Thursday, June 9, 2011

Time for a break

Well, I've hiked 617 miles of the Appalachian Trail and I'm ready for a break. I spent the past week at Woods Hole Hostel, a self-sustainable homestead in the VA hills outside of Pearsiburg, and thought about whether or not I wanted to leave the trail. The past few weeks have been tough mentally and I seem to have lost the thru-hike spark. I decided to travel home to see Alex and recharge my batteries. I took a bus from Christiansburg,VA to Washington, DC. Then caught q flight home from DC. I spent the night at the airport Sunday night and flew home Monday morning... It's good to be home! I'm enjoying the comforts of civilization but already missing my life on the trail. I'm hoping to be back in the woods sometime in July or Aug and will be deciding on whether or not to flip-flop and head south from Maine or continue where I left off in VA. I'd like to see the northern section of the trail and I'm hoping the weather may cool off if I wait a bit. We'll see what happens. For now I'm enjoying my time at home.

}}}---Strawhat---;;;;;;-

Sent from my iPhone

2 comments:

  1. Luke,

    You've made a significant accomplishment and frankly, I'm very jealous. Don't know if you've read it, but I just finished "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson about him and a friend hoping to do a thru-hike of the AT. It's a pretty entertaining book.

    Hang in there. I've done lots of hikes (not this long, of course) in a variety of weather, and I must say that heat, like we're having now in Nashville and up the East Coast, is the absolute worst.

    Be well and give Alex a hub for me.

    fred

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  2. Strawhat - bummed that you are taking a break from the trail, but I understand how challenging it is to stay motivated. After you rest up a few more days, check back in with yourself and determine if finishing the thru-hike is something you would be proud of in 20 years. It's been a year for me, and my life is better because of it. I think about it often yet have been able to continue pursuing more passions. When I am confronted with a challenge, I compare it to the AT and realize the AT was the hardest thing I have ever done.

    Also, the northern states are beautiful. Flip flopping would be great because you will be refreshed and can fully appreciate what you are seeing. By the time NOBOs get to VT/NH/ME, they are exhausted and sometimes too focused on finishing rather than taking in the most scenic part of the trail.

    One last thing - you could rejoin your hiking crew in the north and finish with them, then flip around and hike south to Pearisburg. That way you get the best of NOBO friends and can still make some SOBO friends.

    -Monkey of the Traveling Circus

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