Why Am I Hiking The A.T.?

Well it certainly isn’t for World Peace, that’s what turn signals are for people! I live in a highly congested traffic region. A lot of people around here seem to think that their “optional” turn signals are simply part of the mechanics of executing a turn. They will begin their turn (or lane change) and then activate their turn signal. Get this people – there’s a reason it is called a turn signal. It means that you are signaling your intention to turn. Let me stop right there – I better get on with the point of this post, or I’ll waste the post on the ills of traffic in this region…

At first thought, the reason for my hike is simply because the A.T. is there, it sounds like a cool thing to do and its something I have always wanted to do. When I say “always” that is a relative term. When a person says “always” – it literally would mean “for all time” in that person’s life. Well, I’m pretty sure I didn’t bust out of the womb wanting to hike the A.T.

My first memory of the A.T. comes from a family vacation ages ago when his family took a 9-year old Kelly on a short day hike near Gatlinburg, TN. The main standout from that memory was being attacked by yellow jackets from a supposed bear track which turned out to be a ground-based yellow jacket nest. Lovely. I do not recall whether we were actually on the A.T. or not, but I clearly remember it being mentioned.

What is really strange is that I simply do not know exactly when full knowledge of the A.T. came my way. I have been on many weekend backpacking/camping trips (on the coast – in a remote barrier island environment) but, through all of those, never did I have the thought, “this is in preparation for the A.T.!” In the early 90’s I even went on several weekend camping trips in the mountains whose location was right by the A.T. Again, although I knew the A.T. was there, I never thought of thru-hiking it.

Several years ago a work colleague (Hi Gerry!) told me of his “weekend warrior” trips on the A.T. as a section hiker. Although the existence of the A.T. was not foreign to me, I still had no inclination to attempt a thru-hike – although the idea of a short section hike was appealing. Being that my prior backpacking/camping experience was on flat land, the idea of section hiking the A.T. just never took off.

Fast Forward to a couple years ago… Another work colleague (Hi Melissa!) told me of a video on Netflix she watched with her inquisitive sons called “Appalachian Trail” from National Geographic. Upon her recommendation, I ended up watching it and was intrigued. Thru-hiking the A.T. seemed like something I would like to attempt.

But why?

• To undertake a challenge of epic proportions and to prove to myself that I can actually plan, execute and finish something that’s really hard and demanding. All my life I have had various grandiose ideas – but once I figure out how to accomplish or implement them, I lack the follow-thru to actually do it. This is major – and is an artifact of my personality. Anyone familiar with the Meyers-Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI) test will know that an INTP (my type) is prone to not following through with ideas. I personally think the MBTI is a cool way to “measure” ones personality, it has a lot more depth than the standard “A-Type Personality” benchmarks. I certainly learned a lot about myself and how to tailor my interactions with others. You should check it out – there are several online tests that will determine your type.
  
• To deprive myself of, and to re-appreciate, the daily comforts that we all take for granted. A hot meal, a warm comfy bed, a hot shower. We all love our showers… But on the A.T., showers may only come once every week! (if you’re lucky – and depending on hiking pace) We all consider a shower to be part of our daily routine, but we lose the sense for how enjoyable it is unless we are deprived. Same thing for meals and a warm bed – we all take them for granted. They are expected occurrences in our day to day lives. On the A.T. they will be treats that are savored.
  
• To see some fabulous scenery. So, yes, I could simply take a bunch of day trips to see “the sights,” but that somehow seems too easy. I mean, the Appalachian Mountains are literally the oldest mountain chain in the world. To experience those sights from several day trips just doesn’t seem to do it justice. It would be like listening to a few songs (the sights) instead of listening to the whole album (the whole trail).
  
• The potential for new opportunities. Sometimes we find ourselves in a working situation that is comfortable. We know our job and/or business really well. Although I love my job and the people I work with, I sometimes wonder if it is simply a means to an end. There may be potential paths for me that I haven’t even considered. I hope that my hike will reveal, if any, such possibilities.
• To re-connect with nature – from nature we sprang, to nature we return. This is a little more esoteric of a reason, but there it is. On some level, we all feel a connection with nature. Even if that connection has been tattered by socialization, it still remains. To experience this, walk out into the woods and leave your preconceptions behind. You will feel it. If you don’t, try again. Wash, Rinse and Repeat until you do.
• To feel like a bad-ass. Regardless of your personal opinions, you can’t deny the fact that anyone who hikes for 2,000 plus miles in the mountains is a bad-ass. I mean, really – we are talking about hiking from Georgia to Maine in the mountains. That is a total bad-ass thing to do. So yeah, I am doing this to feel like a bad-ass.
• To distance myself from the daily rate-race and to see if there’s something more to life. I mean, we have all bought into that paradigm of “work to play.” But what does that really mean? We accumulate wealth so we can purchase things that we think are important. People work themselves to death in pursuit of this – but have they really lived? That is one thing I hope to find out.

So there it is – if any of these reasons don’t resonate with you, then enjoy your daily hot showers, your daily hot meals and your warm bed while I am taking this on – and no one will think less of you. Live Your Own Life and Hike Your Own Hike.