Hiking the AT with Thich Nhat Hahn

When planning for this hike, keeping pack weight down was a big consideration. I wanted to bring something to read, but needed something small yet engaging. On a hunch, I chose For a Future to Be Possible by Thich Nhat Hahn. The Power must have directed me, because this tiny book would be worth 10 lbs. of packweight. The foreward begins with this poem:

"The Road is Your Footsteps"

Wanderer, the road is your
footsteps, nothing else;
wanderer, there is no path,
you lay down a path in walking.

In walking, you lay down a path
and when turning around
you'll see the road you'll
never step on again.
Wanderer, path there is none,
only tracks on the ocean foam.

Antonio Machado