Date: 2012-05-14
To: Day -1
Miles today: 0.0

Here we go again! I've been off-trail for over 6 months now and I am finally about to go back where I belong. Where I can think and breathe more easily. I had a pretty productive 6 months though. I spent some time working odd jobs on the West Coast. Spent some time with the family in Atlanta. And then moved back to Gainesville for a few months to be with Belle. Time well spent. I can't really speak highly enough of Belle right now either who, somehow, decided to stay with me after I took off for nearly 6 months. I think the bond between us now is stronger than it ever was honestly. Putting a relationship through seemingly-insurmountable trials and tribulations is probably one of the most healthy things you could do for it. Kind of the same thing happens when one put oneself to the test I think. You walk away from it feeling stronger, more confident, and with a higher threshold than before.    So I had a really great time hanging out in Babylon for a while getting my shit back together. Loving Belle. But still I've felt like a tourist the whole time. I've had this nagging in the back of my head constantly, drawing me back to the trail. I didn't even try, didn't even consider assimilating into the real world. I didn't look for any serious jobs, didn't make any serious plans, and didn't care to consider for a second the thought of not returning to the woods just as soon as the weather would allow me. I would think about the trail every day. Dream about the trail every night. It's like I was stuck in limbo, unable to move on with my life, until I took care of this unfinished business of mine. What could I do?   Luckily I was able to exercise a little bit more forward-thinking before blindly hopping on the trail this time around. I abandoned the idea of living off of regular mail-drops and, instead, just prepared a small number of re-supply boxes that contain hard-to-find foods, expensive stuff, and things that I don't re-stock on regularly like coffee and olive oil. I also saved up much more money this time around. I'm bringing about $2,000 with me to get me the 900 miles from Springer Mountain to Rockfish Gap, which is about as much money as I had during my whole 1300-mile hike thru the expensive-ass Northeast last year. I also left a little $500 rainy-day fund with Belle just in case I manage to lose all of my money somehow. With memories of hiking broke and feeling homeless still fresh in my head, I decided that living more-comfortably out there is worth that extra little investment. I've proven my ability to be a broke wook, now it's time for me to be a real person.   Belle was going to school full-time and working every weekend so I had to come up with some reason not to sit around and be a dead-beat. So I decided to go ahead and tackle the GRE full-force. I am sure that I want to go to grad school in the next 5 years so I'd might as well get the preliminary test out of the way while a college education is still fresh in my head. I actually studied for the GRE more than I've probably studied for any other test in my life and walked away with a score that I can be proud of. I also completely re-designed my gear and load-out. I gave Belle her external frame back (thanks babe,) mailed my 8 lb USMC ILBE back to WV, and bought a 1.5 lb waterproof ULA EPIC instead. I also ditched the alcohol stove and switched to a Jetboil Zip. As much as I love my homemade stove, I just can't stand watching people boil water in 90 seconds while I'm still trying to get my stove primed. I took Samurai's advice and ditched my zip-off pants for a Mountain Hardware hiking kilt; probably the best decision I've ever made. All-and-all, I shed about 18lbs from my base-weight and over 20lbs from my overall pack-weight between now and when I started the AT at Harpers last Summer. I am so ready to do this. Here is my facebook post from 05/14/2012I didn't know what i was getting myself into:"Well, Babylon, I'm out. Back to the mountains once again! But before I go, I'd just like to publicly challenge the Appalachian Trail to throw at me the worst weather conditions that it can possibly muster. Because IDGAF. Heat, rain, wind, snow, mud, drought, famine, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, insects, parasites, lime disease, giardia, I want it all. Not because i'm trying to prove myself or anything like that, but because the hike would just be boring otherwise ... You can't expect to be 'one' with nature and still enjoy a cushy luxurious lifestyle after all. So bring it on, AT, do your worst. I'm about to. fuck. you. up (and leave to trace while doing so.)"