Vermont Artist Walks Nation's Oldest Hiking Path, Paints Along the Way
2020-10-24
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Rob Mullen is walking the whole length of the northeastern state of Vermont and painting what he sees along the way.
2So far, Mullen has walked over 300 kilometers on the Long Trail, what Vermont calls America's oldest long-distance path.
3Recently, he had only five kilometers to go before he could meet his wife and father for a break and supplies.
4It was raining, but he kept dry with his special clothing and equipment as he walked down the trail.
5The leaves on the trees were showing their autumn colors of orange and yellow.
6He carried walking sticks and a large blue bag on his back.
7Inside his bag were his painting supplies.
8Mullen is a 64-year-old wildlife and wilderness artist.
9He is in the middle of hiking the Long Trail, which stretches 440 kilometers.
10The path runs from Vermont's border with Canada to the Massachusetts state line.
11During his trip, Mullen has been making art.
12He paints the things he sees.
13He told The Associated Press that his experience on the trail has brought him a sense of hope about the country.
14"I'll be painting from this trip for a long time," he said during a recent break from walking.
15Mullen has done many wilderness boat trips in Alaska and Canada in the past.
16This year, he had planned to boat in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
17But then the coronavirus pandemic hit.
18Canada's border remains closed to Americans.
19As a result, Mullen decided to walk the full length of the Long Trail.
20He also decided to raise money with his art.
21The Vermont Wildlife Coalition and the Green Mountain Club, which takes care of the Long Trail, will receive the money he earns.
22Mullen was able to fulfill his plan to hike a set distance and then paint a painting on the first day on the trail.
23He got to a shelter at around 4 p.m., painted a piece of art, cooked a meal and went to bed, he said.
24But the trail soon got difficult for him.
25He admitted he had not trained enough, which slowed his speed.
26"I mean I was really suffering," he said. He left his painting kit with his wife temporarily, so he could carry less weight.
27But he did not give up.
28As he continued, he gained strength and got back his painting supplies.
29At times, he said the beauty around him took his breath away.
30His wife, Bonnie Rowell, meets up with him every five days to resupply him with food.
31Along the way, Mullen has met many hikers who are either walking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine or, like himself, Vermont's Long Trail.
32The hikers share shelters for the night or talk to each other on the trail.
33"You get these ephemeral friendships," he said of the connections he made with strangers along the way.
34"Ephemeral" means lasting for a very short time.
35The hikers take care of one another.
36They share equipment and help fix what is broken.
37When two hikers were low on fuel on a recent night, another hiker loaned them a fuel canister, Mullen said.
38People who are called trail angels leave water at road crossings and other places for hikers.
39Mullen's month-long hike has also been a break from the political debate going on in the United States, he said.
40He has not heard a political discussion in weeks.
41He said it gives him hope that the apparent disagreement "...when you're watching the news doesn't go that deeply into the populace maybe, at least not in many of them," he said.
42"So it was encouraging for me."
43I'm Ashley Thompson.
1Rob Mullen is walking the whole length of the northeastern state of Vermont and painting what he sees along the way. 2So far, Mullen has walked over 300 kilometers on the Long Trail, what Vermont calls America's oldest long-distance path. Recently, he had only five kilometers to go before he could meet his wife and father for a break and supplies. 3It was raining, but he kept dry with his special clothing and equipment as he walked down the trail. The leaves on the trees were showing their autumn colors of orange and yellow. He carried walking sticks and a large blue bag on his back. Inside his bag were his painting supplies. 4Mullen is a 64-year-old wildlife and wilderness artist. He is in the middle of hiking the Long Trail, which stretches 440 kilometers. The path runs from Vermont's border with Canada to the Massachusetts state line. During his trip, Mullen has been making art. He paints the things he sees. 5He told The Associated Press that his experience on the trail has brought him a sense of hope about the country. 6"I'll be painting from this trip for a long time," he said during a recent break from walking. 7Mullen has done many wilderness boat trips in Alaska and Canada in the past. This year, he had planned to boat in the Northwest Territories of Canada. But then the coronavirus pandemic hit. Canada's border remains closed to Americans. 8As a result, Mullen decided to walk the full length of the Long Trail. He also decided to raise money with his art. The Vermont Wildlife Coalition and the Green Mountain Club, which takes care of the Long Trail, will receive the money he earns. 9Mullen was able to fulfill his plan to hike a set distance and then paint a painting on the first day on the trail. He got to a shelter at around 4 p.m., painted a piece of art, cooked a meal and went to bed, he said. 10But the trail soon got difficult for him. He admitted he had not trained enough, which slowed his speed. 11"I mean I was really suffering," he said. He left his painting kit with his wife temporarily, so he could carry less weight. But he did not give up. As he continued, he gained strength and got back his painting supplies. At times, he said the beauty around him took his breath away. 12His wife, Bonnie Rowell, meets up with him every five days to resupply him with food. 13Along the way, Mullen has met many hikers who are either walking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine or, like himself, Vermont's Long Trail. The hikers share shelters for the night or talk to each other on the trail. 14"You get these ephemeral friendships," he said of the connections he made with strangers along the way. "Ephemeral" means lasting for a very short time. 15The hikers take care of one another. They share equipment and help fix what is broken. When two hikers were low on fuel on a recent night, another hiker loaned them a fuel canister, Mullen said. People who are called trail angels leave water at road crossings and other places for hikers. 16Mullen's month-long hike has also been a break from the political debate going on in the United States, he said. He has not heard a political discussion in weeks. 17He said it gives him hope that the apparent disagreement "...when you're watching the news doesn't go that deeply into the populace maybe, at least not in many of them," he said. "So it was encouraging for me." 18I'm Ashley Thompson. 19The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 20_____________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22pandemic - n. a contagious illness that affects many countries 23canister -n. a container with a lid that is used for keeping dry products 24angel -n. a person who is very good and kind 25populace -n. the people who live in a country or part of a country 26encouraging -adj. causing a hopeful feeling 27We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.