What's your next big bold action?
Adriana Dakin, YWSE-SF Board Member
Every August, we've made it a tradition to lead a hike as
one of our annual YWSE events. This time, we invited Greta Franklin, who hiked
the Appalachian Trail last year (all 2,176 miles of it, from Maine to Georgia
during the course of 5 months), to tell stories of her bold life-changing experience on the trail while we walked.
Our group of about twenty-five women, two men, a baby and a dog hiked along a
ridge in the Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve in the hills above Oakland, then
down into a shady valley where we stopped for lunch, and back up a valley to
our starting point.
Greta guided us to reflect, envision and discuss our own
lives and the stories we'd ultimately love to tell. Her stories drew support
from experiences on the trail for lessons for the rest of life.
For example,
when she and her friend were very tired and had run out of drinking water after
a particularly long and grueling section of the trail, they met the people they
needed to meet — friendly young men who invited them to their well-supplied
bachelor’s camp to resupply and rest. At another time, when Greta had burned
herself, she bumped into someone who turned out to be a burn specialist, who
then cleaned her wound and bought her expensive burn medicine. Everyone who helped
along the way wanted nothing from her but that she keep in touch. The challenging thru-hike
and the helpful culture of the Appalachian Trail spotlighted the caring that
people are capable of. This was just one of many lessons Greta gained. Similar opportunities and support can be found in
regular life as well, perhaps particularly when moving to a new town or
finding a new job.
An overarching theme of the hike was an invitation to think
about the next big bold action each of us would want to take. As I hiked along
with friends, we talked about what we hope to accomplish and how.
My personal
biggest accomplishment of the year was right there with me — my baby Gwendolyn, who loves to go hiking.
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