To Hike or Not to Hike from Georgia to Maine

More journal entries from 2014 as I contemplate the pros and cons of doing a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2015

June 9, 2014

To hike or not to hike from Georgia to Maine

To hike or not to hike from Georgia to Maine

I went for a walk today and had a long conversation with my alter ego who happened to be asking a lot of probing questions. The biggest question was, “Why exactly do you think you want to go on a six month hike when you know how hard it will be and how icky it will be and how miserable you could be?”

I had to think about that. “Well”, I said, “life is short–and it’s getting shorter by the minute. If I don’t go now, I might not be capable of going at all if I wait much longer.”

“But why do you want to go at all?” my alter ego queried.

The joy of long distance hiking!

The joy of long distance hiking!

“I guess the challenge intrigues me. I also like the excitement of it, of accomplishing something big, of having a goal. Right now, I feel pretty goal-less. Hiking the trail gives me a definitive purpose for getting in better shape. I feel like I will have really accomplished something if I can complete it. I know it will be hard, but I also know I will feel really proud of myself if I finish it. I’ve read a lot of books about the Appalachian Trail, I’ve had Mel and Matthew’s first hand experiences, and I’ve hiked 200 miles of it myself– so I’m not entirely clueless as to what I’d be getting into. I have almost a year to get stronger and to make plans for being gone that long. I like having a goal.”

June 10, 2014

I broached the subject of taking care of one of our dogs for 6 months with my friend, Joni, today while we were on one of our early morning walks. “No problem!” she said enthusiastically.  She even offered to take BOTH of our dogs! Oh my. How nice is that? But, as tempting as it was to accept her offer, taking care of  TWO dogs for 6 long months might just be a surefire  way to end a friendship,  so we’ll stick with plan A and ask our kids if they can watch dog number two.

Mel/Backfire on the AT.

Mel/Backfire on the AT.

June 13, 2014

Mel and I talked some more about my joining him this year on his epic hike and he is definitely OK with having me as his Ride Bride! A Ride Bride is what a guy hiker calls a girl hiker when he’s trying to hitch a ride into town. It’s much easier for a guy to get a ride if he has a girl (even a very old girl) with him. I thought that was funny, but I remember being a Ride Bride when we hiked a hundred miles together on the AT a few years back. We also thought our blog should be called Old Farts on Foot. Ha!

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Comments 3

  • Kristen Kimm : Feb 11th

    I will be following your journey closely Jeanne….I too love the idea of doing this hike although I am very aware mine is a romantic notion of the spiritual jouney without the hardship of the physical one. I will be with you in thought and energy…..when you see a butterfly think of me.

    Reply
    • Jeanne Church : Feb 13th

      I hope we see lots of butterflies!

      Reply
    • Jeanne : Feb 20th

      I hope there are LOTS of butterflies!

      Reply

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