Date: 2008-06-30
To: Revelations, Surprises, and Insecurities
Miles today: 0.0

      My greatest worry about backpacking was how horrible I would look. Because I was not blessed with nice skin, I don¢t feel like I have the freedom that other people have to just get up and go. Also, my hair gets oily if I don¢t wash it each day. I feel like I HAVE to take a shower at least once a day just to look decent. This is what has prevented me from camping before. So the greatest surprise about this trip for me was walking into the bathroom at the restaurant after three days without a shower - the longest I had gone since I was a child - and not being appalled when I looked in the mirror! I also found that wearing the same clothes each day was not as unpleasant as I might have imagined before this experience.          Another great surprise was that my contacts did not irritate my eyes while I was outdoors. My eye doctor was not optimistic about me wearing any kind of contacts on a backpacking trip as my eyes have become extremely sensitive from years of contact wear. I¢ve had to limit the number of hours per week that I can even wear them at all. But I really don¢t want to hike with glasses. The day before we left, I tried a new type of contacts with more oxygen in them. Within a couple of hours, my left eye flared up, and my spirits sank. I was disappointed and frustrated to be unable to do what I wanted to do, and what so many others could so easily do (much like running.) I decided to take a chance and try them on the first day on the trail. It turned out that for the four days I was out there, I had no problems with my eyes at all! I could not believe it! Yet, it took only a half an hour indoors for the redness and irritation to start again! It seems as though being outdoors is a lot healthier for the body.        This trip also brought my spirit back to me. A friend that I talked to on the drive home commented that I sounded so alive and full of life afterward. I really enjoyed the experience and wished it could have been longer. There is something so beautiful in the simplicity of the life of a backpacker. Who knew that you could get by so easily with one outfit, no showers, a minimum of food and no coffee? What a contrast to life in the ¢real world¢ where most people spend the greater part of their days working for someone else, at something they care little for, and are poorly rewarded for, where they do little physical activity and overload their bodies with copious amounts of unhealthy foods in an attempt to fill their emotional holes, and where they are constantly buying more and more things with the false hope that these things will bring them happiness. After my trip, I could not help but wonder what could be more healthy for the body and mind but to be out walking all day long amidst the natural world? This was what was real.        I also wonder why people are friendlier to each other and easier to talk to on the trail. Is it because they are more relaxed and happy to be enjoying the outdoors, or is it because the interactions are fleeting and it¢s easier to be nicer when you only have a few moments to talk to someone¢¦ On this trip, I did find that my energy and spirits greatly increased whenever I had the opportunity to talk to a fellow hiker, and for those positive interactions, I wanted to thank Ishmael, Footloose, Simon-Pierre, Brian, Greylocks, and Dodger.                  One of the biggest reasons that this trip went so smoothly for me was due to the journals of Persistent and Certain (as well as others). I learned so much about backpacking just from reading about their experiences. I contacted Persistent with some questions before this trip, and she always responded with helpful and encouraging answers. Not only are these girls strong hikers and wonderful writers, but nice, nice people!