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The following has been transcribed directly from the journal that I kept while hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT).
Wednesday, July 26th, 2000
For a few weeks I have been talking with Todd about going out again. Well, here we go!
Todd is out of the Active Army and is living in Manassas, Virginia which is a short trip to the Appalachian Trail which lies along the Skyline Drive. Skyline Drive is a slow
traveling road which continues for over 100 miles in the Shenandoah National Park. The drive just so happens to shadow the Appalachian Trail. That's were we are going.
I am driving up to Manassas from Fort Bragg, an approximate 5 hour drive-on Wednesday. I will stay at Todd's house then we will head out to the trail on Thursday afternoon.
Our plan is to take 2 cars into the park ($10 each by the way) and park them approximately 30 miles apart. Since our 7 day walk in Georgia, we have discovered how far you can
actually walk in a day without pushing too hard or relaxing too much. We figure 10 miles is a good planning distance.
So, with that in mind we will set out to go hiking on the Appalachian Trail...
MY THOUGHTS
I am, again, a bit apprehensive about walking. The apprehension, I think, stems from the fact that it is not easy! It is challenging and I think that the challenge is the draw! Walking the trail has been calling me since the minute we left the trail and it is a hard thing to disregard. The reality is that it is
indescribable. The feelings that are generated from a few days of near silence and guaranteed freedom from the real world's hectic ways is GREAT! When you get out there you are free. There are no timelines and no deadlines...just you and the Trail (and of course all that extra weight you have on your back).
It is, in a way, an escape from reality, however I like to think of it as a reality refresher. It opens your mind back up to the fact that there are other things in life that are far simpler and much more important than we deal with on a daily basis. I really feel like I have a refreshed sense of priorities and direction when I get off the trail. The hard part then is to incorporate your priorities back into your life. That's the hard part. I feel that we all have a good conscience that attempts to guide us in the right direction. Sometimes, perhaps many times in my case, we refuse to listen to that conscience. I really believe that somewhere in our conscience most of us know the better thing to do, but some other, unknown factor allows us, almost encourages us to decide, yes it is a choice, to ignore it.
My next goal is to somehow take the whole family out for a few days and just take it as it comes. It is especially hard walking with young children. They do not have the stamina or attention span to quietly or even loudly walk for more than a few hours...that is our challenge: To find a way to make it
interesting for the children. Maybe I will start by taking Emily and Benjamin out first? Give Stef a break for a weekend and see how it goes?
Today's total: 300 miles LONG Drive to Manassas Virginia
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