the journey or coping with depression. Although this makes the AT seem like a terrible trek, Karen Berger stresses the point that it truly is what you make of it and a little guidance can go a long way. A bath house on the edge of the trail can be equally a luxury and a shocking experience and it’s important to consider the effect a simple structure can have on the psyche of an individual.