Roller coaster

Now before this starts to sound like I trotted through these mountains like a caravan-queen, I sure did snail my way up to a more-than-fair(?) share of elevation. But I love it, all of it! The valleys and gaps, little streams and sparkling rivers, the morning mist and haze. One night I did sleep in my tent and was woken up by the rising sun and the sound of woodpeckers at work. Moisture froze to the outside sailing of my tent. But these mountains can't touch me! I'm warmly shrimped-up in my bleu duck-down sleeping back, I don't feel a thing. Although that's not entirely true. These mountains do touch me, in more ways than I'd expected them to. Moving in these mountains means leaving the security and luxury of the WarmShowers behind (there simply are none) and parting from Louis means no more wild-camping (I'd like at least some living soul on this planet to know where I am at night). So I kinda freestyle my way across the rural but very romantic birth of the bluegrass-region, relying on the kindness of friendly strangers. And friendly they are. I am blown away, again. These past days have not only been a roller coaster of mountains and hills, but of emotions too. It's impossible not to be touched by all the kindness around me, the gestures of people, strangers, who take me in and treat me like their own family. I get to be somebody's daughter, granddaughter, sister or close college-friend. "I guess we just don't meet strangers", one of them explains it to me, and I can only agree. So far I have more than one person stand-by, whom I just have to call and he/she will be there for me, wherever I am, whatever time. On top of all this I really miss my cycle-buddy, the laughing and travelling in company. Rolling emotions guaranteed.    

Some of these crossroads forged are very intense. I just pop-up into their lives, uniformed, and have little more to offer than my endless gratefulness and a sprout of adventure which I plant in each of them. I feel like I'm doing this the Hansel and Gretel-way, trailing a piece of me behind at every encounter and likewise take some of them with me. And it fills my heart. I'm a spiderous version of Hansel and Gretel, spinning a web of unconditionally love across the country.
By this way of travelling, by being so close and accessible to people and by letting quality and experience prevail over speed and convenience, I feel myself growing, becoming a smarter, fuller and completer human being. I let this road take me, teach me, to a higher level of understanding.