Date: 2005-06-20
From: Buena Vista, Va

To: Montebello, Va
Miles today: 65.0

Hey,I don't have time to update you all on each and every day since Troutville on June 10, but I can give you all an even better synopsis of the past week and what I have learned and done in the past few months by just writing the following piece, as it has no particular format and it is just my thoughts about the hike so far...Recently:Troutville was good opportunity for a break, but I was definatately ready to hit to trail once again and make my way up the beaten path once again. I left Troutville with a new backpack and some new gear that was much needed and my new rain coat was definately great to have amidst the continuous thunderstorms that followed my departure of Troutville. When I was leaving Troutville the weather station said that we should be getting 10 straight days of T-Storms but fortunately they were all hit and miss, and we lucked out pretty much most of the week, and didn't get too wet.Since Damascus:Ever since Damscus I have been having a blast. I am really enjoying each and every moment on the trail and not thinking too far ahead, which is a very positive thing for me, as I used to always be thinking of the future and not enjoying the moment. This hike has been amazing in the since that, most people start their hikes enjoying themselves and then become wrapped up in doing a lot of miles to get to Maine and they forget that the journey is SOOOO much more important that the destination. I am the exact opposite, I started my hike whipping out so many miles and looking at my plans, schedules, and charts constantly, which did not give me the opportunity to really experience what all I could actually experience out here and now I am the opposite. I don't worry about time, money, schedules, and exectations...I just live in the moment and let this hike take me where it will. I have been blessed to realize that this new outlook will bring me joy, and I am so exstatic on a daily basis, and my hours are constantly full of laughter and joy. Whenever I find myself wanting to speed up, I now slow down and do something fun, and it has been great. I am able to just go with go with the flow out here on a level like never before...Leaving all of my expectations behind has been a fantastic experience, and leaving my old ideas and thoughts behind has shown me a new and fresh look at the world. It has been a carthatic, life altering experince, and I am only getting started...Next, What I really need...Living out here has taught me what I need and what I can live without...I miss very few things out here. I am happy with good company, a full belly, and somewhere dry to sit. I couldn't live in the woods forever, because it is fantastic to come into town and eat a good meal, take a shower, and sleep in a real bed, but I really don't need anything fancy, and I definately don't need a lot of money to be happy. None of my accomodations have been fancy, and I don't mean that they have been normal hotels either, they are positively cheap, but they are fine, and I am happy with them. They offer what I need and want, shelter, a bed, and a shower. I wish everyone could experience this way of life.What about the future?Well, I thought this hike would make me miss normal life and its comforts and it would make me want to settle down. It has done the opposite. Not only can I live without without the comforts of the same warm bed each night in a nice home, but I don't want one, so much more is out there and is possible! I think this hike is turning me into an adventure junkie,(A term Sunflower and I use to describe ourselves...), There is so much I want to do, like biking across the country, move to Alaska for a summer, hike the PCT across the west coast, spend a summer surfing, and spend many winters doing nothing but my true love, SNOWBOARDING!...(If it was possible, I would spend all my time on the snow, but hey, I guess I do need a little bit of variety, so that is my all my plans revolve around the summer, to keep my winters free for at least 100+ days on the slopes...)Anyways Guys,I am having one heck of a thrill ride that is teaching more about life and its possibliltes than any thing else I have ever experienced... I feel so lucky to have left everything completely packed up at home, with nothing left to take care of upon my completion of this hike, so I am free to go wherever this trail leads me, because I will follow it, and it will show me amazing things...Take it easy everyone! Worry a little less and enjoy yourselves!