“There are all kinds of love in this world but never the same love twice.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

I have a hard time with change and letting go. Greek philosopher Heraclitus has a well known quote: “you could not step twice into the same river” (and its other variations of translation). I came to contemplate this after completing a through-hike of the 486 mile Colorado Trail in July 2015. In the weeks and months that followed, I found myself feeling like I was mourning a loss. I thought about the trail every day, often wishing I was back on it, and realizing that my hike had created a void in my soul that could only be filled by trail. When I wished to return, though, I realized that no matter how badly I wanted to or how hard I tried, I could never again have the same experience. Though the topography had not changed, it would not be the same trail, and I would not be the same hiker. My experience on the trail was uniquely mine, and it has passed like the endless flow of water through time.

Time is like a river, and though it may look the same, the water is always flowing and changing. No two instants of water are exactly the same. As vivid as it may seem while on the trail, details sometimes fade quickly for me. This blog will serve as a place for me to record as much of that hike as I can before more of it slips away from my memory, and for me to make a more permanent trail journal for my future adventures.