Date: 2014-05-10
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

So much has happened in the past month. I'm on day 36. It does feel like I just left a week ago. At the same time I understand when other hikers say it has felt like years. I have been sticking to most of my personal rules or vows (whatever you want to call them) that includes no ear phones while hiking, hiking alone as much as possible, and not using the shelters.There's endless jokes, stories, and good times to be had on a daily basis but its hard to recall them unless it comes up organically. Sitting down to recollect your day is not an organic thing to me at all. Sometimes there's just too many things to note no matter how memorable it could be. Spleen splitting laughter from on the fly jokes would be something you'd think would be easy to remember but there's always more coming one after another. Common themes so far have been what would happen if a hiker carried a gun, the infinite amounts of puns involving noro virus, and peculiar people on the trail.For example, just picture a thru hiker who keeps forgetting his gun. Dammit I hope someone hikes it up to me again. Next time I think I'll just leave it in a hiker box since its so heavy.These topics come up a lot because people who are thoroughly confused by the concept of long distance thru hikers tend to have the same questions. You're going how far?You're not carrying a gun?What do you eat?How much does your pack weigh?You sleep in the woods?You'll be interrogated by these questions in towns while you're resupplying or crossing the road in the middle of your hike. A lot of these towns we've been passing through are filled with people that know exactly what you're up to. But there's always somebody that doesn't know.My favorites are the numerous biker gangs you'll inevitably run into.Just yesterday I crossed a forest service road or something where there was a confused group of bikers who were taking a break from riding in the mountains. These guys all have their leathers and sunglasses on when I casually emerge from the woods dripping with sweat. they wave back when I say hi but give each other the what the fuck? look as I drop my pack and start filling up water.The one nearest to me asks "you're... You're gonna drink that water? What if... What if there's bear piss in it or something?"From there the conversation doesn't get any better or depending on how you look at it, it gets more hilarious. They'll make comments like "you know there's bears in the woods right?" and "You do what when you gotta shit?"And then if another hiker pops out the woods, more what the fuck looks are exchanged.And that's where you kind of have to explain the applachian trail and eventually you leave them pondering about what they're doing with their lives. At the very least, what the fuck are we doing with our lives?All I have to say is that if you really want to do a long distance backpack and have little insight/experience about it, I encourage you to really think about it. If you can't live among endless creepy crawly things climbing on you or your stuff all day, this isn't for you. If you can't mentally handle being uncomfortable for days at a time by means of ball swampy heat, heaps of rain, terrifying strong winds, cold nights/mornings, hot nights/days, dealing with creepy people, or what have you... This is not for you. Or maybe that's all you need to hear to get your butt out and about. This is not for you. Just know that there's not a lot of glory to be had every step of the way. But that's everything in life.This is not a vacation. You can think of it as one but it really is not. People drop out left and right because this is not what they thought it would be. All I think when I hear that is what the hell did you think it would be? Come for the pain. Seek out the displeasure. Cleanse yourself from all that is easy. Take this as a hard earned retreat and don't be afraid to spend time with just yourself. Maybe that last one is the most terrifying of all to some people without ever realizing it. Just be wary of the things that should come obvious. Hiking up stuff all day for 10 hours is tiring, monotonous, and at thee mercy of whatever you make of it. I make it in my head as if I'm a dog. Every day is a freaking blast. Why wouldn't you want to be outside and see some stuff? Sure, I'll sniff your butt. Are you offering?And yes, I really do intend to get my journal up to date. There's just so many things to see and lots if people to catch up with. Trail life rocks "Men seek retreats for themselves - in the country, by the sea, in the hills - and you yourself [Marcus Aurelius] are particularly prone to this yearning. But all this is quite unphilosophic, when it is open to you, at any time you want, to retreat into yourself. No retreat offers someone more quiet and relaxation than that into his own mind, especially if he can dip into thoughts there which put him at immediate and complete ease: and by ease I simply mean a well-ordered life. So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself. The doctrines you will visit there should be few and fundamental, sufficient at one meeting to wash away all your pain and send you back free of resentment at what you must rejoin." -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations