loss adjustment on the appalachian trail

Ryan McCurdy has graced us with another story based on his own life! This time, it's from back in 2010, when, newly divorced, he sought solace hiking on the Appalachian Trail. He'd started here in Georgia, then headed northward along its 2200-mile path. Along the way, he had a traumatic experience. He'd moved about to take a better photo of a waterfall... and fell. Fortunately for him, he didn't end up with a lifelong reminder, like a hitch in his giddy-up. But the memory of that trek, and stories heard about the Trail in the intervening years, stirred up his imagination. "Whiterock Cliff" is the result, first performed in 2019 as a 7-person show. A followup performance was scheduled for May of 2020, but the Universe threw the pandemic into the mix and postponed all that. Now, it's basically a one-man show, with a few guests thrown in. For this benefit performance at Asbury Memorial Church, he had the talents of locals - and long-time friends - in several of the scenes.

"Oh, wonderful! I had so enjoyed "Niagara" when he brought that for us!"

That's for sure! Here, he is talking on the phone with Valori Lavell. He is 'Reece', calling from Savannah, to speak with 'Emma', up in Maine. The world is going to hell and she just wanted to hear his voice before the electronics and electricity went out. The highways are trashed, so driving is not an option for travel. Just before the connection is lost, they make plans to meet on the Appalachian Trail. They'll meet in the middle, at Whiterock Cliff... then the phone died.

"Oh! So this is set during an apocalypse? That's funny, given that the COVID-19 pandemic was right around the corner."

Yeah, he mentioned something to that effect, too.

"So, did they catch up with each other? Were they lovers? What happened?"

Just hold up, okay? This was once a 2 1/2 hour production, the way he first envisioned it. Now, it's a lean 90-minute show, with him providing exposition to aid continuity. Some is spoken, most is via song. The next scene is with Justin Kent, real-life husband of Valori. He portrays a rebel in a reenactment of The Battle of Warm Springs. In the scene, 'Reece' has come to the bridge guarded by this 'rebel', and, much like in a fairytale in which a prince is halted by a troll, the gatekeeper wants bounty for passage. The rebel demands his backpack, the only thing of worth the hiker owns, but that would endanger his life. What to do, what to do?

"Well, give! What did he do??"

He gave us a side story of 'Reece' meeting up with 'Boheega', a Marine veteran who has been living on the Trail since his return from war. That encounter was at night and was a bit scary. However, 'Boheega' had a 'Golden Rule': to be nice to others even if they weren't nice to him. Still, he had a backup plan, his '3rd Rule': his knife would take care of anyone who threatened him. Yep, sounds like a Marine with PTSD to me!

"What a way to start Act 2!"

Indeed. Then he gave us a song about 'Emma' meeting up with a 'Trail Angel' on her trek down from Maine. That brought the storyline back to a more hopeful place. The next scene saw J. J. Collins on stage with Ryan. At this point, 'Emma' and 'Reece' are 300 miles from each other on the Appalachian Trail, so quite a bit of time has passed. Remember, the Trail is 2200 miles in length, and they are both on foot.

"Got it."

For the first time, there is  a duet on stage, "Walking it Back", as the two sing to each other, about each other, though they are not yet together. Quite nice! And by the way, they are very good friends, but not lovers.

"Okay. And yet they are making this great effort to see each other."

Hey, that's what family does, right? And best friends are the family you choose, not the ones you're born with. So 'Reece' and 'Emma' are just trying to see each other during this terrible time, using the only route possible. There's just one problem standing in their way.

"Earthquakes? Hurricane? Blizzard?"

Let me preface it this way. You know about the Savannah here in Georgia. Did you know there's a Savannah in Maine, too?

"Sure, I've heard that before... wait... oh, no..."

Oh, yes. He thought they were to meet in the two-word place in NC. She heard it as the three-word place in Virginia. I have to wonder how long they might have stayed in those locations, waiting in vain for the other to appear. There followed another duet, "I Did It All For You", with them off-stage at the piano, as an encore for us. I really loved this!

"Yes, I know you like your loss adjustment stories."

I do! What was nice was hanging out in Holliday Hall for cookies and friendship! Robin Eifler was there to talk with me about "SIX: The Musical", which she'd seen in New York - very nice! Heidi had welcomed me to the show earlier to try to get me to take Maureen's dog - thanks, but no thanks! Genie Lawson was so glad to see me, and glad to find a musical she could afford to attend - me, too! But the biggest surprise was seeing Linda Runge again! I called her last Sunday, to make sure she knew about Ryan's play. it had been a few months since I'd seen her, and I'd had no response to my 'friend' request on fb. So, I actually called her. And get this: she'd known Ryan since 2008, when he was a student at SCAD, where she worked. How happy they were to see each other again!

"Wow! That sounds like a most wonderful evening!!!"

Yes, it was! So glad to see so many I know, out to enjoy this shared experience! So glad I took a chance and called Linda so she could be there, too! She leaves on Sunday for a month in Germany with her church, and just returned last week from a month in Montana, so this was great timing. I've let her know about the things in the works in October, so I look forward to seeing her for more theatre. Right place, right time, tonight.

"Hallelujah!"