Coming to terms with life after a thru-hike is a rocky path. I wanted to change out there, but did I? Emotional change is so much more subtle than the beard that grew longer on my face day after day. I kept the beard because it told a story to everyone who passed me on the road or saw me in town, it legitimized my efforts without spoken word. More than that though, the beard helped me visualize the change I felt growing on the inside.

It didn’t take more than 3 or 4 days after completing the hike before the beard began bothering my face. My trail self was disappearing, my body rejecting a beard that no longer had a place in this world. Shaving the beard was no more difficult than taking my shoes off before getting into bed at night.