Date: 2011-06-28
From: couch

To: bed
Miles today: 0.0

I sure have been taking alot of zeros. Like 6 months worth. Wow, it's been six months since I finished my thru hike on Springer mountain in Georgia. Regretably I have neglected finishing this journal. Kinda on purpose....I fear finishing my journal will bring closure to my adventure in a way. I kinda want my adventure to go on until the day I die. I mean the trail was just the beginning, a motivating factor to get off my couch. I still walk alot. I just walk different. I walk to places that are structured neatly in the confines of daily living as most know it. I walk to the bathroom instead of the privy. To the fridge instead of the stream for water. For sunsets i walk to the back porch. I walk at work. Probaly get a good 3-4 miles every night. I walk from one patients room to the next, I walk to the supply closet for equipment or IV's, I walk to the computer to fill out charts, I walk to the cafeteria for food, and if my patients are crashing I run. And when my 12 hours are over I walk to my car and go home. Its just a different kind of walking. There is less journey in the steps that I take. They are predictable, memorized ambiguous. I'm not walking to Georgia.I dont know how to readily explain life off of the trail. It's so different. Not bad, judt different. I long for it often. The woods, nature, rivers, and my trail buddies. If it were a year ago I would be climbing Katahdin today and starting south tomorrow. Would I go back a year? What for? I hiked the trail, i made my memories. Would I do it again given the oppurtunity? You bet your ass I would. If anyone is still reading this, or reads it in the future, and you are contemplating an AT thru hike, let me give you a piece of advice. GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GODont be among the masses that will never live a dream. If you think this might be for you......go find out.What do you really have to lose? Here's the most important thing about wanting to thru hike the AT. You can't be afraid to fail. Many/most will. Thats ok though.....Aim high miss high right? Lets say you never finish that sucker. Say you hurt your foot, or something comes up back home and you have to leave trail. Guess what, you showed up. You hiked the trail! Nobody can ever take that away from you. I can assure you there are people who have hiked 200 miles on the trail and accomplished more, learned more and grew more the than some who have finished it. Sometimes you just gotta get up and go go go go. Suck some marrow out of life or something. I say this hoping it inspires just one person. I want you to one day look back on your days in the woods as I do now. Thanking God and wandering what your life would have been had you not had the courage to listen to your voice. The one inside whispering. Wandering mind....sorry about that. I guess becasue i'm trying to listen to the voice inside of me. Figuring out where it will take me. I'm quite happy in Tampa, so i'm not looking for another move. I live right on the bay, and have found South Tampa to be very good for living an active lifestyle. I run and workout like crazy. In fact, I'm registered to run a half marathon at Disney on october 1st and a full marathon January 5th. A triathalon next????I work at Tampa General hosptal in the ER as an RN. Its crazy there.....thats all I can say about that. I've been thinking about going back to school for some time for advance practice nursing, I just havent figured out what kind yet.Oh shoot....I totally forgot. Marker. My buddy Marker (hiked the 100 mile wilderness with him) was down in the area. We met up and went out and had a dinner and some beers and awesome conversation and fellowship between trail buddies. Well its late, I will be turning in. If anyone is still following this, i intend on finishing up my journal in the next couple weeks. I finally got all my pictures developed as well and am working on scrap book.Goodnight journal.....I miss you.