Date: 2009-09-02
To: Life Post Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Dear readers,Enjoy the newly posted photos and videos! Francine and Margaret (or should I say Fwancine and Mawgwet) get some major airtime in a few of them. Apparently, they are pretty good rock climbers...Throughout much of my journey, I very frequently had people tell me that they were just as curious about life post-trail for a thru-hiker as they were about life on the trail. It is a big adjustment for us all and transition time is definitely needed. I'm thankful that I didn't have a job or school that I had to rush right back into. There are so many odds and ends around home that I want to get caught up on, it's nice to have the time. My parents seem understanding about the "vacation" I feel I need after this adventure and are totally cool with me sitting on my butt my first week at home. I promised them the job hunt would start next week, but until then, no feeling guilty for being as lazy as I want! Some might view the trail as a 6 month vacation in and of itself, but I can tell you, it's not. Yes, we are out there voluntarily, but no, that does not mean it is fun and games all the time. In fact, I can tell you with confidence, it is the most physically and mentally challenging thing I have ever done in my life. Hence, I deserve a week of nothingness afterwards. So, here goes; a summary of my first week post-AT (written in pieces over the past few days).~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The past week has been a whirlwind, to say the least. Summiting Katahdin 7 days ago feels like a different lifetime; in a sense it was. After enjoying a few days of being a tourist and spending excess hiking funds at the Patagonia/The North Face/Horny Toad outlets in Freeport, my parents and I drove home. When you're used to passing hours a day by simply hiking, ten hours in a car doesn't seem so bad. Luckily, my parents didn't even ask if I wanted to drive. I think we all knew it'd be safer if I didn't. Also, I don't think I could handle controlling a moving vehicle at 65 mph and we all wanted to get home in timely fashion.Coming home was a great feeling. I was greeted by a "Welcome Home" banner when I walked through the door and my room was exactly as I left it. Eerily so, actually. I think the most surprising thing was that when I entered my room, I felt like I had hardly been gone at all, as if on a week vacation. I remember my last night (March 12) crystal clearly, as if it were yesterday. I remember walking out of the room, shutting the door, and thinking the next time I'd be entering it, I'd have completed my thru-hike. That was me, now. An AT map adorned the wall, my stuffed animal moose I've been sleeping with for years, named Katahdin, sat on my bed. The photograph of me posing next to the Katahdin sign on a dayhike in 2003 was taped to the wall above my pillow. These objects, that for years represented a dream I one day hoped to fulfill, are now symbolic of all that I have achieved. I would be lying if I said my eyes didn¢t get watery at the sight of all the AT stuff in my room. The map will stay up ¢ every inch of the red line representing the trail now has memories to go with it. I think I will decorate the border of the map with photographs from memories in the different states. As far as my stuffed moose, he¢ll have to battle it out with my Therm-a-rest pillow I hiked with since VA, which I also plan to sleep with. Luckily, it¢s a double bed and I¢m not that big so there¢s room for both. And the picture from 2003? Well, that will have to get replaced with one from 2009, and I¢m thinking it should be framed and bigger than 4x6.My room felt like a time capsule, as it always does when I¢m gone for long periods of time. The photos in frames on my dresser, desk and pinned to my bulletin board depict the important friends and memories that were at the forefront of my mind before I left on my AT adventure¢Bend, Sage Walk, Hawaii, primarily. I smiled as I looked at all of the photos of friends I had on display, realizing that I am just as close to all of them now, post-hike, as I was before I left. I might not have been the most accessible person the past 6 months, and at times, felt selfish and like a bad friend for being so far removed from so many people¢s lives who are close to me, but this hike also allows you to realize who those people are that are so important. And those people were happy for me and understood. And those friendships didn¢t suffer any because of my hike.Also, I realize how much richer my life has become in the 22 weeks I was gone. I think of the hundreds of incredible scenic photographs I¢ve taken, the small town USA I¢ve experienced by foot. I think of how many people I have met and befriended on my thru-hike, right up through the 100 Mile Wilderness. I think of all of the strangers who treated me like friends and family; renewed my faith in human kindness. Of course, I came away with a friendship with Gangsta that will never be like any other friendship I will have with another