Date: 2014-11-30
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Miles today: 0.0

Update: kind of started a blog.craigtsao.wordpress.com Have not made the time to work on it much so it will be pretty low key for awhile. Let's face it, I'm not doing anything Appalachian Trail related anymore. I do hope to hit the PCT and start another day to day journal but, I wouldn't have my hopes up for a 2015 thru hike. Cheers! and thank you all for the supportI've still been undergoing a lot more resistance to writing than I ever anticipated. While hiking it was because I simply didn't want to sacrifice more time to do it. Setting up camp, prepping your meals, socializing, hiking all day, treating water, and generally doing thing after thing that has a tangible productive part of a long day takes up all of your time. The more sleep you can squeeze in, the better. A journal was actually more of a chore. Nonetheless, I did it everyday or at least jotted a note. Some enjoyment came out of it and it definitely will serve as a great memoir to look back on for myself.The problem is that nothing is what you think it will be. I should have known how much of my time would be applied to searching and applying for jobs when I'm not working a menial job. It drags on so much more when you're being picky because you can't just hop into anything after having the best experience of your life. Just living in the mountains day after day. Now the jobs that I'm applying for actually feel disgusting. It fundamentally comes down to looking at everything as a design to make you or have you contribute to other people spending money. An invention that does not even register as a thing to worry about when you have real priorities to handle. Like when you are living in a way that forces you to recognize the beauty of a simple life. When you spend enough time in the woods depending on only the things that you carry, the universal truth emerges where you can understand that you really don't need anything to be happy.So yes, my post Appalachian Trail blues came pretty late. It was a delayed response. There are many things you can do to help alleviate and delay it though. Maybe. I stuck with eliminating processed foods, especially foods that are not naturally sugary like fruits. Also eating in small amounts, sleeping on a regular basis without staying up late under fluorescent lights, and getting as much sunshine and exercise as I could fit into my schedule. Vitamin D and long jogs are paramount to keeping your head right in my opinion.Unfortunately, I want to write most of the time I am already committed to doing something else. When I have time to myself, I am depressed. There's also a lot of books I want to read, topics to research, events to look up, new things to learn about, going for a run, getting a workout in, trying to eat well... it's a self defeating cycle when you're searching for a unicorn-like job that will pay the rent, pay off your student loans, pay the bills, feed you, and save up for the next big adventure - The Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT is all I care about right now but I am way too poor to do it in 2015. At least I think I will be. So I'm shooting for 2016 and not worrying about all the other life goals until that's done with.As a solid introvert, I really do need to open up more. My want is to experience life. Not spend it on a career. Which is basically making my current state of mind very negative. Searching for ways to get out of this post trail predicament without compromising my morals or ability to go out and accomplish more adventures is truly exhausting. More exhausting than any tough day trekking up mountains with a heavy pack.In the meantime whenever I have some free time not allocated to working out, I'll be doing something I never bothered to do while on the trail - editing. Hopefully. All those grammatical errors and mistakes that come with vomiting out words before passing out in my sleeping bag makes for a lot of mistakes and strange sentences.I barely scratched the surface of a journal consolidation but at least I started. If you see an update on this journal, it's probably because of that. There's some days where I even forgot to put the mileage. So this journal is all kinds of messed up. I won't have anymore posts until the Pacific Crest Trail or if there's something update worthy.Happy trails.