Originally Posted by
Gambit McCrae
After 36 trips, and just under 850 miles complete, I walked over the New River in Pearisburg Friday. I hadn't planned very well for the cold weather I was not anticipating. I had only arrived the day before, but the milestone of finishing Southern Virginia was complete. In just over 2 years I had completed almost half of the AT. I bought a house in November, have been enjoying fixing that up a bit. My father had a major open heart surgery last month, and I almost learned the hard way he isn't going to be around forever. The trail was like mud soup, slipping and sliding all over the place. I sat in front of the Celanese Plant and called my shuttle driver Don, told him I was done. I drove home that afternoon feeling like my time needed to be spent elsewhere while it still could be, closer to family and elder friends, instead of walking alone in the woods more then at weddings, birthdays, mothers days etc. One side of the coin I felt like a failure, disappointment, miniscule...sub par to the norm on the trail, like a quitter. Feel ashamed to not put more effort into it, to stick it out. On the other side, I felt like a weight lifted, the pressure I have put on myself to finish it so quickly for someone working a fulltime Monday thru Friday job, and to still complete the trail at the same time, has finally burnt me out. A guy told me 3 trips ago "If it was easy, everyone would do it", and that kept me going for several more trips, but for now, I think my aggressive trail completion is over. I see more fishing trips with pops, drinking a cold beer and laughing about the day in my future and less of what I have come to know as walking in the woods alone. I will still be active on WB, and take my hikes, but with friends, and less of an intent to accomplish something. Who knows, this time next year I might be back at it killing miles. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.