Ramble
Quest - Coming Up With An Encore -- Appalachian Trail
Somewhere in Belgium, when I met up with Tony and Mike, I was asked what the best trip I'd ever taken was. I immediately answered "this one" and that was before getting to some of the best parts. I hung around with a multitude of wonderful people, saw unimaginably fabulous sights, and learned a lot along the way. So, what do you do after you've had the most interesting trip of your life?
I thought about working and was almost excited about the idea. I looked around, took a trip to Denver to check out jobs there and did a few interviews. Unlike my return from RTW Journal One, this time the market wasn't so hot. Jobs were available but they weren't very exciting and the pay wasn't too great. I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't be missing anything by taking the summer off and getting a job in the Fall.
Predictably, I thought about travel again. The Middle East and South America were most appealing to me. However, I wasn't completely enthusiastic about it right now, and I wasn't sure if I could swing the expense. Once again I was very lucky to have Peggy and Steve (my true trail angels) to stay with while I did all this wishy-washy deciding.
Several times in the journals I talked about hiking trails that I'd always dreamed about and finally got around to: Annapurna, Routeburn, Kepler, Overland, Kinabalu, Berner Oberland, West Highland, Dingle, etc. Well, there's one more that's been festering for a longer time than any of them: the Appalachian Trail. As a youngster I scooted up Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park, Maine and first noticed those white blazes that run all the way down to Georgia.
The venerable AT is one that lots of hikers put on their list, but very few ever get around to do it. Even fewer are those, like myself, who know that most of that dream is just a fantasy and the AT isn't nearly so nice in reality. It certainly won't be as beautifully scenic as all the great trails I've done on this trip. And yet, I still want to do it! A big part of the pull is the challenge of hiking 2200 miles. Because it's so arduous, so painful and draining, takes so much time and often seemingly useless effort, it really seems like some big accomplishment to those who complete it.
I view AT thru-hikers in much the same way as I view religious self flagation. Looked at objectively, its a crazy stupid thing to do. Yet, it's hard not to be impressed by results! I already know that you can gain a lot of spiritual wisdom by being cold, hungry, and worn-out in the woods. I've never done it for five months straight though, so the possibilities are intriguing.
Mainly, I'm looking forward to two things on the AT: getting into a daily hiking and observing routine and finding some trail magic. The AT may not have the best scenery in the world, but it can still be awfully nice. By assiduous observation over such a long period of time, I intend to appreciate all I can. Trail magic is just another term for the helping and being helped by strangers along the way. My HEN term "yogi" embraces the same idea. You help people when you can and you accept help when you need it. It is a magic concept.
There's almost always a sense of comraderie among hikers. I still keep in touch with some of the people I met on the trails I did on RambleQuest. We're kindred spirits to some degree. I know the AT will have more of that as well.
I'm not sure yet if I'm going to keep an Appalachian Trail Journal. There's certainly plenty of them already on the web and I think most of them are boring: walk so many endless miles; meet X, Y, and Z (all with goofy trail names); sleep with many animals trying to get your precious food; pig-out at trail towns along the way; weigh in on the pros and cons of gear and technique; make commonplace comments about weather and scenery; and then finish (or not) and go home. There, I've just written the journal ahead of time.
I know there's a lot more to it though, and I think they are hard things to relate. I probably will write some sort of AT Journal, most likely after I finish. I'll try to relay a mix of practical tips and trailside tails. We'll see what happens.
[email protected] Now part of the AT Class of 2004.