Shaking off the Corporate Drudgery with Three Kinds of Fun
Just a week after Texaco summited Katadhin I was offered a spot on my Army Reserve unit’s next deployment. I put in my 2 weeks notice at my job, knowing I wanted to finished school when I got back…and follow it up with a thru hike attempt.
During my time away I consumed alot of AT related media. Appalachian Trials bloggers and the Pox and Puss Podcast. They kept me pretty engaged and involved with planning out my hike and experiencing other people’s second hand. They were a great distraction and hopefully I can add to that quality content myself now.
While away I ordered an Appalachian Trials T-Shirt and Zach sent it all the way to Afghanistan. I posted a pic of me wearing it in the Facebook group and got an outpouring of supportand well wished, so I decided I would put in to blog with the Class of 2016.
I imagine getting home from an AT thru hike is a lot like getting home from a deployment. Your life is a whirlwind of trying to put your former life back together and eat all the food you’ve been dreaming of while you were away.
Three Kinds of Fun
Type 1 Fun: Fun that is fun at the time.
Type 2 Fun: Fun that isn’t fun at the time, but fun to talk about afterwards
Type 3 Fun: Something that’s not fun at the time, not fun to talk about, and only called fun to make you feel better about it.
My Lists
I did read Appalachian Trials while away (and plan on reading it again before my departure) and constructed working versions of my ‘Lists’, here they are:
“I am thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail because..”
1. It will be my last big adventure before having to become a real adult
2. I want to meet and network with great people from all around the world
3. I want to put off living in corporate drudgery again for just a bit longer
“When I successfully thru-hike the Appalachian Trail I will…”
1. Stand up taller and straighter; Be proud of myself
2. Have accomplished something I dreamed of doing for several years
3. Have a great story to tell
“If I give up on the Appalachian Trail I will…”
1. Have to go back to the corporate drudgery I aimed to avoid by hiking
2. Be disappointed I wasn’t able to rise to a challenge I set out for myself
3. Miss out on all the stories and people I have yet to meet.
4. Have to explain to my friends and family why I quit
Resetting my Trail Karma…
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Comments 1
I’m on for 2016 too! I’ve wanted to do a thru hike since I was in my 20’s… Will be 65 next March. I’m planning to start at Marion, va, go to Kahtadin, then come back to Marion and go south to Springer. Thinking of Reboot for my trail name. Have a good one and maybe we will run into each other next year