Date: 2009-09-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well this is my first journal entry. Not sure what I should include or what you guys might want to know so he it goes.I got the trail bug back in the spring when I signed up for a compass/orienterring class. The teacher kept talking about this "AT" thing, being so naive' I didn't know what he was talking about. I think he must have mentioned Appalachian trail or something by the end of the class because I had figured out what AT stood for. That was it I started doing research found Whiteblaze.net and trailjournals.com and that was all she wrote. I was not a backpacker, didn't know the first thing about it. Sure I had gone on hikes and camped a lot but that was it. I thought myself a tour cyclist (one small tour which kicked my butt) but i had gear that I though would cross over nicely into backpacking. So the journey begins.I started researching gear, picking the heads of people on whiteblaze and many $$$ later have my ultralight gear, something which i bought early on thinking it was necessary and light has already become obsolete and replace (the learning curve). So now I make the committment I start telling people that I am doing a "AT thru hike", my sisters are impressed but think i am nuts and scared that i am going to attempt this solo. My boyfriend (that sounds so juvinile)I think is all for it but I am sure he is tired of hearing about it, so i try to down play the AT talk but it is hard. My kids all think i am crazy but have listened to and watched me over the last 7 months start to get prepared so they are coming around that this is going to happen. I started getting a little scared, thinking am i really crazy is my family right. Why do I feel so possessed to do this thing. So to keep me on track I booked my train tickets to Gainsville, GA. But I still find myself asking WHY do i want to do this trail, what is the pull and there is a pull. I don't have that answer which in my case maybe the answer. With my kids grown and gone and not employed, I find myself feeling lost, searching for something meaningful. Looking for that purpose in my life and i just don't feel that i can find it here. So for me the AT represents and adventure and means to learn. A way to force me out of my comfort zone and learn about myself. Whew what a journey!Feeling back on track now; I have gone out a couple of times to test gear, but first two times just to state parks. Those trips were fine but did not offer enough trail miles. I live in northeast IN, so for me to get any hills i must go to southern IN. I found a 48 mile trail in southern IN, Knobstone trail started making plans to hike it. So on Sept 1, i hit the knobstone trail, got shuttled to the starting trailhead 48 miles sounds easy right? Didn't hit the trail til 2:30pm no problem though first trailhead was only 5 miles, made it there no problem. But here is what i found out: the knobstone is very remote not heavily traveled so I saw noone, the trail is well marked and very easy to follow, but what i didn't expect was the isolation of being on the trail to get to me as much as it did. When I reached the 1st trailhead, and was getting ready to set camp - panic began to set in. So i told myself here are your options hike back 5 miles and you still don't have a car or set up camp deal with it and morning will come. I did the later, but i still had to face what i thought would be pitch blackness in the woods. I hung my hammock (was trying it out), because of the anxious feelings I totally lost my appetite, so i didn't cook dinner but force don't some babybel cheese and crawled into my hammock by 8pm. took a long time to fall asleep might be old habits, but finally dozed off aroun midnight woke again around 4 am but fell back to sleep. And guess what morning did come, yippie!!! Also it does not get pitch black in the woods contrast between the clear sky and the woods was clear, a comforting feeling. Feet were a little sore while i slept but i assumed that was normal. Today I will hike 12 miles to the next trailhead.