As you begin your journey

I want to thank head honcho Zach Davis for allowing me to write on this great site. When I decided to hike the Appalachian trail in November of 2014, what would any of us do? Just Google Appalachian trail blog, and this site is the first result.

I spent and spend hours and hours on this site researching gear, and just realizing it was and is possible. I never thought to write publicly about my hike; didn’t think anyone outside the family would care really. When Zach asked me to write about the hike, it really motivated me to actually do this thing. Nothing sadder than seeing the bloggers who just drop off.

Probably a little late to give a “send-off” to this year’s class, but I wanted to write something that I wish someone had told me in the beginning.

I can say that my second half of the hike was a lot more fun than the first half. Not going into town as often and not finding people that I really connected with. Do your best to find that early. Having this discussion with a fellow thru-hiker Lightning, we came to the conclusion that the thing we missed the most was the people. The kind of motivated, stubborn, people with a mission are hard to come by in the workplace. Getting a group of people together with a single mission, that won’t let the others fail, is not found in a lot of places.

Remember as you press on, that all your experiences out there are better shared.

Blueberries are tastier with friends

Each summit, every weird trail town, all the beers, are improved by having fellow hikers around. Shared suffering and the shared joys are what made this hike so special.

Find your people.