Veteran blog followers know that there are some pretty deep feelings within me about the Appalachian Trail. I’ve section-hiked parts of it, but I am nowhere near completing the 2,175 miles that stretch from Georgia to Maine. I’ve had my ups and downs when on those hikes, and I have this constant yearning to return to the path and follow those bright white blazes along the way.
The last “major” hike that I did on the Trail was in 1993, a 16.3-mile trek between Gathland and Greenbrier state parks along the Frederick/Washington county line in western Maryland. My friend Eric hiked it with me, and it was a “redemption” hike from my failure along the trail a few years earlier (you can read about that here).
Since then, I have obsessed with returning to the Trail every spring. I can’t fully describe the lure, the pull, the attraction to being on that path. How do you describe such an affinity where silence and solitude dominate the experience?
Anyway, I’ve built my 2011 AT playlist. I’m using it to strengthen my resolve to return to the Trail this spring. How many of these songs do you know, and what would you add to this list? All but The River by Cindy Morgan link to videos on YouTube….Enjoy!
- Appalachian Spring #7 by Aaron Copland (nice live performance)
- Gaia by James Taylor
- Change in the Making by Addison Road
- About an Hour Ago by O.A.R. (Rain or Shine, d1; video is another live performance)
- Shady Grove by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman
- Carry You by Amy Grant (great live acoustic recording)
- If I Die Young by The Band Perry
- Awakening by Chris Tomlin
- Life Light Up by Christy Nockels
- The River by Cindy Morgan
- This Must Be The Place by Shawn Colvin
- Neighbor, Neighbor by Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders Band
- Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
- Learn To Be Still by The Eagles
- Please Read The Letter by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
- Alive in the World by Jackson Browne (Solo Acoustic)
- Country Road by James Taylor (Live, d1)
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