Date: 2015-06-16
From: Big Meadows Lodge

To: Rock Springs Hut
Miles today: 4.0

Awakening this morning we began preparations to leave. Jeff and Sandahl had a long drive ahead so leaving as early as possible was beneficial. And for me the usual emotional roller coaster of happy to have had two great days but sad to see them leave. I have learned much about me as an AT hiker this year. One main thing is that "my hike" is not to be out real long periods of time. More on that later. And today I'm about at the limit. Seeing the van drive away was a little tough.Because of the late start for me, about 10 am, today would be very short. Just over about 2 hours of easy and slow hiking and I was at the Hut. I spent most of the afternoon updating this journal and setting up my gear for the night. Also near this Hut was a PATC (Potomac Appalachian Trail Club) cabin. PATC maintains the trail through the Shenandoah and has several of these huts that are for rent. This is the first I've seen. It was about 100 yards further down the mountain from this Hut. It had a great view of the Shenandoah Valley. A family had it rented today.Also arriving early were two guys, Bad Hat and Mr. Magoo. About my age we immediately found a lot to talk about, mostly hike related. After describing how I was feeling this day after having said goodbye to my family, Bad Hat suggested that I hike with them so as to have company and to help get my mind back to the hike. Good idea so I accepted. We then concocted a plan, mostly a change to my hike plan, to get us to Harper's Ferry in about 10 days. Bad Hat had a mail drop in Luray so they were going to zero there too. I had a drop in the next town, Front Royal. So I would join them, take a zero there instead of in Front Royal. I planned to call the PO and have my boxes there either sent ahead to Harper's Ferry or back home. Why home?Well that's a story to inform everyone about. Over the last couple of weeks I have discovered what HYOH (Hike your own hike) really means for me. And also what, as my friend Charlie Boles, reminded me of before I started this year, what it means for me in regards to "it's about the journey, not the destination". From the beginning of my planning to finally hike the AT it was not about hiking the whole thing in one year but to enjoy it and see the wilderness and experience the culture of the AT. Initially as most of you know my plan was to hike it all over the course of 2 years. The plan was to be out 3 months or so each year. Last year I did not make the distance planned to Harper's Ferry because of injury requiring getting off the trail. I did get back out for just about 2 weeks but only got to Damascus, VA where I started almost 7 weeks ago. The plan this year to still complete the trail in two years required hiking for about 5 months. About three weeks ago now this began wearing on me. I'm missing Cathy and had a couple of days where the hiking was not real enjoyable. On top of all that my mileage range is less than I anticipated it could be. I've had a few long days and even a 20 miler last week. For the most part I hike comfortably about 10 to 12 miles a day. And I likely can't make Maine this year at that rate. While pondering these things during the day, ... a great thing about hiking in the wilderness is the thinking time. ... I concluded that my hike was more like those guys I have hiked with this year. Namely, Justin and Jesse the beagle, Lost and Found, and now with Bad Hat and Mr. Magoo. Like me they all want to experience the AT and not like a thru hiker. That means taking time to see what can be seen, not pushing miles, and for us older guys more frequent rest days. A sort of confirmation came a few weeks ago when I passed a guy hiking south. When asked how far he was going (a common question asked when passing hikers heading in the opposite direction ) he answered that he was completing the thru hike he began in 2008. And he added that doing shorter section was more enjoyable. I thought about that for a long time. Last year I actually did hike two short sections. Three if the break in Gatlinburg is considered. First to Gatlinburg where Cathy and I spent 5 great days together. Second to Erwin where I finally needed to get home with my foot issue. That was two weeks after Gatlinburg. And third, once back in late June two more weeks in to Damascus where I came home.In the final analysis this year's plan...five months of hiking and being away from home was just too much. And I knew before starting, and saying such here in an earlier post, that my biggest challenge would be to be away from Cathy. How true that is. While I don't like not accomplishing goals, my journey to hike the AT and my plans for how to do it were flawed. And I learned that only by actually trying it. Now I have learned and know how to adjust. The desire and passion are still strong as ever. The time frame for completion will be longer...years perhaps at 4 to 6 weeks per year. And they will need to be stretched over several years. I'm thinking perhaps 4. I absolutely do not want my hike to be an endurance challenge where the hiking is not fun. Being out long this time I have had days of late where the journey was not fun. While I have left home to hike "alone" that hardly happens as we connect with other hikers walking at our pace, stopping at the same locations, and often within or near our same age. I'm certainly thankful for Bad Hat and Mr Magoo, my most current hiking partners. And I look forward to the next week with them as we go to Harper's Ferry together. There I will head home to family and regroup. I will not immediately plan how to finish my AT experience but will certainly start that before too many months pass. 2016 may not be a year to hike as the Walk in the Woods movie is expected to draw a lot of folks out. Maybe my plan will be to restart in 2017. More later on all that. I now want to enjoy the next several days of my 2015 journey.Blessings,