View Full Version : No turning back now
While publicly I have been moving full steam ahead with my thru-hike, privately I have been quietly considering all the variables. Do I have the finances needed for the hike? Will I have all my school work done in time? Do I have the home support needed to hike for 4-6 months?
Well, logically, there is no turning back now. A fellow group member who I will be hiking with has booked our plane tickets(he booked for both of us for logistical reasons) and our hotel room room in Wisconsin where we will meet our group and drive to Georgia, and prepare to head north.
With 96 days to go, it is quite baffling. At the age of 16, planning a 6 month hike, doing all my current work, and doing extra work, can take its toll.
Full steam ahead, while contemplating the unknown,
Kirby
Blissful
11-22-2007, 22:26
Way to go for taking the the first step. The unknowns can be scary. But it's also an exciting time. Just do the best you can to get ready and then go for it.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
11-22-2007, 22:33
::: Grandmotherly Dino pulls Kirby up on the Dino lap :::
Kirby, you will never know what you can do in life until you try. And you will always wonder if you could have done what you didn't have the courage to try. Go for it. You will grow from the experience regardless of the outcome.
Kirby, you will never know what you can do in life until you try. And you will always wonder if you could have done what you didn't have the courage to try. Go for it. You will grow from the experience regardless of the outcome.
well said FD....and something I think we all need to hear from time to time, no matter what it is we are comtemplating about...
Jim Adams
11-22-2007, 23:42
Kirby,
This is just more education...possibly the best of your life!
geek
You won't be able to buy the things you'll learn in 2008 at any college. Best wishes.
Lone Wolf
11-23-2007, 00:00
what do you learn hiking?
Good luck. Probably the best thing to do especially in this upcoming election year to avoid all the ranting, raving, and moaning which for sure will just intensify.
I think one of the best things a person can learn from hiking is the difference between need and want. :)
Kirby, go for it, and have a great hike!
what do you learn hiking?
That there are a lot of points at which one can choose to do something different from what almost everyone else is doing.
What do you learn hiking?An excellent question. Best answer:
"This is this. This ain't somethin' else. This is this."
Ironically, I learned that in a movie theatre, or on televions.
But I think I learned what it means in the woods.
The unknowns and unforeseen are the best part, enjoy them.
Concrats & good luck Kirby, I can tell you are excited. As for the learning experience...bet you will grow up a lot more on this trip than most kids do in a few years of college.
DaisyDeb08
11-23-2007, 10:11
Good Luck! Your adventure will be wonderful, one that you will take with you forever, and we will learn from your determination to make your dream come true!
what do you learn hiking?
I think you can learn a lot.
What you are capable of physically
US History (think of all the historic places along the trail)
Natural History (flora & fauna)
How to get along with others (think shelters)
How to be self sufficient
How to read the weather
How to ID edible berries (strangely, most aren't familiar)
That's just a short list. Most AT thru-hikers meet all kinds of folks during their hike, and every new encounter is a learning opportunity.
I think you can learn a lot.
What you are capable of physically
US History (think of all the historic places along the trail)
Natural History (flora & fauna)
How to get along with others (think shelters)
How to be self sufficient
How to read the weather
How to ID edible berries (strangely, most aren't familiar)
That's just a short list. Most AT thru-hikers meet all kinds of folks during their hike, and every new encounter is a learning opportunity.
Lots of good points, but... #1. Not close, or you shouldn't be on the AT or you've seriously screwed up.
Pedaling Fool
11-23-2007, 10:25
what do you learn hiking?
It is what it is.
what do you learn hiking?
How to be cold, wet, and tired, well just generally physically miserable. And still have fun.
....AT thru-hikers meet all kinds of folks during their hike, and every new encounter is a learning opportunity.
Especially if you run across Lone Wolf.
what do you learn hiking?
That you can accomplish things you never dreamed possible before. An appreciation for nature's wonders. A live-and-let-live attitude toward people different than you are, as most AT LD hikers meet quite a diversity of fellow travelers. Skills that will be valuable long after the trail--especially survival skills. How to define the difference between needs and wants. And a lot more.
Good question, LW. I think it will get a lot of response. Might even be worth someone putting it all together for the "Articles" section.
What have you learned as a result of a long distance hike, or in your case, hikes?
It is what it is.
And it is what you make of it. If you don't try you'll never know what you are capable of. Just listening to you on WB I can tell you have the guts and the drive to make this happen. We all have doubts when we are making big decisions. Go for it Kirby, I know you can do it!:banana
Yep, don't overthink it. It's just walking. Beauty and pain are both things that are created in the mind; make the first, not the second.
Best wishes with your A.T. journey, Kirby.
Congratulations on yours, clured. l had little doubt you would accomplish what you set out to do.
