Date: 2003-10-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

tue,7oct,1201am-i wanted to update everyone on my status since the big hike ended. but ive been so busy with so many different little detailed tangents of non-trail life that for the longest time i didnt really know how to word what my status was. dazed, confused, fish-out-of-water, aimless...then, find a new apartment, get the gas and electric turned on, visit friends and family, scare them with my disheveled mountain man appearance (hehehe), take showers, buy groceries.......AAAARRRRRGGGHHHHH! 2172.6 miles wasnt that tough compared to the endless minor details of getting back into "this" world. thats what i know i already miss...simplicity. ive already dug myself into a 3-bills hole. and it hasnt even been 2 weeks since K-day! (deep sigh).i plan to do an after-hike gear list analysis, telling what worked for me and what didnt, what i liked and didnt like, how things could be better, etc. a final list of what was in my pack for the last few weeks on the trail.i still have some camera memory cards that need transferring over to cds. camcorder tapes that need to be converted into vcr tapes. journals and daily log entries that need to be computerized. data out the ying-yang to be organized into some kind of a legible, understandable, common sense format. email lists updated. lots of projects in the works. already ive had 3 or 4 invites for me to give talks/presentations about the trail. the local paper has offered to print my story about the trail. no doubt. i will stay plenty busy for months to come. and im looking forward to it.atwannabe emailed me that she's going to the gathering in hanover this coming weekend and basically said,"youre right on the way...wanna go?" ummm, YEAH! even though my impression of hangover (oops) is the draft beer that cost $4.60(!) is all i really know about it, im willing to give it another try. cant wait.ive been thinking about what i learned on the trail and how to apply it to now. i think i can save more money now instead of spending it on useless things. because now i know what i need. and how to determine if i need it or just want it. being more clear on why i buy things. i dont 'need' that much. lesson learned. (note-i pretty much already knew this lesson and practiced it; now its just more refined).another lesson...people are what its all about. i think i knew this too, but after 6 months of being on the trail, with being prepared to take care of your own basic needs, i found that interaction with complete strangers was quite rewarding. rewarding in unexpected ways. ways i couldnt have imagined. for example, hitchhiking. after being told numerous times about my trail look, i.e. a strong resemblance to charles manson, i pretty much resorted to just getting to town by walking. and i was ok with that. but i wanted to know for sure. so once, when i was by myself at a road crossing, i stuck out my thumb, and immediately a car pulled over. a young woman with 2 kids in car seats...stopped to pick ME up! well, that theory is blown. so, i trust more in the kindness of strangers now. and i believe it has rubbed off on me somewhat. when i see a similar situation, where im the complete stranger, ill remember.continued...