Date: 2014-02-14
To: Bogged Down in Prepping
Miles today: 0.0

Over the last week or so I have found myself bogged down with the work of preparing for this journey. Three weeks to go time, I am still tying up the last of my loose ends. I have my gear all set, except I am considering adding the weight of a backpacking pillow. If I do not rest well, I fear my trip will end too quickly. Finishing up with work, and packing up my belongings for storage are not glamorous either. Certainly not as inspiring as day hikes in the nearby state parks. I would rather have had another day of carrying a fully loaded pack for no reason today, but instead my workout consisted of shoveling snow and squats instead. The one thing I am sure of is that I am not in the physical condition I would want to be in to do this, which of course is funny because I see it as a weight loss opportunity.   I am not without doubts. I know I'm not going to start off doing 20 miles a day like some hikers I have read about. I'm not going to be hiking at night unless something drastic happens. Honestly, I don't expect to do as much as 10 miles for the first week or two. That being said, I'm not sure how much of an emotional toll it will be to hike into a town to resupply only to note that my whole day hiking was practically a zero day on the trail. I keep telling myself that all I have to do is start walking and it will get easier as I go, but if that's true why do so many people drop out. Whenever I strap on my backpack I hate myself for about the first half mile. I can't believe I would be crazy enough to be out doing this, but I keep telling myself that it will get easier if I just keep going. That has worked so far as after a while I don't really notice the weight so much. I guess my question to myself is will that work after months of aches and pains when I come to realize that most of the hikers I started out with in march that are still on the trail are nearing the end while I am being passed on the trail by people that started out in GA in April.   It isn't a question of whether or not I can do it. The question that I will have to answer is do I want to finish it badly enough. I believe it will all come down to mental preparation more than the physical. There will be rain and snow, bugs and heat, and many days of eating crappy food. All I have to do is keep going. Sitting here at my desk it sounds so simple, but as I lie awake at night my thoughts are on avoiding stress fractures, shin splints, caring for blisters, checking myself for ticks, keeping myself healthy, getting the right nutrition (not just calories), avoiding bad falls and hypothermia, keeping in touch with family and friends, and not losing my life to bear attack, snake bite, or murder... all of which can happen on the AT regardless of how safe it my be statistically.   We all know it is the challenges that make any undertaking worthwhile, and any risk of injury or death increases the appeal. It's why the Super Bowl is the most watched television event in history, millions of people watch wrestling even if it's fake(though the pain is real), purchase pay per view fights, and a slip and fall search on youtube will get a video with over 5 million hits easy. Maybe that's why this trip excites me as well, and why I can't wait to get started. Still, the adventure will have to wait a little longer.