Date: 2009-03-10
To: Why attempt to thru-hike?
Miles today: 0.0

      Man can learn nothing except by going from the known to the unknown.                                                      -Claude Bernard       Why try to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in one six month long stretch rather than take shorter backpacking trips over the course of many years? This is a question I have often asked myself and one to which I don¢t think many people understand the answer. From my first visits to camping stores early last year, I realized that there are a lot of people that love to go backpacking any weekend that they can, but who have no interest in thru-hiking the entire AT. Many store employees seemed to think my intentions quite laughable when informed of them- especially considering that I had yet to set off on my first backpacking trip.          I think that the difference between these two ways of backpacking lies in the theory of needing to give something up in order to gain something. Weekend backpackers maintain the best of both worlds- they enjoy some time away from the hustle and bustle of their everyday worlds, but are never far from the comforts of modern civilization. I believe that the people who are interested in hiking the entire trail are seeking something that they have not found in their lives- some kind of truth or deeper meaning, people that they connect more easily with, a long stretch of time for contemplation, and connection to a more natural habitat that is more in accord with the core of our nature. We¢ve fooled ourselves into thinking that a human-conceived, artificially built world, filled with endless gadgets and images that constantly seek our attention, brings us more happiness, when actually the opposite is true. Only by returning to our roots, to living a life that is more attuned to the natural environment and life forms around us, and to connecting to each other, can we really be fulfilled. It is these things that have been stripped from us, and which have only served to isolate us from each other.         Having been born into a family where love and support was greatly lacking and having been cut off from any outside relatives or neighbors, I have been searching for a support system my entire life. I have not found it in school, work, or outside activities. It is what I hope to find on the trail, and I can already say that the preparation for my hike has brought some of this to me. I have found this experience to be totally opposite to what I have experienced in the ¢real¢ world, where everyone is focused solely on themselves and their own success and troubles. How rare to find a segment of life where total strangers who have never even met you are willing to offer their support, encouragement, and resources to help you meet YOUR goals and fulfill your dreams. It is incredible and hopeful and uplifting and I am so grateful for the support that has already been extended to me.         By giving up warm showers and cozy beds, thermally controlled rooms that we can adjust to our conforms, sources of entertainment that make others wealthy while dulling our own creativity, and food around every corner we turn, a whole new world opens before us in which we can discover the potential that lies within, see something new, and gain something better and deeper. It is too easy to become stuck in our bad habits and ways, to dig ourselves deeper into our misery, and to blame those around us for it. The Appalachian Trail gives us an opportunity to abandon this way of life and open our eyes to the beauty and truth that exist around us.