As for the question about what one learns by hiking and the A.T. in particular, I would refer those who don't already know to what Blissful wrote in her journal and what Charlottesville's newspaper published afterwards.
Together, those two online resources tell a wonderful story and answer the question for those who want to know and don't feel the need to learn for themselves.
While publicly I have been moving full steam ahead with my thru-hike, privately I have been quietly considering all the variables. Do I have the finances needed for the hike? Will I have all my school work done in time? Do I have the home support needed to hike for 4-6 months?
Well, logically, there is no turning back now. A fellow group member who I will be hiking with has booked our plane tickets(he booked for both of us for logistical reasons) and our hotel room room in Wisconsin where we will meet our group and drive to Georgia, and prepare to head north.
With 96 days to go, it is quite baffling. At the age of 16, planning a 6 month hike, doing all my current work, and doing extra work, can take its toll.
Full steam ahead, while contemplating the unknown,
KirbyEdmund Hillary was famous for explaining why he climbed Everest ("Because it was there") but he also had a nice piece in his 1852 (I believe) paper on climbing Everest. At the end, he paraphrases a quote usually ascribed to Goethe:
Concerning the amazing coincidences that assisted him in putting together an expedition, Hillary wrote:
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elemental truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that never otherwise would have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no one could have dreamt would come their way. Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."
Programbo
11-23-2007, 22:43
::: Grandmotherly Dino pulls Kirby up on the Dino lap :::Kirby, you will never know what you can do in life until you try. .
I was half expecting to hear..."Life is like a box of chocolates...." :p
I was half expecting to hear..."Life is like a box of chocolates...." :p
You never know what cha gonna get:D.
Kirby
Frolicking Dinosaurs
11-23-2007, 22:48
::: Dino pelts Sara with chocolates :D :::
::: Dino pelts Sara with chocolates :D :::
:::Kirby ducks from flying chocolates, while managing to catch one to eat::::D:D:D:banana
Kirby
hopefulhiker
11-24-2007, 21:37
Henry Thoureau said something like this... Some may choose to be educated in the shade of the mountain, than in the more classical shade. They may remember what they learned in college, but NO DOUBT, They WILL remember that they went to the Mountain"
This quote is inscribed at Thoreau Rock on top of Mt Greylock on the AT
I don't think its about learning something, I think its about living a life style.
Panzer
budforester
11-25-2007, 17:00
Kirby, you seem to have quite a cheering- section. Please try to post a journal. Happy trails!
Kirby, you seem to have quite a cheering- section. Please try to post a journal. Happy trails!
www.trailjournals.com/kirby
Kirby
what do you learn hiking?
To avoid scary bearded men with pot bellies who lurk on the net all day:)
budforester
11-25-2007, 18:04
Thanks for the TJ link Kirby, you're eloquent!
Programbo
11-25-2007, 18:22
To avoid scary bearded men with pot bellies who lurk on the net all day:)
I already learned that from Chris Hansen on Dateline NBC :p
maxNcathy
11-27-2007, 09:12
Best wishes, Kirby..if I were 16 I would take a break from school and go with you.
Be friendly and considerate on the trail and you will make friends easily and this will make your hike much richer in my opinion.
Felt compelled to share with you one of my favorite quotes by one of the more "pro" outdoors presidents we had:
" It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who stives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. "
Teddy Roosevelt
I have noticed in other threads that when L.Wolf makes a sarcastic comment he is taken seriously, and when he is serious the majority take it as sarcasm / wisea$$ism.
my first trip to the appalachians taught me loads about quantum mechanics, molecular biology, and space/time travel. I then attended a seminar on the ins and outs of photon capture, and the creation of free energy on mt. kittaninny. after that i met a sobo @ catfish firetower who taught me how to split atoms using my swiss army knife and pepsi can stove. further north on bear mt two step and whiskers helped me learn how to use the pepsi can stove / knife method to build an atomic bomb wich we used to blow up the non- hiking world. after that mankind lived in peace and harmony for ever and ever!
Lone Wolf
11-27-2007, 12:13
I have noticed in other threads that when L.Wolf makes a sarcastic comment he is taken seriously, and when he is serious the majority take it as sarcasm / wisea$$ism.
i am highly misunderstood
i am highly misunderstood
I know. And that's a puzzle. You explain yourself so well!
Jan LiteShoe
11-27-2007, 13:38
How to be cold, wet, and tired, well just generally physically miserable. And still have fun.
Ha! This was a relevation to me.
It's pretty much what you focus on - fun or misery.
There's plenty of both on the AT. Pick your poison.
:)
Johnny Appleseed
11-27-2007, 13:55
I was scared to leave the trail. I had a tear or two. The real world was so unfamiliar to me after 5 months. I could remember everything, but the motions were foreign. Kinda like a wild animal avoiding the civilized areas.