Three weeks and seven states have passed since I left Nashville.

I’m not sure if it seems like more time or less time than that…hours, days, weeks, states, trails…they all start to run together. As much as I try to capture each moment, it’s hard! And maybe I’m not sure I want to “capture” the moments…because when I obsess over capturing, I forget to savor.

That was one of the best parts of the Kneading Conference & Bread Fair. I spent the better part of the last week surrounded by people who obsess over bread and baking MORE than I do. They talked about types of flour and sources of flour, ratios and conversions, brick ovens and SO much sourdough (sourdough scares me).

I rolled out rye dough and I threw a pizza in a wood-fired oven. I watched people swoon over their baker crushes and I learned from people who appreciate the relationship between a baker and his/her oven. I grabbed random breads – from naan to baguette to rye – off plates at every opportunity. And I almost bought a French rolling pin because it was BEAUTIFUL.

The days were full of hustle and bustle (chasing down random tools and speaking the magical language of baking)…but the nights would slow down. They were cool and quiet. You could still catch a whiff of the wood fires and the breads. We were all exhausted and covered with flour. But those nights were glorious. Over beer or hot wine that sat in someone’s tent all day, we’d talk about life.

I’ve often said that hikers are the best people…and I believe that. But bakers can be the best people, too.

Hikers appreciate the highs and lows of life. They appreciate the work it takes to get to one breath of beauty and they know how to use that breath of beauty to fuel the work that follows. They know how to be slow and steady and intentional in their movements. They fully engage all of their senses with their environment.

Bakers are exactly the same. They will work for hours to perfect a loaf of bread…one loaf. They will invest time and energy and resources into finding the “just right” ratio. And when all is said and done, that loaf of bread is a breath of beauty. And that one breath fuels them to do more. They are willing to take time and give time. And their senses are fully engaged. They feel the dough. They smell when the bread is ready. They listen for the crackle of a baguette crust.

Bakers and hikers are the best people and it is an honor to know them.