Why You Shouldn’t Let a Lack of Knowledge Scare You

I consider myself a pretty smart guy. I read a lot of books, graduated college, and got into law school, but I honestly don’t know which way is up when it comes to camping. Yet, I plan on hiking the whole dang Appalachian Trail all at once.

Why?

I believe we learn by failure

When I joined my high school XC team, I didn’t know anything about running. Heck, I showed up to the first day of tryouts with a baseball jersey and a ball cap. That was the first of many mistakes.

Eight years later, I ran for a top-ranked D1 school, coached at the D1 level, and started my own coaching business. This isn’t any brag on me, it’s an example of what I believe someone can do when they’re willing to learn.

Granted, I owe most of that to my HS coach, Mike Morris. But, if I finish the AT, I’ll owe a lot of it to a lot of people.

It doesn’t seem to be as bad in the camping world, but people with experience in any hobby tend to be a little intimidating to the rest if us. I’ve certainly felt very foolish in my brief forays into this backpacking community so far. But each time I’ve messed up, I’ve learned something.

I anticipate failing a whole lot during this adventure, probably starting the moment I get on the trail. I’ve probably already made some mistakes before starting that I’ll find out about soon.

But I’ll learn, and if you’re new to backpacking, or anything for that matter and you’re not afraid to make a few mistakes, you’ll learn too

I look forward to sharing my failure and the lessons I learn with you over the course of this journey and I hope to hear what you learn as well.