Erin Reno- Communitas on Old Rag

Like I mentioned in the previous post, my attempt at a trail journal, I went into this hike with little expectations so that I could try and receive the most unfiltered experience possible.  Especially when it came to the communitas of the trail, I wasn’t looking for much. After all, most of the people who were hiking Old Rag were day hikers like myself, who would be returning to the “market place” later that day.  We didn’t have much time to cast aside the conventions of society necessary in developing communitas, nor would most even have the thought to. Most of the hikers were just trying to finish in time to beat traffic on the way home.

Or so was my first impression.  Even without the binding factor of an impending long distance thru-hike, attitudes were different on the mountain.  People were friendlier, more willing to talk and help. Since I was doing my best to be as open to the experience as possible, I made sure to greet and acknowledge the other hikers.  Of course some people ignored Maddy and I, but we were pleased to find most gave at least a form of greeting, or some form of encouragement. All your life you’re told not to talk to strangers, but on the trail it seemed more strange not to.  At the peak, Maddy and I were able to enjoy some time with another group who were visiting D.C from Colorado and had decided to go for a hike on a whim. Despite being veterans of the Rockies, they enjoyed the comparatively gentle slopes of the Appalachians, and were enthralled by the variety of leaf colors here.   

As I mentioned before, people were also more willing to help.  At one point while navigating the rock scramble, Maddy’s feet slipped and she was unable to relocate where to gain her footing on the rock.  Without a word, the hiker behind her (a quiet middle aged man who we had not engaged with yet) gave Maddy’s foot a boost. Though at first she was embarrassed for needing assistance, later Maddy and I approached the man to thank him, and by doing so discovered he was a veteran who hiked on his own in order to find some peace of mind.  In all, the connections, though brief, were some of the most valuable parts of my hike.