Topic of Choice #1

December 1, 2015

Topic of Choosing #1

            Susan Bratton, a professor from Baylor University, wrote a book about the spirituality of the Appalachian Trail through the community and environment.  In an interview with the professor she discussed the key aspects that she explains in the book.  In her response to the first question she describes her personal experience on the Appalachian Trail.  Her experiences entail those of her cultural aspects along the trail through the people that she met.  In a following question she talks about a survey that she gave out to several hikers inquiring what their experiences were and comparing the ages.  In this study the older hikers tended to find the journey less life altering and not as spiritual.  This differs from the younger hikers of the study who felt that the journey would prepare them for a bigger difference in their life.  While doing her research and taking the survey she found that there was an overwhelming response from hikers who chose to participate in a form of meditation or prayer throughout their trip.  These people specifically were looking for a more positive outlook on their life and searching for a sense of harmony.  In one of her final questions she talks about the trail angels who are along the way.  She describes them to be an array of people with vastly different backgrounds who simply want to do something nice for the hikers.  She also states that the trail angels were specifically interested in learning the perspective of the trail from the hikers’ point of view.