One More Chapter
A twenty two year-old's view on life, death,
and Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
and Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
3/26/2015 0 Comments Why Do I Want To Walk 2,200 Miles?I have decided to take a break from all the school work that I have been doing this afternoon in order to write this blog post. For some time now I have been in the planning of one of my next great adventures: the hiking of the Appalachian Trail. Many people, including myself, were quite surprised with this sudden determination to walk 2,200 miles from Maine to Georgia. Especially since I had a pretty strong hatred for hiking throughout most of my childhood. I remember our many vacations to North Conway, NH - one of my favorite places in this world - that took place each summer during my childhood. We would spend our days there doing all the things one does in North Conway: mini golfing, eating Ben & Jerry's, relaxing at the condo's pool and, best of all, visiting Storyland and Santa's Village. It was heaven on Earth. Then, usually once in the whole week or so that we were there, my mother would say, "Ok, today we are going to go on a hike." This was usually met with groans from me and my siblings. We were all lazy, but my brother and sister were at least in some sort of shape. I was not. I am pretty positive that my mother chose the easiest hike that she could find within the White Mountains. Ones that the elderly could hike. But me, I could not. And I made sure that everyone else around me was suffering as much as me by complaining the whole time, being snippy and falling behind so that everyone would have to stop and wait for me constantly. This happened until I was probably 12 or so, when the vacations took a pause during my parents' divorce, picking up again when I was 17. This past summer, the Summer of 2014, I returned again to New Hampshire, having missed the summer before and in an unmatched excitement. I was in the best shape of my life. I was training for a triathlon and running 6 - 9 miles a day and going to the gym. I was dieting and thin and my legs were pure muscle. I was ready to hike, and actually excited for the first time in my life. This year we were to hike Mt. Washington, the highest peak in New England. In the back of my mind I was hesitant, but up for the challenge. That day changed my life. I didn't just enjoy the hike, I loved it. Every second of it. I felt so happy, so at peace the entire time. It was tiring, yes, and in total we spent about nine hours on the mountain (though, we did stop for lunch and exploring at the top as well as a visit to the museum) but it filled me with so much emotion. I knew right away that I wanted more. More and more and more and more. The views were spectacular. I felt truly and authentically happy. Something I don't think enough of us really experience more than a handful of times in their life. I thought to myself, yeah, I could stay here a while.
We came upon a hut during our treks, one that overnight hikers might use for shelter. It was there that I actually started asking about the AT. I had lived my whole life within driving distance of it, but hadn't given it more than a fleeting thought. Now, I was beginning to understand what these crazy people might be seeing in the idea of spending five to eight months hiking in the mountains. And it didn't seem crazy at all.
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About This Blog:I started this blog as a way to challenge myself to write more over the 2014 year, but it has blossomed into so much more than that. I use it to let people in on what's happening in my life, talk about things I find important and to spread the news about amazing people, places and art. Archives
November 2017
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