Date: 2006-01-23
To: Pure Fun.
Miles today: 0.0

To understand all that a thru-hike is before you hike is practically impossible. And yet, many of us set out on this grand adventure without a lick of experience. One of the greatest aspects of the AT is that anyone can attempt it. Packs and pumps and all kinds of trail doodads and whiz-bangs are hoisted on brave, broad shoulders. Chins are raised in courage and pointed north. Then everyone gets a simple lesson in gravity. It¢s no secret that more hikers fail to finish their thru-hikes than those who pose next to a weather-beaten sign called Katahdin. They are the majority; they of big dreams are simply chasing adventure. The reasons they start are as varied as the hikers themselves. To no fault of their own, many will face physical and emotional adversaries they couldn¢t possibly have foreseen. A surprising amount of insecurities that have lay dormant, hidden deep inside them will bubble up ¢ the silence of the woods is a powerful trigger. Working 9 to 5 does little to prepare us for a thru-hike; fortunately it doesn¢t limit our imagination to what might be over the horizon.Armed with only my enthusiasm, I was one of those na ve dreamers in 2002. Carrying too much gear, maildrops space too far apart and a mountainous foe I was completely unfamiliar with, I came off the trail. I wanted my journey to be one of joy not drudgery. One of escape not burden. I vowed to learn a better, more joyful way to thru-hike. In 2004, a photo was taken of me standing beneath The Approach Trail arch. Filled with jitters I put my foot on the trail and started up Springer Mountain that terribly rainy morning. What happened next were nothing but months and months of smiles and laughter. No wonder thru-hiking leaves such an amazing mark on us. It is the kind of experience we all seek and need; joy agrees with us, we can¢t help it. It was the kind of experience I hope all who hike this season will have. The key for me was understanding better what was to be faced and trail proven techniques that minimized both the emotional and physical hardships. So, throughout that journey I wrote and drew pictures (over a hundred illustration while on the trail) every night, a day-to-day journaling of the adventure. I found myself more interested in sharing the more silly and whimsical sides of a thru-hike adventure rather than what mountain needed to be crossed as a way to convey the trek. Entertainment is a powerful way to understanding. But I also wanted others to have a resource to avoid the bad gear choices made early on and one that incorporated up-to-date info taking advantage of the lightweight revolution that has hit the gear industry. The title of the new book presented itself as I signed the Visitor Center register there at Amicolola ¢ the photo was taken of me in Maine just four months later. The Appalachian Trail truly is a wonderful wilderness of awes. I don¢t have a Ph-D in AT, but I do have a 2000-Miler patch on my backpack which was earned while carrying a smile on my face. Since one can never have too many smiles or too much joy in their life, I¢ve decided to stop and smell the evergreen again and thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. If you're interested in better understanding what you¢re about to tackle or want to avoid the blisters and just have a fun read (shameless plug), visit www.xlibris.com/TheWildernessOfAwes.html