99 Things I Am Thankful For After Completing A Thru-Hike
After living on the Appalachian Trail for seven months with only basic necessity, I am beginning to see things a little more clearly. I have a newfound sense of gratitude for the very fact of my life. This year I’ve decided to write a list of the things I am grateful for. I encourage you to do the same and please feel free to share what you’re thankful for; whether in the comments or at the dinner table on Thursday.
So here goes, in no particular order, this is what I am thankful for…
- Fresh air
- Clean water
- Water filters and Aquamira
- My health
- The ability to walk, hike, and climb mountains
- Trail Angels
- Wanderlust
- Dreamers and Visionaries of the trail; Benton MacKaye and everyone else involved
- National Park and Public Land protectors: Roosevelt, Wilson, and Pinchot, to name a few
- The Appalachian Trail Conservancy for their dedication to protecting the trail
- Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association for connecting hikers
- Trail clubs and maintainers
- Bob Peoples for Hardcore rock work, switchbacks and Kincora Hostel
- AWOL for making the Thru-Hikers Guidebook
- Zach Davis for writing “Appalachian Trials: A Psychological and Emotional Guide to Successfully Hiking The Appalachian Trail”
- All the informative books and blogs about the AT
- Storytellers and the written word in general
- Darn Tough socks
- Goretex boots
- Trekking poles
- Lightweight innovative hiking gear
- Hot showers
- Soap
- Clean laundry
- Having clothes beyond one pair worn day after day
- Plumbing
- Electricity
- Heat and A/C
- Music
- The calm serenity of Nature
- The powerful force of Nature
- Biological diversity
- The Conservation of Land
- Learning to be happy without material possessions
- Understanding what it really means to be hungry and thirsty
- Fresh fruit and vegetables
- Home cooked meals
- Ice cream
- Coffee
- Chocolate
- Global trade for allowing me to have coffee and chocolate
- Wine, beer, and whiskey
- Pizza
- All you can eat buffets
- Really just ALL FOOD!!!
- Bridges; especially after challenging river fords
- Hiker shuttles
- Hiker hostels
- Comfortable places to rest (beds, pillows, blankets)
- Miss Janet for being the matriarch of our Tramily and for her unconditional love and support
- My camera for capturing thousands of images
- My notebooks for recording the details
- My memory for containing pictures taken with my heart
- Freedom
- Laughter; for counting smiles instead of miles
- My trail family…Studmuffin, Misty Pony, Weatherman, Tieg, Turtle, Flea…and all the rest. I love you.
- My family and friends off trail…Ashley, Agatha, Sierra…and all the rest. I love you.
- Sunrise; for each new day
- Sunset; for a chance to rest
- Nights that are dark enough to see the stars
- Summits at sunrise
- Summits at sunset
- Campfires
- Forest fire fighters
- Search and rescue teams
- WiFi
- Cell phones with reliable service and GPS
- Amtrack Trains for getting us to Georgia
- To Nana and Pap for sending maildrops
- USPS for delivering maildrops
- To my nephew, Anthony for bringing us home from Maine and Matthew for taking us to the train station.
- For having a “backyard” that stretches over 2,000 miles
- Realizing no matter where I go I am home
- Adrenaline
- Endorphins
- Hot sauce
- Company when I am lonely
- Solitude when I need Peace and quiet
- Realizing I can achieve my dreams when I stay the course
- Purist hikers that refuse to yellow blaze
- Baltimore Jack for his advice and encouragement
- Grandma Gatewood for her endurance and inspiration
- The feeling I get when I look back at my time on the trail
- The driving desire I have to get back out on the trail
- The strength and endurance i mustered to make it through
- For being raised by an incredibly strong and stubborn woman
- For living in the moment without being daunted by the past or worried and anxious about the future
- To followers of Leave No Trace principles
- To the inspiration nature provides me to keep taking photographs
- To the inspiration adventure provides to keep writing stories
- The release of feeling like I have to control everything
- Falling leaves
- Shedding burdens
- For the reflection and hibernation that Winter provides
- For the promise of Spring
- For realizing what a great gift life is
- To all the Thru-Hikers that came before me
- To all the Thru-Hikers that will follow
And finally 99, I am thankful for having so much to be thankful for!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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Comments 1
And thank you for putting trail angels high on your list. You hikers make our day as much (maybe more) than we make yours. Glad you came through it all better off than when you started.