You will arrive soon enough.
Wander the back roads and forgotten paths, keeping your destination in your heart like a fixed point of a compass.
Seek out new voices, strange sights and ideas and foreign to your own.
Such things are riches for the soul.
And if, upon arrival, you find that your destination is not exactly as you had dreamed, do not be disappointed.
Think of all you would have missed but for the journey there, and know that the true worth of your travels lies not in where you come to be at journey's end, but in who you come to be along the way.
Unknown
Acadia National Park, 8/2001
Picture taken by Dick Forrest
Laurie asked if I was hiking out that day and if I wanted to hike out with her. I agreed, but I certainly didn't know that when I left that post office it would change my life.
Laurie and I didn't plan on hiking all the way to Maine together. It just happened. We found that we had similar abilities and we enjoyed having someone to plan out our days and to hike with.
Laurie and I both lived in Massachusetts so it was easy for us to keep our friendship growing. She lived in the Eastern part of the state and I lived in the Western part. We would meet to hike together and Laurie even joined the Pioneer Valley Hiking Club that I was a member of.
Laurie and I had talked about traveling in the future but it wasn't until Sepember 11, 2001 that I called her up and said "I want to set a date now to travel". I decided that I wanted to live and enjoy life now and not tomorrow.
So, here we are, about 1-1/2 years later and our dream is coming true. I have rented my house, sold my car and quit my job. I am saying bye to my family and friends for a whole year. I will be carrying everything I need on my back. I hope that this journal might give other people the encouragement to live out their dream.
