Here it Goes… Reasons I Am Hiking the Appalachian Trail

You All Can Hold Me to It

So over a year ago, I decided to hike the Appalachian Trail when I was a Senior in high school, just after my now ex-girlfriend of 4 years and I broke up. I was devastated as normal people would be. I had no idea what I was going to do with my life after school. I believe the trail found me,  in a desperate time in need in my life, a major transitional period of my life. At first I was hiking to run away from shit that happened in my life, which looking back is a terrible idea. Now I’ve put the past in the past, I have seen why I need to do this, not to run away but to find what had been lost for quite sometime, myself. Plus I want to be a major bad-ass, of course.

About a month ago I ordered the book, Appalachian Trials by Zach Davis (the guy who owns this website, if you didn’t know this by now) I gained a lot of insight of what I may be experiencing on the trail. I know this right now, my mind will be my greatest enemy. So anyway I was reading the section where Davis is talking about creating a list of WHY you are hiking the trail and a list of what happens if I DON’T complete the trail (I’m too damn stubborn to give up so easily) but I made one that will defiantly help me keep my eye on the prize.  Here’s my list so you all can hold me to it…

Reasons I Am Hiking the Appalachian Trail…

1. To find myself, like truly find myself without others influencing me in my life.
2. Live simply.
3. To start a new chapter in my life.
4. Figure out what I’m going to be doing with my life (school, work and future in general).
5. Photographing the wilderness and people of the trail, documenting my time on the trial to create my book.
6. Adventure.
7. Clear my mind, body and soul.
8. De-stress my life.
9. Show my family, friends and everyone I told about my trip to show them I actually did it.
10. Accomplish something so BAD-ASS.
11. Disconnect from technology and reconnect with nature.

If I don’t Finish the Trail…

1. Wasted my time, money and energy.
2. Let myself down as well as everyone who knew about my trip.
3. Going back to the “normal world” of stress
4. Have the Appalachian Trail haunt me
5. Have to return to finish the trail at some point in my life.
6. Go back to the same old routine in my life.
7. Not be able to complete my book.
8. Not becoming a bad-ass thru hiker.

Here tis’ the list of list! See you on the trail! T-minus 1 month 15 days…