Names

There’s a custom of trail names in hiking. They are often given by your fellow hiking companions or can be chosen, but these monikers can become an intricate part of who you are as a hiker. Some names cross between trails, and sometimes new ones develop, it’s a flexible convention. Rue has a trail name from his earlier hiking, but prefers to go by Rue at this time.

What you do not know is that Rue has a new trail name on the APT. He is called Star. Not a Hollywood star, but a star in the sky among the constellations. Why Star? Because a star shines brightly, it glows, it pulses and each has a unique brightness. A single star is a simple, but beautiful thing. One star in the sky is that contrast against the night, a pinpoint of light. The magic of a star though is the ability to move from a single brightness to becoming an integral part of a constellation. With a star missing the constellation is incomplete, the picture unclear. As more stars join, the constellation is more apparent and the night sky becomes a multitude of lights and pictures, no longer just darkness.

For those that have met Rue, you know he shines so brightly, and as he meets new people and visits new places he is creating not only a new trail, but a network, a constellation. Connecting the people, land and communities in a new way; creating a new picture. Despite the illnesses, injuries, route changes, social isolation and stolen gear he continues on in light. A Star in the night, a Star for us all.