Fellow Travelers

Fellow Travelers

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I was out hiking a rather dangerous and long trail a weekend ago with a couple good friends of mine. I've always enjoyed hiking; the thrill of the journey, the ever present shadow of danger and the feeling of accomplishment afterwards. We were on a portion of the Appalachian Trail, which goes through some of the poorest areas of Southwest Virginia, west of Roanoke.

About half way through our trek, we noticed a young man, no older than 16 or 17, closing quickly in behind us, carrying a large satchel which looked to be filled with produce and common household stuff. It seemed odd, us three out hiking in somewhat expensive climbing gear, acting as if we were trekking a dangerous pass in the Himalayas; and him, with old sneakers, carrying way more stuff than us, flying past, unaffected by the hazards of trail. He smiled as he passed us, said "Hi ya'll!" and kept moving.

After another 2 hours on the trail, we noticed the boy coming back the other way, leaving from what looked to be a very run down, very old wooden shanty house. Of course our mouths moved faster than our minds, and we asked the kid "How long you been hiking? You are very fast!." He smiled, as he paused for a moment, and said "Hiking? hahah I'm no hiker. I'm just out gettin' stuff for Mom." Suddenly I felt about 3 inches high.

I guess you don't have to