A Quick Intro Before a Long Trail

Hey all, welcome to my introductory blog post! My name is Dave, and I’m a 40-year-old guy from Wisconsin looking to begin the Appalachian Trail in mid-March. Despite being a “journey more than destination” kind of dude, these beginnings can be tough, and I’ll admit to struggling on how to get started. My particular brand of overthinking can get a bit hung up on wanting to start things “right”, even though it’s so much more important to just start. I’m working on the process, but to be frank, I’ve always had a nervous stomach for new things so you might just have to bear with me for now.

Planning the Launch

Don’t get me wrong, the prepping for this is fun, but there is definitely stress. There are surely hikers out there who are unaffected by the huge life change about to happen, but I’m not one of them. My original plan for the AT was to hike back in 2021. I left a job in the fall of 2019 specifically for a new opportunity that would help me save for departure, but COVID had a good laugh at those plans. Now I feel like I’ve been thinking about the trail for so long that it’s really hard to be cool about it. Again, I want to do it “right.”

So this time around, I once again left a job, and my last day was February 2nd. Considering my start date in March, it was earlier than I initially planned but I couldn’t keep faking it. When people you consider friends are still having meetings about yearly goals, future projects, and work distribution; knowing full well you’re heading for a life in the woods; it gets kinda heavy. I couldn’t stand feeling like I was “lying” to people I liked, so I pulled the ripcord early and bailed in February. I was a Senior UX Designer and minus a few bouts of surprise unemployment (I’m looking at you again COVID), I’ve been sitting in one desk or another for something like 16 years. Now I’m not. It’s awesome. But also gets that nervous stomach going.

Away We Go!

So as I use the last of my prep time to keep getting ducks in a row, submit taxes, figure out insurance, make my way South from the sometimes-frozen North, etc… I’ll be happy that “right” or not, I’ve at least officially started. Cheers to those who decide to follow along and good luck to any fellow hikers prepping their own starts!

It was 66 degrees earlier this day. Go home Wisconsin, you’re drunk!