One of the most ubiquitous symbols of the Appalachian Trail is the white blaze. A blaze is a distinctive stripe that is painted in obvious places along a hiking trail to let you know that you are on the right path. In Shenandoah National Park there tons of marked trails. There are blue blazes, red blazes and yellow blazes, but the white blaze is reserved for the granddaddy trail of them all, the AT which traverses completely through the park.  Someone has estimated that there are 165,000 white blazes across the 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.

When I picked up the trail headed south right off of route 522 in Front Royal, the white blaze was the first thing I noticed, along with the restful babble of a mountain stream.  Often the sheer quantity of blazes seemed like overkill- there’s a blaze on this tree, and that tree; on that rock and one ahead on the fence post. Some portions of the trail looked like an overactive toddler got a hold of a paint brush.  But other times, in remote locations, blazes were few and far between.  And sometimes hikers get desperate to see the familiar blaze.

 

It’s probably just my undiagnosed adult ADD, but I found that there were many occasions on the trail when I would get distracted from the blazes. Sometimes, I would simply get lost in my thoughts and be a million miles away.  Other times, when the path was particularly rocky or steep, I would have to look down for extended periods of time to carefully mark each step.  Whatever the circumstance, at some point, it would suddenly occur to me-  “I haven’t seen a blaze in a very long time.” – and a certain panic would arise.

I remember one stretch of trail in particular on the approach to Mary’s Rock just south of Thornton’s Gap.  The peak is only 3,500 feet, but trail ascent from the gap was 1,200 feet and about as steep and foreboding as any I would encounter during my 10 days.  The switchbacks were narrow and steep and looked like they were carved out of solid rock; picture, Gollum leading Frodo and Sam up the secret stairs around the gates of Mordor in the Lord of the Rings. And for whatever reason, there were very few blazes in this section of the trail.  This was my 4^th day hiking and my feet had blisters and my legs were fatigued and my shoulders sore from lugging around my 40 pound pack.  I had been climbing steadily for at least 40 minutes when it struck me- I haven’t seen a blaze in a very long time.  “Oh, God… please let me see a blaze!”, as if uttering the words would in some way change the path I was on.  The thought of going in the wrong direction uphill for the better part of an hour was almost too much to contemplate. I could feel anxiety building with every step… but after a few minutes of intense walking (and looking), I finally saw that familiar blaze painted on a rock. The, the relief was immense. “I’m on the right trail!  I’m not wasting my time.  We’re all good. Whew.

I heard a clever phrase from several through-hikers who were walking the entire Appalachian trail, all 2,100 miles of it.  I don’t know if it’s a widely used, but they called hiking, “chasing the blaze.” So, we’d be pausing for a water break by a mountain stream or taking in a stunning view at a mountain overlook and someone would break the silence with, “Well, it’s time to chase the blaze.”  In other words, time to keep moving.

To hikers, the white blaze becomes almost like an all-seeing guide. The blaze is in front of you, behind you and at regular intervals, right beside you.  As long as you follow the white blaze you’re ok, just keep walking.  Even if the path gets overgrown or disappeared altogether, if you see a white blaze, don’t stress, you’re right where you should be.  Ditto if you find yourself climbing an impossibly steep grade or hobbling over a brutal section of jagged rocks. It may be rough, but the blaze tells you- you’re right on track.  It assures you that many have passed this way before and others are bringing up the rear, so relax, simply follow the white blaze and your destination is secure.

In the trail of life, the Holy Spirit is our white blaze, I think.  He is the eternal, all seeing Spirit who knows the path, past, present and future.  In fact, the primary role of the Holy Spirit to the believer is to be our guide.

Check out these words from the Bible:

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God Romans 8:14

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:25

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth John 16:13

Think of that; God himself has promised to guide us every step of the way through the perils of life by means of his Spirit. What amazing comfort. What an astounding resource.  Talk about confidence building.  No wonder Jesus told his followers that it was actually good that he had finished his mission and was going back to heaven, because the Holy Spirit couldn’t come until he had gone. And the Holy Spirit would be even better than the physical presence of Jesus (John 16:7).  I don’t pretend to understand all of that, and I’d be the first to admit that my reliance on the Holy Spirit doesn’t set any records.  But that doesn’t change the fact that the Holy Spirit is irreducibly bound to my spirit and is with me every step of the way. God has not given us a map for the trail of life, he has given us a guide.

There are times in this life when the trail gets really rough.  Life takes an unexpected turn and we feel disoriented, disappointed and very, very alone.  We look around and say, “this can’t be right. I must have missed the path.”  But when we’ve been following the blazes, we can rest assured that even though we aren’t where we want to be, we are right where we should be. Look for the blaze.