Date: 2003-04-11
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Miles today: 0.0

WHY (PART I)"Fools ask why, the rest of us just rush in and do it."-anonymousSigh¢¦where are my four kids when I need them? They were so convenient to have around on the 2001 Great Divide Ride. If someone asked "WHY" we were mountain biking 2500 miles from Canada to Mexico, by way of an answer, I¢d just point to the kids and mumble, "I dunno¢¦it was THEIR idea." Often that would suffice, but if the questioners turned to the kids for further elaboration, the kids might reward them with a shrug of their shoulders and, "I dunno¢¦it was HIS idea", while pointing at me. Of course, that¢s if they were in a loquacious mood¢¦otherwise a simple shrug of the shoulders was all the illumination they¢d provide. Nowdays, when someone asks me "WHY" about the A.T., out of long-standing habit I lateral to the kids, only to find an empty backfield. The little bastards have deserted me in my hour of need, leaving me to struggle with explanations for myself. WHY, WHY, WHY? Well, at least I¢m in good company in facing this question. Invariably, every hiker attempting to thru-hike the A.T. is asked this same question. In fact, the question has become so ubiquitous that it¢s become more cliched than the answers themselves. There¢s even a discussion thread on TrailJournals.com dealing with the "why" question. Here are some of the answers from this forum and those that appear elsewhere: LACK OF BETTER ALTERNATIVES:"Too many warrants for me back at home." "I was homeless and it was either move to California or hit the Trail." "Sure as hell beats working." "My boyfriend¢s idea¢¦I didn¢t want to be left behind¢¦that¢d be too lonely." SELF-DELUSION?: "Because it¢s fun!" GOD, JESUS, OR THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT: "I want to walk with God¢¦oh, and also lose 20 pounds so I look better in a bikini." "Jesus appeared to me on an Easter morning and beckoned that I follow him through the hills." "Whiskey, you¢re the devil and you leadeth me astray." (huh?) IN-YOUR-FACE: "Why?!! Well why the hell not?!!!" BUILD A LONG TRAIL, AND THEY WILL SEEK IT: "The challenge." (This was a very popular answer ¢ 60% in surveys -- with different variations of challenge both physical and mental.) "I mean c¢mon, it¢s like 2100 friggin¢ miles or something¢¦you know you gotta do it!" I CAN DO IT, I CAN DO IT, I KNOW I CAN¢¦"I got divorced from a man who told me I couldn¢t last a week on the AT because of my knees." I ONCE WAS LOST BUT NOW I¢M FOUND: "I was searching for something." "The way I see it¢¦I¢ve searched already and I¢ve found it. That¢s why I¢m going." "I dunno, I was just following those little white blazes on the trees." LOSE WEIGHT, GET IN SHAPE: "To go on a masochistic diet." "That which does not kill us makes us stronger (from BennytheBull)." EXISTENTIAL ANGST: " I was 20 and trying to figure out what to do." "I had just turned 40 and was wondering what I should do with the rest of my life." "I was turning 50 and looking for something meaningful to do with my life." " I retired at 60 and was looking for something¢¦well actually anything¢¦to do." "I was 70 and figured this was as damn good a place to wander off and die as any." LOVE OF NATURE: "There¢s nothing better than a good shit in the woods." MISCELLANEOUS: "I had gone off my psychotropic medications." "It¢s the only way I can eat a gallon or more of ice cream a week and not gain a pound."