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  1. #1
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    :banana Why are you hiking the trail?

    I am curious what brings women out to the trail. For me it was a long time desire that circumstances are finally coming true. It is about testing myself and at the end of the day being able to say that I DID THAT- THAT WAS ME. Plus I wanted to be able to say that I followed my heart.

    There is one other reason. A broken heart and disappointment. I am wanting to find myself and to let go of my past, so that I can give myself hope for the future. After all if I can go 2200 miles- I can do anything!

    Thoughts, comments, questions, etc.... Feel free to tell me your reason to leave society behind and answer the call of mother nature!

    ~Pamela

    “Not all those who wander are lost.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Fellowship of the Ring"

  2. #2
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    I am planning a half-thru nobo, Springer to Harper's, in spring/summer of 2016. I want to go because I've wanted to do it forever. I love being outdoors. I'm an anxious person and pretty introverted, and I've never felt as free as I do when I am outside and out of view. Just... zero anxiety. I have day-hiked for years and years and (stupidly) thought sleeping outside was illegal other than at campgrounds. Now that I know some trails allow it?! I'm going.

  3. #3
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    I am on the trail, well currently nursing a bum knee, but WILL be back on very soon. I keep asking myself this question. Sometimes I can come up with something deep and enlighgened and other times I think I am doing it because it's there, because it sounds like a cool thing to do, or even why not? Deep down I know I am doing it for reasons more important than ***, but I am not sure I will know why I am until I really am deep in it, at one with it, when it becomes what I do. I heard Chuck Norris, of the Laughing Heart Hostel say that he figured out why he went on his journey on the AT somewhere in TN or VA. He said I did it to find my people, MY people. That got to me and very well could be my reason too. We shall see.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Treehugger View Post
    ... and other times I think I am doing it because it's there....
    I like that reason... "Just because its there." Very cool

    ~Pamela

    “Not all those who wander are lost.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Fellowship of the Ring"

  5. #5

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    Do it for your own reasons, not to be able to say things to others.
    You'd be surprised how little other people really care, past hearing a quick recounting of the basic facts.

    I did a one in lifetime to Nepal and India for 3 months some years ago and I remember visiting my brother on the way home and he didn't even turn off the TV or ask any questions about it, and I found this to be typical of others' responses.

  6. #6
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    Default The story of why I walk…

    Most of us take walking for granted. It's just something we do. We pop out of bed in the morning, zip around during the day, and get off our feet at night. It's not something we think about until something happens that changes how we move.

    April 21nd, 2007 is an anniversary for me. On that date, I attended a 5K MS Walk. Having been diagnosed with MS a few years before, it seemed important to support others sharing the disease. After purchasing the MS shirt, I headed to the starting line about 100 yards away. The starting line also happened to be the finish line for me. The pain was too much to participate in the event. That date is considered an anniversary because it demarcates one of the lowest points in my travel with Multiple Sclerosis.

    In 2007, MS had me wondering which path life was going to take. It was painful to walk, I could barely use a cup or write because of hand tremors, and staying awake was a fight. My career, marriage, savings, house, car, and health were gone. Homelessness was avoided with the intervention of a generous relative. I was unsure if the future included the inability to walk or if I would be stuck with pain and physical limitations. Everything I read indicated that the future was not going to be easy and would probably go downhill.

    The eighth anniversary of that walk was celebrated with another walk. In April of 2015, I completed a 50K (about 30 miles) solo hike across Peter's Mountain, Sharp Mountain, and Stoney Mountain on the Appalachian Trail. The hike took 10-1/2 hours to complete and included some 1000 foot climbs. As always, I met many wonderful people, took a nap in the leaves, enjoyed fresh spring water (filtered of course!), briefly sat around a fire pit with other hikers at the Peter's Mountain Shelter, and used only 2 Band-Aid's on my knees. The following Saturday included another 40K hike and I am planning a 70K single day hike for later this year (4-State Challenge - will you join me??).

    ​Eight years on, there is a big pump in my belly and tube up the spine that allow me to walk. But now, the downhill trek I was on has been replaced by many stream crossings and a capstone walking achievement. After the 50K walk, there was a different kind of pain in my legs ... and it felt good.

    I had an appointment with the Neurologist the day after my 50K hike. As usual, we spoke about mobility, pain, and any new symptoms. For the first time, I was able to smile when I told him that there was pain in my legs.

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