Date: 2003-07-21
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

hello all, I guess its been a long time.... sorry about that. Since I last wrote a lot has happened including making the hard decision to get off the trail.A few weeks ago it came to my attention that some things at home had gone awry and my presense was required to straighten some things out. I went home to California the day after my last entry and spent a week there getting things together. I figured out that $$ was running really really really low but still wanted to come back to the trail. I think mostly out of obligation to finish something I started, but of course there was still a lot more I wanted to see. When I returned to the trail I came back to New York to meet up with Moxy, Crazy Talk, Iron Chef and a new friend Cough Drop. They had hiked to Bear Mountain, NY while I was gone and where picked up by Moxy's aunt. They picked me up in NYC and were supposed to return to the trail the next day, but circumstance prevented us from returning right away and by the time we got back to the trail I had been gone 2 weeks and was not feeling much like hiking anymore. Cough Drop and I hit it off pretty well and decided to hike with eachother for a few days. During our time together, I was not much interested in hiking, but was really attached to finishing something I started. Cough Drop and I talked a lot about quitting the trail and he made some points that I really agreed with. He had decided to get off the trail and ended up leaving. I had thought about leaving with him, but wanted to make sure that I was quitting for my own reasons and that I was sure that I wanted to quit. Cough Drop left on a Monday am and I walked for 2 days by myself. The rain had still not quit, the mesquitos were bad and I had realized that I was now out of $$ (except for available balance on my AMEX). During my time alone I realized that at this point, I didnt really feel a part of the trail community anymore. The time I spent away from the trail and the miles I skipped made the trail more like and extended vacation rather than an experience in the woods. I also realized that if this was a business people would tell me that I was crazy if I wanted to keep throwing $$ at a failing project that I wasnt even interested in anymore. So with that realization, I hitched into Pawling, NY and got off the trail. I was able to have a great evening at the local bar with a number of trail buddies and felt really good about my decision. Pawling has a train station so the next day I took the train to NYC. I took the subway to Brooklyn and spent the afternoon with my grandfathers brother (who I had never met before). That night I took the train to Boston. A friend who lives in Cape Cod picked me up the next day and I spent some time on the Cape with friends (I wanted to stay near enough to the trail in case I changed my mind I could return easily-- but that didnt happen). I had a great time hanging out with them, swimming in ponds, laying on the beach, going on a clam dig etc. Dylan was still in Delaware Water Gap, PA so I took a train from Boston to Newark. My dad picked me up in Newark, we went to get Dylan that night and I have been at my dads ever since. I'm returning to CA on the 26th. I plan to simplify my life, get rid of all my "crap" and just enjoy life for a little while. I dont have any regrets about quitting the trail. It occured to me that I had been "of the trail" for almost a month before I actually quit. I hadnt been doing it the way I think it should be done and therefore, it really wasnt worth the time or $$ to continue on. I got a lot from the trail. The chafing and crotch rot, mildewy backpack, boots etc where uh... well less than desireable, but the people I met, and expereices I had were all worth it.I hope that I will be able to maintain contact with the friends I've met and hope that all who I left behind will complete their journey!