Date: 2013-07-10
From: Mountain Harbour Hostel

To: Mountain Harbor Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Day 18 So my AT adventure is done but there are few things I should address in this blog. Why the Appalachian Trail? Did I meet my goals? What am I taking with me from this project?I think the AT has many different lures for many different people. For some it is the challenge of accomplishing a hike of many miles with many forces working against you. For some it is the connection with nature. For some it is the connection with fellow hikers. For me all of those things are part of the equation. I was certainly looking for a challenge. I am amazed at God's creation every time I enter a forest whether it is in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or the Millrace to Noblitt People Trail in Columbus. But I think the lure for me comes from our many hiking adventures in the Smokies. We often plan loop hikes and look at the lengths of different trails, 2 miles, 4 miles, 6.5 miles. We put together a combination to make a do-able day hike or a two or three day back packing trip. Then once in a while we intersect with the AT in the national park. There is something about just knowing that it goes from Georgia to Maine. Even hiking a small piece of it connects you with something much bigger. For me that is the lure if the AT. I think we all have a desire to connect to something bigger than ourselves, bigger than our own experience.Did I meet my goals? Financially I had hoped to raise $1000 for Campus Life - Youth for Christ. I know the donations have totaled more than that, but I will have to get a final total when I get home. I am almost certain it will top $1500. It has actually been humbling to see so many people give and I know it is a worthy cause. My secret hope (although it won't be a secret anymore) is that some of those people who have not been regular Campus Life supporters in the past will decide to become regular supporters in the future. My personal goal was 265 miles. I have not kept track of a running total but I know I am way short of that goal. I could blame it on the non-stop rain, or the blistered feet, or many other factors, but basically I drastically over-estimated my ability for daily miles. At one point early on in the journey when I decided this was too hard for me and I was ready to give up I took my wife's advice and decided to do fewer miles per day and make it about the journey not about the miles covered. (I am hoping that doesn't mean people want a partial refund of their donation.) That gave me the liberty to enjoy the experience more fully and to meet the challenges more realistically. What am I taking with me from this project? Of course there is the sense of God's miraculous creation and his provision often through people, sometimes people we barely know. There is also the sense of how vast the world really is. When we drive and fly we really lose the sense of how big the world really is. When you walk it, the vastness is very, very real. There is also the renewed realization of what a wise person my wife is. Without her encouragement I would have quit after day 7 and again after day 10. There is something else I learned from the white blazes that I hope will change me in the future. It is amazing what an encouragement a little white blaze on a tree or a rock can be. It means, "You¢re on the right path, you may not be at your destination yet, but you're headed in the right direction." This spring I found a card on my desk at school. Inside it said something like, "Thanks for being a great teacher. You have no idea how much impact you have on your students." And it was signed "a former student." As a teacher I have always desired to make a difference in the lives of all of my students. I know I don't always achieve that goal, but that note told me I am on the right path and I am heading in the right direction. It was just like a white blaze in my life. That is what I hope I can do for other people from time to time. Give them some encouragement and let them know they are on the right path and headed in the right direction.