Well, it has been a while, and though it may seem like very little has happened as far as hike-prep goes, there has been a fair amount of progress in the past few months. We mentioned in our last post that we would keep you up to date on our "mini-shakedown" hikes, and in fact we have, given that we really haven't done any more significant hiking since our trek up Hogsback. There are several reasons for this, the main one being that as we feared, mother nature laughed at us and sent an early winter which in Marquette meant celebrating a very white Halloween. Yes, you heard right. Less than 5 months after the final flows of ice left the big lake we were once again seeing copious amounts of the fluffy white stuff. Mind you, after having spent several years in the U.P. neither of us is averse to going out in the cold, but the need to coordinate 3 different unpredictable schedules (Evan, Carolyn, and Old Man Winter) made it nearly impossible to find time for more than a few quick jaunts around the area sans hiking gear.
That doesn't mean that we haven't done any more preparation for our hike though, in fact we have made lots of progress in our final preparations for the big day. First, thanks to the passing of Christmas and a very specific wish list for Santa, we have basically everything we feel we will need for our hike. That isn't to say that we won't still change some things around as the time grows near, but at this point we feel that if we wanted to kick off tomorrow, for the most part, we would be able to. Speaking of time, we have officially scheduled our departure, as it were. As you may remember, our original plan was to officially kick off from Georgia sometime in early March. As plans often do, this has changed. Our latest plan is to take a week-long vacation with Evan's family in Charleston, SC the last week in April, then catch a ride to Georgia and catch the sunrise from the trailhead on May 1st. This itinerary has several benefits. First and possibly most importantly, it pushes our start date further back, which right now is looking like a good thing since current predictions say that the cold season may last slightly longer than usual in the southern mountains. Secondly, it simplifies our travel arrangements since we will be able to hitch a ride south with family and not have to worry about the complications of air travel with hiking gear. Last but not least, it will give us a chance to enjoy one last hurrah as it were, and enjoy the gifts of civilization one last time before submitting ourselves to life on the trail.
Now that that is out of the way, we have decided to delve a bit deeper into this strange idea of ours and let you, our friends and relatives, in on some of our thoughts as the big day approaches.
Most people hike the AT wanting to get something out of it - could you imagine hiking thinking you weren't going to get anything out of 6 months of camping with your entire life on your back? We aren't any different, although we each have our own reasons for choosing this non-traditional honeymoon.
Carolyn
First off, I love backpacking. For me it is a chance to get out of this crazy, stressful world we live in. I, like so many others, spend way to much time in front of my screens (like right now) procrastinating on my ever-lengthening 'to-do' list. I wasn't originally thinking 5-6 months - my thoughts were more along the lines of 2-3 months, but after doing some research I really didn't want to pick half of the Appalachian (or any other trail) to hike - and I figured the opportunity to take 6 months away from work wouldn't happen all that often.
My second reason for this hike is a bit more personal. About 3 years ago I was officially diagnosed with an eating disorder, which had been controlling my life in various forms for at least 15 years. I have spent a lot of time since with nutritionists, therapists, and even entered an eating disorder treatment program to actively fight for my life back. Today I am back on fairly solid ground (we all have bad days now and again) and am ready to take my life back once and for all. Hiking the Appalachian Trail means having accepted what is, and another way to reach back into who I really am. For all the years that my eating disorder controlled every aspect of my life, this is my way of saying "My eating disorder no longer controls me - I am free!"
Evan
Why indeed? I have a strong suspicion that Carolyn is anticipating my answer to this question as much as anyone else who will read this when it is posted. That being said, I know she wouldn't be satisfied with me simply saying "because I want to," or "I don't really know." So allow me to delve a little deeper and see if I can't put some more personal feelings into words. What it all comes down to, I guess, is that I want to have a story to tell. Anyone who knows me knows that I identify very strongly with my family roots. I am very proud of the people in my family, and am not shy about telling people about them. Unfortunately, I have become increasingly aware of the fact that I need to stop telling so many stories that begin with "when my father was younger...," or "my sister/mother/father/uncle/grandfather used to..." and start finding ways to interest people in my own exploits and accomplishments. So, as selfish and shallow as it may sound, for me, this trip is at least partially about accomplishing something in my own life that I feel worthy of bragging about. I want to prove to myself that I can have stories to tell.
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