Date: 2003-12-19
To: Two Months Post Katahdin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

A life of leisure comes to an end !! Yes   ...old Footslogger has rejoined the ranks of the gainfully employed, to the joy of his wife (Bad Ass Turtle AT2001).I fought the urge as long as I could but in the end, finding a job was the right thing to do. As some of you who have followed my journal already know, I had some health issues during my thru-hike. I returned home and learned that I had developed some pretty serious kidney stone disease. One surgery later, I still have a catheter in place but the stones on the right side have been dealth with. On 12/29 they go back in to have the catheter removed and to have the stones on the left side treated. It hasn't been much fun but at least now I know why I struggled like I did to make the miles on certain days.Anyway   ...with the medical bills starting to pile up and the holidays at hand, I decided it was time to throw my hat back into the ring. I was fortunate enough to find a job at the local orthopedic/sports medicine clinic and I start on Monday 12/22.So, away go the lazy mornings when I could sleep in or have that second cup of coffee while catching the latest news on CNN. But honestly, as weird as it seemed even considering my return to work, I must admit that it now feels good. When I left my job to hike the AT I had no idea what the future would hold in terms of re-employment. One thing I knew for sure was than I did NOT want to return to full time "cubicle life" as a software analyst. Sure, when I got home I did contact my old employer to see if they needed any help (basic human weakness) but fortunately for me they did not want me back. I say "fortunately", because if they had offered me a job I may just have taken it and found myself right back in the funk I was in before my thru-hike.Why include this in my journal you may ask? Two reasons   ...first because I thought that maybe some of you who had followed along on my hike here at Trailjournals might be interested in some post-hike follow-up and second   ...because I thought that some prospective thru-hikers might read my journal and learn that there is a life after the AT.Once you complete a thru-hike of the AT you ARE a changed person. You yourself may not realize it at first   ...but you have changed. No, you are not destined to a life of wandering from trail to tail   ...unless of course that is what you truly want for yourself. It does take some time for the experience to "settle in" and because of that I am truly grateful that I (and my wonderful wife) allowed for a period to spin down and absorb what I had just accomplished. Ironically for me, after a few weeks back at home it seemed at times like the last 6 months had been lost in the shuffle. I actually began to lose sight of just how amazing a thru-hike of the Appalachain Trail really is, mainly because (with the exception of my wife) most folks out here in Laramie, Wyoming don't fully relate to the experience. But then the e-mails from fellow 2003 hikers started pouring in and the memories started to flow. I sat back and took stock on just how significant an AT thru-hike really is   ...at least to those of us who have hiked the trail from end to end. It dawned on me just how fortunate I am to have made it all the way and how relatively few people ever even set foot on the AT, much less hike its entire length.I've formed bonds and made friends for life from the AT class of 2003. I've heard, seen, smelled and tasted and felt things that short of a thru-hike I may otherwise never have sensed. But as has been said before   ...all good things do come to an end, sooner or later. And for old Footslogger, the time has come to embrace the next chapter of my life. My heart will always be out there on the trail, but life goes on and a new door has openned. I am lucky to have found a job where all of the orthopedists are avid backpackers. Although they may never have the luxury of quiting their jobs and taking a 6 month hike, they do "GET IT" and they no doubt have an understanding and appreciation for what it's all about and what it means to me.My guess is that I will continue to update the post-hike section of my journal from time to time. I do plan to continue backpacking and hiking, albeit shorter jaunts. In the meantime however, I'll be out here in Laramie, Wyoming with Leslie, my best friend and the love of my life. We're just going to slow things down a bit and take life one day at a time. So, if anyone reads my journal and gets the urge to hike the AT   ...just give me a shout and I will always be willing and available to share my expereince and my stories. Better yet, if there are any family, friends or AT hikers out there who find themselves passing through Wyoming I hope you will consider stopping by for a visit. Our door is always open.