Date: 2005-02-10
To: Going Stir Crazy.
Miles today: 0.0

Where did that saying ever come from, "Going Stir Crazy..." ?I have absolutely no idea where it came from, but it is basically another phrase for cabin fever, or being bored out of my mind, and I got it bad. I am going nuts with this broken leg. I am trying to find something to get into, for the next seven weeks or whatever to keep me occupied until I leave but nothing is holding my attention. I need to find something that will control my attention and time, and hopefully I will heal up quickly. Oh yeah!Sierra Trading Post really pulled some crap on me yesterday. I was excited about getting my second pair of shoes that I will be wearing on the trail. -Another pair of the Merrell Stormfronts. However, Sierra Trading Post decided to ship me a pair of Women¢s hiking boots instead of what I ordered. The problem is that those Stormfronts at Sierra Trading Post were moving out of inventory like free Guinness on St. Patrick¢s day and they don't have my size in stock anymore...So, Instead of getting the original great deal at Sierra Trading Post of purchasing my shoes for over 60% off, I am going to have to pay a lot more money since I past up other good deals at the time to get the deal at Sierra Trading Post, and now every place is charging full price once again.I did buy this book last night on The Triple Crown and it kind of instilled mixed feeling in me. On one hand, it somewhat inspired me to hike The Triple Crown, and on the other, it made me want to never leave the AT. Before I go any further, I'll explain the Triple Crown to anyone not familiar with it. The Triple Crown is the name given to three long distance trails in the US. The Triple Crown consists of The AT, The PCT (Pacific Crest Trail), and The CDT (Continental Divide Trail). Hiking the Triple Crown is a feat accomplished by few. Only about 35 people in the world have ever done it. The PCT covers the west coast from Southern California up through the Cascades into Canada and The CDT goes from New Mexico, up to Canada following the Continental Divide.I really started thinking about the differences in the three trails. The AT is something I really love, and The PCT and The CDT are totally different experiences. The PCT would be more similar to the AT than the CDT, but they are still very different. The thing about the AT is that on the AT, so much of it is a social experience. On the AT, it is not a solitary hike. AT thru-hikers often form friendships with fellow thru-hikers that last a lifetime and on the PCT all of that is less common. The PCT offers much less of a trail community than the AT and the CDT basically offers none. Resupply is harder on both as well. They are completely different, and are all like apples and oranges. Many successful AT thru-hikers make up the body of PCT thru-hikers, but it is nothing like the AT and your AT thru-hiking success means nothing as to how your PCT hike will go.I thought about the differences in the trails, and couldn¢t figure out what it all meant to me. There are so many reasons that people hike the AT, and I think the lifestyle on the AT is the lifestyle that fits me compared to the other western trails based on my experience in the past. Some of the people who hike the AT go on to hike other trails, and some remain on the AT for good. I think I consider the AT home, but does that mean I shouldn¢t think about hiking the other trails as well? I guess what it boils down to is that I need to complete a thru-hike on the AT and I will have to just do it before I think about anything else I plan on doing. I might never want to leave the AT after I leave Katahdin. I might want to do another thru-hike on the AT after I finish, who knows? I also might want to never see a forest again! I am not na ve, and I wouldn¢t try to speculate how I will feel at the end. The only way to know is to do it, and I am on my way to do it in less than 50 days to begin this thru-hike and find out what it means to me. I might not learn anything at all! There are, afterall, successful thru-hikers who don¢t learn anything at all. The most important thing an aspiring thru-hiker can do to aid in a successful thru-hike is to not expect anything out of the trail. You cannot assume you will have any big revelations. You can¢t expect to figure out life. You can¢t expect trail magic. You can¢t expect to find home. You can¢t expect anything. You have to let a thru-hike happen. Hike your own hike, and let it take you and let it happen to you. You can¢t control a hike! Remembering this will benefit me in my hike, so I am just excited to see what happens, and to see how I¢ll feel when I¢m done. The only way a person can see what a thru-hike will do to them and find out what the trail means to them is to thru-hike. People leave and people come back. People get off the trail and people get back on too. People hike to Katahdin and learn lessons, and people hike to Gatlinburg, only 270 miles into the trail, decide to quit and they learn lessons also. I don¢t know what reaching Katahdin will teach me, but I am not expecting anything in particular, and what I learn, I will be happy with.Maybe I¢ll summit Katahdin and hike back to Springer, maybe I¢ll summit Katahdin and never hike again. Regardless, The only way to find out is to hike to Katahdin and find out what happens, because I want to know. As far as preparing for the trail has been going...I am ready. I mean, I am totally ready to start this. I am also ready to find out how unready I actually was. I have been living and breathing this for over a year. My gear is sitting next to my bed now and I go through it all every night. I feel like there is nothing else I can do to prepare and I am ready. I am ready. I am ready. I am ready. Anything I have missed, I will not remember until its too late...So, I'll be waiting, AT....Waiting 49 more days...