Jeff Sellazzo- communitas on the AT

Victor Turner describes communitas in his book Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture, as a full unmediated communication between definite and and determinate identities, which arises spontaneously in all kinds of groups. Kip Redick relates this idea to the group of peopl hiking the AT in his essay Wilderness as Axis Mundi. This was a frequent talking point in class. There are so many examples of this, such as how comfortable complete strangers that meet on a the AT are with sharing close sleeping quarters with each other in the lean-tos along the trail. this idea is a very interesting one that i see in many more places now that i have been enlightened to it.