Date: 2013-02-20
To: OK. Really. Why am I doing this?
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

One very important piece of thru hike preparation is truly knowing why you want to thru hike in the first place. Why? Because it's been said that one day, usually sooner than later, every thru hiker will find him/herself wallowing in misery and will ask themselves "why am I doing this?" and you better have an answer. So here is my attempt to answer that all important question.I have a great love of the outdoors and the wilderness in particular. As a child I would go look for what little patches of trees existed in my neighborhood and go there for hours pretending I was on some far flung adventure. I sometimes even packed a lunch! Since the age of 18, I have been hiking and backpacking in the mountains and do so now more than ever. I just downright love it. But you can satisfy such a love a lot easier and without being away from your wife for 5 months. So it must be more than that.I enjoy endurance activities greatly. I don't mean that I just make myself do them. I mean I hate not doing them. Cycling and hiking are my two favorites. I can't think of many things I enjoy more than busting my butt up a mountain and upon summiting it, look out over the fantastic scene laid out before me. Having nothing else to do but hump 20+ miles a day over mountains with a pack on is to me the best part of this thing. I couldn't be happier. But what about the rain, mud, cold, filth...there are easier ways to get a good cardio workout in.There is no doubt that I was born with a deep Wanderlust. It's at the very core of my being. My earliest recollection is of running down my driveway chasing my cousins puppy. The legend that has been passed down by my mother is that I wound up asleep in a gutter over a mile from my home and brought to the police station by a good samaritin, where I was picked up by my parents. I was less than 2 years old. I was quick to accept professional assignments that involved relocation including to Costa Rica (where I met my wife), the Philippines, Spain, then Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, Virginia Beach, Columbus, Ohio, and finally retirement in Northern New Hampshire. I like new places. Still, even though a thru hike is the ultimate wanderlust, one probably needs more than that when the moment of truth arrives as you lay shivering with the initial symptoms of hypothermia and your tent blows over in a wind driven sleet.So while all of these motives will provide some degree of satisfaction and enjoyment, the last and most critical piece of the puzzle for me is finishing what I start. Anyone who knows me can find more faults than virtues to be sure, but one thing is certain. If I start it, I finish it. I ran from enough challenges earlier in life to know that fulfillment comes from perseverance and emptiness comes from resignation.   I particularly enjoy difficult challenges that few others would be interested in, or crazy enough to try. I like breaking them down into small steps and goals and grinding my way through them. Overcoming hardship, getting up and going when your exhausted and in pain, pushing yourself when it would be easier to quit. The AT should offer this in spades and the tougher it gets, the more determined I will need to be and the more satisfaction I will derive from completing it. Sounds swell! So as I set out on this journey, my goals are to have fun, meet new people, help others along the way...and finish this thing.