I don't even know where or how to begin to process the last five months. I almost feel more nervous now, heading home, then I did that day back in March when I left Springer Mountain and walked in to the cold, gray woods of Georgia. It seems like it was yesterday and it seems like it was a lifetime ago.
I didn't go in to this journey with any preconceived notions of what it should be, or what to expect or what I wanted to get from it. I just knew I wanted to walk from Georgia to Maine.
When I was down south, and would pass someone on the trail, and they would ask, "Going all the way?" My answer was always, "That's the plan." I wanted to be confident but not cocky. And I didn't want to jinx myself.
Believe it or not, before this trip, I had hiked and I had camped, but I had never backpacked. Go big or go home I guess, eh? :). It may come as a surprise to some of you (unless of course you've ever met me) that I can be just a bit stubborn. So, I figured barring an injury, that I could do this, I just had no idea how much I would love it.
I loved the woods. I loved the trail. I loved the walking. I loved seeing the seasons change up close and personal. I loved pushing past being tired and sore and sweaty and squeezing in a few more miles before calling it a day. But most of all, I loved the people. The whole trail community. The hikers, the trail angels and the towns that would embrace us, even when we hiked in dirty and smelly. It reminded me that there are a lot of really good people in this world, and I want to be counted as one of them.
Friendships form quickly on the trail. No frills out there. You are what you are. No BS. There were people that I hiked with for no more than a few hours or a few days, but I feel a permanent connection to them because we shared part of this incredible, slightly crazy adventure. Then there were those that I spent weeks or even months with, walking over mountains, fording streams and through thunderstorms. We were tired, dirty and hungry and that's when true character shows itself. And most of those times....we laughed. A LOT. I feel so unbelievably lucky to have hiked with the people I hiked with, a little or a lot. Murphy, Al, Mike, Da Vinci, Right Here, Mambo, Tatiana, Lyons, Crocs, 19, Bubba, Dragonlady, J5, Mando, Hoss, Kickapoo, Pogano, Stark, Shakes, Twist, Möbius, Gray Ghost, Shortcut, Taz, Looper, 50, Martial Arts, Pip, Lunch, Zachsquatch, Oops, Solo, Pyro, Gargamel, Captain Jake, Dr. Zoom, Buzz, Tandem, Mio, Mayonnaise Pockets, Impact, Big Spoon and Toast to name a few. And yes, sometimes it strikes me as hilarious that I am referring to adult people with these ridiculous names!
And what did I learn from all of this? Time will tell, but for the most part, it reinforced the things I've always known, but sometimes forget.
-At times, you have to push through
some hard stuff to get to the good stuff.
-Don't quit because things get tough.
You have a lot more in the tank than you
think you do.
-The best laid plans aren't always the
best plans.
-Attitude shapes the experience and the
memory. Situations can be as good or
as bad as you make them.
-Most people are pretty darn good.
-Instead of judging people on their
differences, embrace them. Makes life
a lot more interesting.
-Birthday Cake Oreos are the best Oreos
ever created.
My goal was to hike to Maine. Each step took me closer to it, but sometimes it felt like I wasn't really making much progress. But then, every week or so, I would pop out of the woods and in to a town with a map of the entire trail. I was always surprised to see that I was indeed, working my way north. Slow and steady, and then suddenly, it was Vermont, then New Hampshire and then Maine. Little steps towards a big goal. And I finally got there...
No white blaze to follow now. I have to figure it out on my own. But I feel a lot more capable of doing just that after my walk in the woods.
