The Knobstone Trail
by Stephen Lias
9’ / 2019Commissioned by Elisabeth Ohly-Davis and the Carmel High School Symphony Orchestra.
One does not immediately associate the State of Indiana with an abundance of natural treasures, but the state has some noteworthy outdoor resources. Bringing attention to these beautiful places and holding on to them in a transportable medium such as a musical composition was one of the inspirations for the commissioning The Knobstone Trail. Fortunately adventure-composer Stephen Lias has a lot of experience in this genre, having composed many pieces of music for the centennial celebration of our nation’s National Park Service in 2016. In June, we backpacked the first 25 miles of the trail, and that experience served as the inspiration for this music.
Measuring 58 miles in length, the Knobstone Trail is Indiana’s longest hiking and backpacking trail. The trail is a relentless series of grueling ascents and descents through thick forests over the geologic formation known as the Knobstone Escarpment. Add a cloud and thunderstorms that hovered over the Midwest for two weeks last June, and you have an unforgettable backpacking adventure that included prematurely setting up camp and getting comfortable on a ridge right before a lightening storm (camp was moved to a safer location after everything was thoroughly soaked), pondering an abandoned tent, crossing a swollen stream by scooting across on some logs, and enjoying some beautiful tree-lined trail when the sun did make an appearance on the second afternoon.
Any multi-day backpacking trip creates a varied series of compelling “moments” connected by long stretches of walking. The translation of that into music can be a challenge and might take many forms. In this case, rather than creating a story-telling piece like Mussorgsky or Grofé have done so effectively, I was drawn to the more philosophical rewards of backpacking. In addition to the literal mountain-top moments, the testing of our strength, ingenuity, and perseverence in the face of obstacles creates rewards of its own. We learn about ourselves and (inevitably) discover we are capable of more than we thought. We grow. We rise to meet the challenge. This is, of course, a metaphor for almost every undertaking in life - from the practice room to the space program. Elisabeth and I discussed this while on the trail, and I decided early on to focus on this broad and universal theme - overcoming obstacles and achieving goals.
Almost halfway through our hike, I unexpectedly got word that my father had suffered a stroke and been hospitalized. Elisabeth and I broke camp early the next morning and found a way to get back to our vehicles by midday. I drove all night to get back to my family. Within six weeks, my father had passed away.
I wrote my first sketches of “The Knobstone Trail” during his decline, and finished the piece in the weeks following his passing. As I consider the piece now, I find that our original metaphor was movingly prescient. The music is entirely focused on the hiking trip and the amazing Indiana trail, but the broader themes of overcoming obstacles, inner strength, and personal growth, resonate even more profoundly for me now in light of the events that followed the trip.
