March 15 arrived and our thoughts returned to Georgia, 2007 when we set out to hike the AT. We have been reading the journal of our travel, reminding ourselves of the experience. Last night we had a serious conversation about whether or not we should give it another try. We agreed that if we were to do it at this point, we would want to return to Georgia and start all over. We also agreed that it is impractical to even think about.
Today I am working on Lectures for a Doctoral class on relationships I will present in May. Jen has already left for her shift at the hospital. (It is 6:16 AM) Two years ago we were hiking out of Hiawassee, Georgia and crossed into North Carolina. We hiked 11.6 miles that day, almost all of it was uphill. Life is much different in 2009 than 2007.
Today I have to go to the gym to get an hour’s workout, then this afternoon I will walk 3-4 miles with Uma and the rest of the day will be spent sitting on my hinder. Then I was on my feet all day long with maybe an hour on my hinder all day. Then I was possessed with finding water, today I am stressed confining my liquid intake to water. Then I was satisfied with a tortilla spread with peanut butter and honey, today’s lunch will be significantly more complex I am sure. Then a cup of instant coffee hit the spot. Today I am about to have my third cup of brewed coffee from gourmet beans we purchase by mail. Then I was looking for places to put everything, my bag, my groceries for the week, my water bottle, the pump, etc. Today I am wondering where the best place to put the piano would be, and whether or not we can let Amy take the sofa that is in the basement den. Then I was wondering about the best way to put duct tape on my feet to avoid blisters. Today we are thinking of getting a new car before the tax credit runs out on hybrids. Then I was deciding which shirt combination would be the best to wear to combat the weather. Today I am wondering if the weather will return to warm enough to play golf on Thursday or Friday. Yes, life is different, but life is still life.
The tree is a trail landmark, about 100 yards after passing into North Carolina. My thoughts are with the fine folks who will be camping at Muskrat Creek Shelter, North Carolina tonight. There is a great campsite about 30 yards on up the trail from the turnoff to the shelter.
2 comments:
It is interesting how strapping on a backpack strips life down to the bare essentials. It serves as a needed reminder of how much "stuff" I really don't need (take this computer for instance...).
I have never attempted the thru-hiking thing but have contemplated it often. How far did you guys get two years ago and what is the one story you keep telling over and over?
Blessings as you continue putting one foot in front of the other!
John
John, My recommendation; schedule the thru-hike as soon as you can afford the time and the finances. We waited until we were 57 and it proved too late. A knee injury suffered at Hot Springs, NC became too much to overcome in Southern Virginia. We made 548.5 miles.
The next spring, 2008, we tried to pick up where we left off, and after a week it was evident that it wasn't going to work. So we day hiked through may and into June. We figured we hiked 800 miles on the AT in the two years.
If we lived closer, we would keep backpacking, a week or two at a time.
There is no one story we tell except maybe the regret of the injury. The knee injury came when we were talked into continuing on, when we were tired and ready to stop for the night. We wonder if it would have all been different if we had stuck to hiking our own hike.
Almost every day, especially this time of the year, something happens that reminds us of the trail. We are reading our Journal together each day, remembering again the joy we experienced when life was reduced to the bare minimum and a cold drink of water was a real treat.
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