Hey there! So I
drank the Kool-Aid and started a blog. I have recently decided to
take my life in a new direction, all those things we always say would be really
cool to do one day, I have decided to start doing. I am launching my new life of adventure and poverty, with a
thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.
When people ask me why I want to do this, I have a hard time
coming up with a specific answer.
I really love hiking. I
enjoy being in nature. I am not going
to pretend that I am a full-on mountain woman, as I also enjoy things like
shaving my legs and mattresses. I don’t know what exactly to expect from the trail. I expect
it to be hard, to be tired/hungry/cold/exhausted/dirty/bored/terrified. Time on
the trail has been described as long stretches of boredom pierced by moments of sheer terror. But I also expect to see beauty few people get to see. I am
excited to push myself to the limit (I’ll be eating that statement later I’m
sure). I do not expect to
experience some great epiphany about the meaning of life. Nor do I expect to
get eaten by a bear or a one-eyed hillbilly named Festus (both scenarios have
been brought to my attention). I
do hope this forced simplification of my life will influence the way I continue
to live long after the trail.
If you are curious, I have posted links about the AT to the
right, as well as a really great interactive map. It shows the trail towns I will be stopping in as well as
every shelter along the AT.
So if you are wondering exactly where I am (as I’m sure I will be
myself….), use the map to locate whatever shelter or town I seem to think I’m
in. I also hope to post photos as
I go, I will be uploading them from my phone to my Flickr site. I will try to update this blog as often
as possible, but my time in towns/near wi-fi will be limited. I will be journaling
old school along the way and basically dumping a weeks worth of thoughts
online, so please excuse inconsistent rambling and general grammar/spelling
errors. I intend to be as honest
as possible with you (and myself) about my thoughts, feelings, physical
well-being, mental health, when I’m loving it, when I’m hating it…
I’m ready for this journey, excited for the amazing moments
I will experience, interesting people I will meet, and as prepared as I can be
for the total physical and mental discomfort I will undoubtedly
experience. My dad arrived today, he will be joining me for the first 200
miles, and maybe more if he feels like it. Tomorrow morning at 6:30am we fly to Atlanta, where we will be
picked up by two seemingly lovely strangers who will give us a place to sleep,
feed us breakfast, and then drive us to the woods. I know that sounds like the intro to a horror movie, but I
am positive I am about to embark on one of the best experiences of my
life.
