The Impending Deluge
Hiking the Appalachian Trail in Virginia in summer 2023 with my Nashville Pack and Tracksmith gear!
In the homestretch of completing my second year in grad school, I find myself trying to just “keep it together!” as I prepare for the remaining concerts I’m performing in these next couple of weeks. Every day has been very full in a physical sense (12 hour days filled with various rehearsals have not been uncommon lately) and in an enriching sense. I love what I do–collaborating with other musicians and writing music as a creative outlet–and I only want more of it! I feel like I am on exactly the path I’m meant to be following, and it’s a wonderful feeling.
But, as I find myself juggling a million songs to get performance-ready and running around from rehearsal to rehearsal, I found that I’ve been lacking in time to decompress and process. I consider myself to be pretty in touch with my emotions, and lately I haven’t been giving myself anywhere to put them, as if I’m putting my thoughts and feelings on a holding pattern. I feel a lot of tension and build up in my inner being, and long overdue for some way to release it. I also find myself experiencing the very opposite of writer’s block. My creative cup is overflowing, but the ideas are being written down in trickles because there’s only so much time to do so. This morning in that fuzzy stage between being asleep and awake, I dreamt a new song and could still hear it in my head upon waking, and immediately wrote it down. On my last run around Spot Pond (which seems to be where I come up with all of my ideas) a melody came to me and I went home and immediately jotted it down. Whatever I’m feeling, it’s like something big is coming. An outpouring of emotion and expression.
In just over two weeks I’ll embark on a 557 mile journey from Damascus, Virginia heading north on the Appalachian Trail to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. If there was ever an outlet for a lot of pent up feelings, the mountains are a wonderful place to release them. A close hiking friend and I joked about how in our respective upcoming hiking trips, we’d probably spend the first day or two crying, just to get it out of our systems. When I hiked the Appalachian Trail in its entirety, the music swirling around in my head accompanied me all the way from Georgia to Maine, as if it were a prequel to my musical journey over the next four years. I’m looking forward to having hours of uninterrupted time in Virginia to move forward and let my mind wander wherever it wants to go.
This upcoming hike seems like exactly what my body and soul are craving, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. In the meantime, I’m running the Maine Coast Marathon on May 5th with the goal of qualifying for next year’s Boston Marathon. I will be sure to post updates on social media and a recap in my next newsletter.
Speaking of an outpouring of emotions and creative energy, in case you missed it, last week I premiered a piece I wrote for piano and strings called “Within”, with the incredible GAIA Quartet! You can listen to it in its entirety on my music YouTube channel.
💫
Thanks for reading. If you’re picking up what I’m putting down, please consider joining Mercury on the Run as a supporting member. Members receive:
-
Four unique Mercury on the Run stickers designed by Anna Trella Ruth and a handwritten “thanks” from me
-
Periodic mementos from my adventures
-
Bonus content! Members have access to exclusive weekly posts on my preparation for my next big goals including a road marathon, trail 100K, and two summer FKT attempts including the Virginia AT!
Some more fantastic ways to support are subscribing below (always free), sharing this letter with a friend, or buying me a coffee. Alternatively, donations are welcome via Venmo, PayPal, and Zelle. Thank you to all that read and support. I’m so appreciative!