A Quarter of the Way

I’m currently 40 days into this journey, crossing the quarter-way (~550 miles) sign yesterday. I’m about to spend my first night all alone in the woods, without the comfort of equally clueless strangers in their plastic bags (tents) a few feet away for comfort.  Luckily, I have cell service, so I can write this post to distract myself from any scary thoughts.

Things are coming together nicely: I’ve gotten to know a group of folks I seem to be moving in parallel with, the body keeps getting stronger, I feel comfortable and confident, the 20+ mile days are flowing, and I don’t feel exhausted every night. I’m running low on blog ideas (please send any ideas 😊), so I’ll use this juncture to write down some recurring observations and thoughts, roughly from least to most serious, with my 40 days of thru-hiker wisdom. 

1. I say this in jest, but I also mean it, and I feel like it’s one of the ways I’m most different from folks out here: thru-hikers are some of the laziest people on the planet. Unless it involves moving forward north on the trail, they are not interested in activity. Possible exception if it involves obtaining food. Water is on a quarter-mile spur? Let’s wait till the next spot 3 miles up. There’s a cool summit just off trail? Skip it. The next few miles are uphill? Complaining ensues. The next few miles are flat? Ecstasy.
2. There’s so much I love about the transitions out here, particularly when entering/exiting the woods. Leaving a town, I’m eager to get back in the woods, and to be done dealing with chores (resupply, cleaning myself and gear, planning). Arriving in a town, I’m extremely excited about showers, real food, diet coke, laundry, real food, and real food. Those chores feel like exactly what I want to do now. 
3. The trail is far more beautiful than I expected. I anticipated the “green tunnel” of just trees and trail, a lack of views, and a lack of variation. I was quite wrong; while the landscapes aren’t typically as dramatic as the world’s premier outdoor destinations, they are consistently wonderful and by no means one-dimensional. Even when things are monotonous, it’s been fun to gradually observe spring setting in, and to be able to guess the elevation based on the plant life. 
4. There’s something really special about the culture out here, that I wish existed in the real world. Conversing with strangers has become normal, fun, and gratifying. I’ve had countless conversations over meals with people I just met. I still need time to myself, but this has been awesome. I’ve missed friends and family, but have never felt lonely, and honestly have felt so much of the opposite.
5. I’m struggling to wrap my head around the implications of how happy I am out here. I have pretty much nothing I’m worried about or stressed about. I go to bed excited to hike all day again the next day. At home, I was constantly thinking about am I in the right career/job?Am I living in the right city? Am I using my time optimally? Am I going to regret X? Here, I feel none of those things. I know it’s not sustainable to live like this forever, and I may tire of this over the next months, but it leaves me wondering about what to do when this ends, now that I know the world of thru-hiking is out there. 

Since parting ways with Not Yet, I don’t have a new hiking buddy, but my best friends on trail now do feel like real friends. I find it amusing that are 27 and 36 years older than me. They are an inspiration. Shout out Bull and Moon.