person. It¢s a bond that will last a lifetime. And there are the Goonies, who were planning on summiting today! We jumped way ahead of them when they all took almost a week off in Boston while Gangsta and I kept hiking. And then there are all of the wonderful, strong, independent, and simply awesome females I had the opportunity to get to know: Loon, Hot Sauce, The Three Amigas (Skittles, No Nails, Moonwalker), the Packadivas, Plunger (can I include Mr. Right in this category? He¢s got a feminine side!), WindUp, 1Pint, Cricket, Triple C, Newt, Miss Scarlet, Squeegee, Hard Core, and any others I may be forgetting at this time. The majority of my friends, when hearing of my planned adventure, seemed to think I would come back madly in love with a guy I picked up on the AT (did they know I don¢t dig the dead-animal-on-your-face look?). To each one of them gave the same general reply: I want to emotionally detach myself from anybody who contains a Y chromosome for the next 6 months and complete this adventure on my own, independently, or in the company of some awesome, like-minded women. All of the female thru-hikers mentioned above did not disappoint and I¢m thankful to have shared such a wonderful wilderness experience with each of them, even if only for a few days. I believe 100% that the trail provides you with whatever it is you seek. It¢s magical like that.Why is female friendship what I sought? I¢m not sure exactly, but I think part of it was rooted in the envy I had for my Sage Walk students my last two rotations. After working in boys groups for a year, having all male staff, and living with a guy, I spent my final two months at Sage Walk leading a girls group (because there were only two females on staff, hence they needed us both in the female group). I was in awe at the powerful friendships the girls formed with each other, and the pride and confidence gained within them at realizing boys weren¢t necessary to survive and thrive in the wilderness. My fellow field instructor, Courtney, and I had a great time with the girls. I know we worked our butts off, set a great example, were great role models, and had a blast but it was still a job. Ultimately, it was the girls¢ wilderness experience, not ours, and I was jealous. And now, after sharing my AT experience with Gangsta and other incredible women, I can finally understand what the bonds were like amongst my Sage Walk girls, and why I envied them. It¢s somethin¢ special. Boyfriends come and go but I¢m pretty sure my friendship with G will last forever. I got my haircut yesterday. Getting my nails done will be another day. I stepped on the scale in my parents¢ bathroom- the same one I weighed myself on before leaving. I was 8lbs lighter than when I left. I was surprised it was that much-- I guess that¢s a significant amount when you¢re of my stature to begin with. That was about all I had to lose, I think. Anymore and it¢d border on unnaturally thin and unhealthy.   I wonder when I¢ll stop doing the ¢baby deer walk¢ outta bed in the morning. When will stairs not be painful to go up or down? The abuse I¢ve put my body through is suddenly more evident than ever before, when looking at the recovery time needed from my adventure. When will my appetite decrease? I know I can¢t keeping eating the quantities that I was on the trail. My current challenge is portion control. Thus far, I¢m not doing a very good job at it. It doesn¢t help that anytime my mom has leftovers in the fridge she wants to get rid of, her first thought is, ¢just give them to Amy, she¢ll finish ¢em.¢ Thanks for not helping me practice portion control, Mom.   I drove for the first time today. It felt good being back in my little Ford Focus. It is basic and simple with manual everything: transmission, locks, and windows. It gets me from here to there. Exactly what I need; nothing more nothing less- kinda like life on the trail. It did get jazzed up a bit with the placement of my ¢AT Class of 2009¢ sticker on its rear windshield! (Compliments of trail angel Fishin¢ Fred back in NC!) As far as speed, I didn¢t feel comfortable going much over 40¢¦ right lane for me. I slept outside on our screened in porch. After college, my parents moved my futon out there and often convert the balcony within the screened porch into a ¢bedroom¢ in the summer months. We¢re in a wooded neighborhood, so it¢s really nice, with a lot of nature noises, but I could still here the sound of cars in the night, and of course, was woken up at 5am by our neighbor¢s sprinkler system going off. Good thing I still had my ear plugs in the tiny pocket in the hood of my sleeping bag! I¢m re-reading A Walk in the Woods (for the umpteenth time) and it¢s friggin¢ hilarious being able to relate to everything that much better now. I went for my very first run today. I can¢t believe I haven¢t run in almost 6 months, yet, ironically am in the best shape of my life. My lungs and heart felt like a million bucks. My knees, however, were cursing me every step. I did 5 miles. It will take some time to get the legs used to the