They say there is never the perfect time to do a Thru Hike. That serendipitous confluence of happenstance and preparedness that tell you, Now Is The Time. You must make the decision to "just do it" to steal a phrase. If you don't "cease the day", you will possibly regret it. Or you just won't do it. Since I Need to do it. The time is at hand.
It won't be easy. Adjustments will have to be made in every sector of our lives, but now... is... the... time... But that is the challenge that I seek. To get out of my comfort zone in areas that I haven't had to go out of for I don't remember how long. Financial... Mental... Physical... I'm ready to ask the question and see what the answer is.
It's time to shit or get off the pot. They say that there is never the "right" time to attempt a Thru Hike. Each time I think of doing a Thru Hike, about a dozen reasons why now isn't the best time enter my head. So as many advisors say, "you have to just do it", it is time for us to just do it.
The Mission: To traverse the length of the trail, having adventure, challenge and fun along the way. To be a Long Distance Hiker (LDH)
So in what has become almost a prerequisite to starting a hike according to "The Good Badger", Zach Davis, of Appalachian Trials fame, here are my "lists":
“I am thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail because…”
(I amended to) Why I want to Hike the AT:
1. To be an Outsider for a time.
2. To join the "club" of 2000 milers.
3. To experience extreme challenge.
4. To rediscover my wild spirit.
5. To commune with the Mother and her environment.
6. To live simply for a time.
7. To immerse myself in the Hiking Culture.
8. Sorry to copy JFD, but I too feel that I am meant to hike the whole trail. One way or another, I feel a need to do every mile.
9. To spend quality time with my bride.
10. To have an adventure.
What's not important to me: (a list I thought of all by myself)
1. Being called a Thru Hiker and expecting special treatment.
I don't let the term Thru Hiker hold any power over me. It is defined in so many different ways, that it has lost a lot of meaning. I choose to not use it to describe myself. Here are some terms I am thinking about: Just starting out I will be a THA (Thru Hiker Attemptee). This lasts until you enter Virginia. At Damascus, I will become a Long Distance Hiker. Not until I have started the down hill slope of the mileage chart will I even consider being called a Thru Hiker.
2. Being a purist in any way.
If I want to take the other trail out of a shelter area, so be it. If I want to Aqua Blaze, I will. Blue Blazing? Maybe. Yellow Blazing? Most likely not, but I have learned in hiking that you never say never. This is an adventure, I don't want to constrain it by trying to be a purist. That's too much like the "other" world.
3. Worrying about making miles.
4. Worrying about not "finishing".
5. Earning that special "2000 Miler" certificate by strictly following their rules. I can always make a "HYOH" certificate on my handy dandy computer. It's just a piece of paper.
“When I successfully thru-hike the Appalachian Trail I will…”
...have a feeling of accomplishment.
...start looking for my next adventure.
...continue to be a part of the A.T. Culture in many different ways.
“If I give up on the Appalachian Trail I will…”
...be dead, because the trail will be with me for the rest of my life. I'll never "give up on" the trail as long as I draw breath.
I made a Blog Post back in 2014 that I called That List of Failure. I know Zach meant that third list to be used as a motivational tool to help a hiker find the strength to keep going, but I couldn't stop feeling that it was just a lot of mental brow beating. My list became a positive thing because, as you can see above, completing the Thru Hike isn't my be-all-end-all goal. The adventure is the goal. Here is my list from that post. It still rings true two years later.
...most likely try again.
...know that the trail will always be there... waiting for me... to come back.
...realize that being ON the trail is the place to be. Why rush the journey?
...believe that a goal not yet achieved, is still a challenge to be taken.
...still have a bucket list item to strive for.
...still love the trail with yearning. Wanting to be hiking on it, experiencing the world of the AT, always.
...not be afraid to adjust my goals and work my way towards them at a life enjoying pace.
...not think of myself as a failure.
...learn a lot about myself that I didn't know.
...know that I did so much more than those who never leave their front door.
Remember: The journey is the destination.
Peace,
EarthTone
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