Date: 2011-02-21
To: It's Starting To Become a Reality 
Miles today: 0.0

Tonight is the last night I'll be staying in Maine until I arrive here at the end of my thru hike. It almost feels unreal that next time I come to Maine, I'll have hiked here from Georgia. Maine is where I'm originally from, therefore it will be an unbelievable feeling to hike into the state in which I was born. I drove up here about two weeks ago, and the time is going by far faster than I thought it would. I now have a total of 18 days till I head to Springer Mountain to begin my hike.I have tried my best to not think about the trail day and night as it was hard for me to sleep at night because I would constantly think about the gear I have, how I packed it in my pack, and what I had left to purchase or test before I left for Springer. It wasn't till a few days ago when it really hit home that in a matter of a little over two weeks, I'll be stepping onto the Appalachian Trail for the first of some 5 million steps to Maine. My dad Gerry, and my step mom Beth had some what of a "going away" type of get together for me the other evening. That is when it set in. I would not be seeing these people again until the end of my hike. I will not see them this summer, as I usually come to Maine to spend my summers and have done so since I moved to North Carolina in 2003. I will not be going to our camp on North Pond this summer and enjoying the time I spend with my family there. This summer with be different; it will be spent in the wilderness, hiking day after day. Although I will be missing out on Maine, along with many other things as the list of summer activities I do never ends, I will do my best to take in and enjoy every aspect of the trail. I understand this is a trek that changes lives, transforms people into whom they want to become, and has many other positive effects on ones life. I've been thinking a lot about my mom lately since I've been in Maine. Currently one of my great friends Laura is staying with her while I'm away. I've been friends with Laura since my freshmen year of high school. She's a great girl, whom I would like to have a relationship with at some point in life, but certainly not something I can focus on while preparing to leave for my thru hike so I've done my best to leave things as a "friends" status. My mom and I have always been very close. I've lived with her my whole life. She is more then a mother to me, she is also my best friend whom I can go to about anything. I attend college about 45 minutes from Asheville, NC where she lives. I have never been away from her for more then a few weeks during the summer when I go to Maine. It will be one of the hardest things for me to not be able to talk with her every day, although I know she is just a phone call away. After the first few weeks, and I have adapted to life on the trail, I'm sure everything will fall into place just fine, but I know the first month on the trail is going to be very hard for me in all aspects of life. I drive back to North Carolina tomorrow. I have an awesome weekend planned out which includes seeing my brother Steve whom I have not seen since Christmas. He has certainly hit the "college life" wide open. I'm looking forwarded to seeing him Friday night. Saturday, Laura and I will leave Savannah and head to Atlanta for the AMA Supercross races. My friend Ricky, his wife Leslie, his brother Robbie, and Robbie's wife Missy will also be at the race. I'm looking forward to this trip as it is the "last" weekend for a while that I'll be able to go out and have fun with them. I'm also looking forward to hanging out with Laura while in Savannah and Atlanta. After this coming weekend, I'll be spending the week in Asheville. I have all my gear in my room ready to pack again into my pack, and I cannot even begin to think about how many times I have done this same routine already. I can't wait to pack everything in my pack for the last time before I set out on my hike. All I have left to do is get the food I'll be carrying for the first four or so days before my first resupply. Until next time,-Chris