pounding. My running shoes felt foreign on my feet. The size 8 Mizuno¢s that always felt a little big now feel snug. Is it that I¢m simply not used to the fit or did my foot grow? Did I mention my next goal on my Life To-Do list is a marathon? Yes, after hiking 25 miles with a pack on my back, running 26 in a couple hours doesn¢t sound that bad. What¢s 26.2 compared to 2,178.3? Chump change, that¢s what. I¢m not sure where or when (sometime in 2010), but it¢s what¢s next! I need something on the horizon to set my sights on¢¦ until then, I¢ll have some 10Ks and hopefully a half-marathon or two to keep me in shape.I¢m missing Gangsta terribly, but thanks to technology these days, we¢ve rarely gone more than a few hours without exchanging texts, phone calls, emails, or instant messages. Sometimes I¢ll slip into ¢Margaret mode¢ at home, and my mom will try to do her best Francine impression to humor me (our families got front row seats to the Margaret and Francine show for a few minutes in Maine), but it¢s not the same. I know James is trying to fill the Margaret void in their house, too, unsuccessfully. At least they try. We are both busy at our computers organizing the thousands of pictures and video footage taken over the past 6 months and sharing them with friends, family, and each other. I¢ve been laughing all afternoon at some of our videos taken early on in the thru-hike. Yes, I¢m definitely still very much in ¢trail mode¢. It¢s hard knowing none of me friends in the real world can relate to what I talk about. Our videos don¢t seem to interest them much, and the ones that make me laugh my butt off for hours they don¢t seem to find funny. I tried explaining Margaret and Francine to a good friend, and well¢¦ it ended with me saying ¢I guess you just had to be there¢¦¢ Those are the times I miss Gangsta the most, and unfortunately, they seem to be rather frequent these days.I cleaned and put away much of my gear the past day or two. That was a little sad. I used and relied on that gear daily for so long, and now it¢s just getting put into a bin to collect dust. None of it really looks like it has 2200 miles on it¢¦ except my tent stuff sack that is covered in duct tape. I wonder when I will use it all again? I have a feeling the urge to go to a nearby campground will strike me sooner rather than later and I¢ll find myself spending a night in the woods alone in my Hubba once again before Autumn is through. The Fall is my favorite time of year to camp. Beautiful fall colors, nice warm days, chilly nights¢¦This weekend I am going up north to spend some quality time with one of my closest, lifelong friends at her parent¢s house on Lake Huron. I¢m really looking forward to it and hope it¢s beach weather since my body hasn¢t seen a swimsuit all year! Hopefully I¢ll have visits to Chicago, Bend, and, of course ATHENS, GEORGIA in my near future ¢ but finding a job first is probably a good idea.My brother is telling me I should seriously consider turning this journal into a book. I¢ve never considered myself a writer before and certainly never in a million years thought about publishing something. Maybe he¢s onto something. He claims that I¢ve already done most of the work- the writing. Am I underestimating myself by thinking that me publishing something is an absurd and ridiculous notion? I wouldn¢t have the slightest clue how to go about something like that.   He¢s telling me I¢ve got the time to work on it right now. We¢ll see how long unemployment lasts...My mom says my bedroom smells. I don¢t know if it¢s from my gear or me. I haven¢t quite gotten back into the habit of showering daily yet, although I can¢t say that was ever a habit of mine, haha. I¢ve forgotten deodorant 2 of the past 3 days. My mom made sure to tell me she noticed and informed me that that is something I need to be remembering from now on. I¢m trying.Overall, things are going well. I really miss trail life, but I¢m enjoying the comforts of home. I have many places I wish to travel and people to see, but unfortunately the next 6 months can¢t be all fun and games like the last. My bank account will need to last for as long as my unemployment status does, and who knows how long that will be. I¢ve added my thru-hike to my resume and am brushing up on my cover letter writing skills. I hope something comes through for me sooner rather than later. How long ¢til I succumb to a job at an outfitter here in Ann Arbor just to start making some money? Home is great but I don¢t want to be 30 and still living here, ha! Errr¢¦ I mean 27 and still living here! Until then, I¢ve been assigned the task of cooking dinner once a week (I hope my parents like Kraft Mac n Cheese) and will be assigned numerous other household chores in lieu of rent. It ain¢t trail life, but it¢s pretty nice.Happy Trails,WagsPS-My thoughts are with Loon, Hot Sauce, Plunger, Mr. Right, the Goonies, and everybody else (there are tons of you!) who had planned summit dates of September 2nd! I hope your summit day was as wonderful as mine, except with better weather on Katahdin.