Date: 2014-03-05
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Miles today: 0.0

This is another mental preparation journal entry. There's one prominent thing on my mind today.Dogs have earned their title of being man's best friend due to their steadfast loyalty and therapeutic presence. That's companionship. Companionship seems like one highly underrated factor that keeps your motivation alive. You can still be entirely alone, but the drive to seek companionship can add fuel to your fire. Better yet, the thought of seeing someone you care about can drag you across the harshest mountains in desperate times.My AT journey is more about self reliance though. I'm an introvert and a solitude seeker. Doesn't mean I'm shy, don't play well with others, or can't hold a good conversation. I just happen to be an introvert who mingles with people. Susan Cain is a lawyer turned writer who has made a powerful and progressive statement about what introversion actually is about. If you haven't seen her TED talk or read her work, just search "the power of introverts" and breathe a sigh of relief.Just because I prefer a self-empowered approach to handling life does not mean I can discount the fact that I depend on other people in more ways than I care to see. The Appalachian Trail will probably be my first real teacher to show me a few things about dependence. I would be foolish to think I can do this whole thing all on my own. I want to give a premature thanks to all the people who provide services. Whether it's the cashier at a gas station, the post office clerk, or a hostel owner... thank you for being there. I want to thank all the unknown faces that wish me a good trip, a smile, or a piece of advice. At the very least, you'll prevent my sanity from degrading into an uncivilized frenzy. I also want to thank all the hikers out there. Your presence or bits of conversation alone may be just enough to help me keep going through a brutal week. It goes without saying that trail angels and drivers who pull over are godsend. Also a tip of the hat to people looking out from far far away. What an awesome thing the internet is.I'm glad someone specifically wrote a book about the mental aspect of thru hiking. That's why I want to blog for the Appalachian Trials even though I have not read the book myself. I don't want to read it just yet either. I prefer figuring things out on my own first. I think there's greater satisfaction to be had when you go your own way and than see how other people have done it. Another noteworthy aspect would be the fact that what works for you might not work for me. It took me 20 years to really comprehend that I function differently than most people anyway (another reason I hate on most of our education system).Here comes my rubber stamp moment... I wish more people would pay more attention to the mental aspect in everything you do in life. Ultra-lite backpacking, fancy gadgets, and secret weapons are not how I'm going to walk my ass to Maine. Read the Tao of Pooh, or Steven Pressfield's The War On Art. Check out Myomoto Musashi's The Book of Five Rings or try doing a daily meditation. The mental aspect of everything you do in life often gets ignored. You tend to go about your day on autopilot not really paying attention. Exercise your mind and practice being mindful. It's a trip.I've lost what I was going to say about companionship on the AT after that tangent and I really have to pee but don't want to get up... but this entry is a reminder to myself that as a solo hiker, I need to be vigilant about helping others continue to the end and accepting support for myself.Excerpts from the Quiet Manifesto...#5) Sometimes it helps to be a pretend extrovert. There's always time to be quiet later.#8) One genuine new relationship is worth a fistful of business cards.#9) It's okay to cross the street to avoid small talk.Side thought: Was listening to a Joe Rogan podcast the other day where a couple of hunters were the guests. One of the guys mentioned something I never really thought about. There are not a whole lot of people today who have spent a night out in the wilderness by themselves. Just completely alone and far from home. You should go try it. It's a powerful introspective environment. I remember my first time spending a week alone and completely far removed from any comforts. The reality of that situation did not sink in until I'm pretty sure I caught a glimpse of a mountain lion silently trotting through the treeline. It was dusk and only 1 hour before the darkness saturated everything. Mind you I didn't even have a campfire for Calfornia related reasons. I wonder how many people a year experience that for the first time ever on the PCT and AT. For some reason as I type this, youtube personality FPSrussia comes to mind. There's a video that has virtually no relevance to what I'm talking about here. But I'm going to use his attitude as an example for how you get into that situation and how you walk out of it. It's the shooting while pepper sprayed one. "Common now, don't be a bich!"PEE TIME WOOOOOOO