We both fly into Atlanta Monday morning where a shuttle from Hiker Hostel will bring us to Fannin county, where the hostel is located and the trail begins. We'll spend the night at the hostel and then take our first steps in the AT the next day! It still feels surreal but nerves are definitely starting to kick in. I gave up a lot to do this trail and have received an overwhelming amount of support from family, friends and even friends of family and family of friends. I know that if I don't do this now, I never will and I will regret it forever. That both fuels me forward and applies an enormous amount of pressure. Only 20% of hikers who start the trail actually finish it. That is a terrifying statistic. Every single hiker who started the trail thought, as I do, that they would reach Katahdin. What separates those who finish from those who do not? How will I feel next week? Next month, assuming I make it until then? A lot of the time I feel like I am jumping into a black abyss of unknown. I've backpacked before but this is something else entirely.
Caroline sent me an "emotional and psychological guide to the AT" which guided readers through the emotions that accompany walking 2,000 miles for nearly half a year. The book encourages readers to write out 3 lists: "I am hiking the AT because..", "when I finish the AT I will.." and "if I give up on the AT I will.." When things feel impossible and thoughts of quitting come up, those lists are there to serve as a reminder of what I wanted to get out of this experience when I first started. I shared my "I am hiking the AT because.." below and then I have to finish packing everything up to head out tomorrow morning!
-I want to be in fearless, raw conversation with myself
-I want to learn to trust myself fully
-I need to take time to process the past few years of my life before I can move onto the next chapter
-I want to meet interesting new people
-I want to see the eastern seaboard from a different perspective and see parts of the country I've never been to (the smokies!)
I want to test my body and strength and push myself
-I want to live outside of my comfort zone
-It's like sleep away camp with my best friend every day! (Plus a lot of blisters, bug bites, sweat, dirt, swollen feet and general treachery...)
