Date: 2013-11-12
To: 4+ Years and counting...
Miles today: 0.0

Dear readers,So, I apologize for not writing this closer to my summit-versary date of August 26. I truly had the best intentions of making it a four year anniversary post (I'd like to do one annually) and writing it that last week of August. But, I'll blame the start of my career as a school counselor for getting in the way. And given that it's taken me 30 years to start my career, don't be upset that it took priority over my trailjournal for the past few months. Yes, life feels fully underway, a salary, vacation time, sick days, summer break and all. Some people like to call it the "real" world, but the more I contemplate it, the more I realize I've never felt as "real" as I did on the trail. I was just me. People were just them. No make-up (who am I kidding, I don't really wear it anyway!), no social media profiles to hide behind, no iPhone to remain glued to (crazy to think nobody really had iPhones when I thru-hiked "back in the day" of '09). People were real. The rain was real. The bad moods were real. The good moods were real. Everything was intense, magnified, and anything but fake.It's a strange dichotomy compared to being a high school guidance counselor at an all-girls private school. Body image issues, depression, low self-esteem, and cyber bullying are all issues I see on a regular basis. Not to mention my school began a BYOD policy this year (bring your own device), meaning girls are allowed to be on their tablets, laptops, and smartphones during the school day. I can't help but think the "friendships" these girls form with each other are lessened by the fact that much of their interaction happens through iMessaging, SnapChat, Facebook, and Twitter. They can't fathom a lifestyle of no internet or cellphones. How "real" is that?What I would give to "gift" the opportunity of a thru-hike to almost every student I work with. The time alone, to just be with oneself in nature, is a rare and priceless opportunity in this day and age. But, we are talking about the AT so time alone is not as easily achievable as one might think, but there are the incredible bonds that form between people who never would have crossed our path otherwise, and those encounters are just as valuable as time spent alone. They teach us about our self. They teach us about others. And it teaches us that friendships can be formed with the most unlikely people- a concept that is foreign to high school girls who are pros at forming cliques and excluding those different from them. The self-confidence gained by thru-hiking is unmatched, if you ask me. And what teenage girl couldn't use a healthy dose of self confidence?The AT is a therapeutic place. I am grateful to have spent 5.5 months in such a place. I only wish those I work with could experience it, too. People think the woods are scary? The Twitterverse is a much much scarier place to be. That is what my career has taught me so far. While I'm thankful the AT led me to a career I love, I still long for the trail every chance I get. We've got a long section hike planned over Spring Break! I'm convinced the AT bug will never leave my system. White blazes are my happy place. When driving ten hours to get there is not an option, I've got pictures and youtube videos, and books, and phone calls to Gangsta to tide me over til the next time my boots can hit the trail, which thankfully never seems to be too far away. Even if only for a short section once or twice a year. And we've got a wonderful system of trails in Missouri to give us a backpacking fix for a weekend when we need it. Enjoy this photo from the summit of Bell Mt. (3rd highest peak in Missouri! 1702 ft!) this past weekend.I promise I'll write more soon; there will be a Part II but it's almost hiker midnight, which is once again my bedtime... during the school week. Happy Trails,Wags