"Parents just don't understand."
-Will Smith
Well today I received a call from Riga, so I feel much better. She is taking the trail slower that she and anticipated, which I did warn her that it might take her longer than she thought it would. Yes, I am making some plans to hike the trail but I also am thinking of getting Riga to go to Ireland with me next year if I have the money to go. As for dealing with my fears I was worried I admit and a little scared (ok a lot scared) but hey it is hard to not worry about the ones you love. To tell the truth if I do go on the trail next year then I will go with her if she will have me around and I plan on making it a thru hike come hell or high water. As for what I am doing while she is gone, I am supplying a nation with the things they buy (driving a "Big Rig"). So I have to say it did add to my stress some and I have had her on my mind a lot in the past few days because she didn't make contact as quickly has she had first planed. All in all I will be extremely happy when I get to see her again and I also plan on getting her onto my truck for awhile. As for the murders on the trail it seems I have heard of three or four in the recent past (Riga pointed them out to me) so that is why I was worried well one of the reasons at least. So next time that I hear of someone wanting to do the trail I will try to give encouragement and tell them to be prepared.
That's 3 or 4 murders, over the last about ten years over 14 states and 2000 miles and many millions of people. Thats a helluva low murder rate. Statistically speaking you should be far, far more worried when she takes the car to the 7-11 for milk. Of course, it's still impossible not to worry about someone you love when you can't see them whenever you want. Ask any parent sending their kids off to college etc. Especially when the news trumpets every tragedy over and over on every channel. We forgive you for worrying. Pretty soon you'll visit her and meet other hikers and see how cool they all are and how they really become a community on the trail and your worries will be assuaged and then you'll start just missing her. That's often the root of other fears and objections and also perfectly understandable.
I guess part of it is how I knew hiking when I was a boyscout and when I was a scout master. I just never heard of anything like that happening that I remeber.
Yeah, just out for short stretches and weekends yields a different experience. Long distance hiking you get to know people around you because good campsites and shelters are shared. Friendships are formed and little groups and teams often form up. If there ever were troublesome events or people the trail grapevine (an amazing thing, better than CNN) keeps everyone in the know. The worst problems I have ever seen myself are the occasional thief and they are run off quite quickly. You can read alot about some of those on trailjournals and whiteblaze, two main veins of the trail grapevine. The trail is long but thin, once a problem individual is identified there's nowhere for them to go but north or south. Most don't stick around. The rest end up mostly being harmless (and often sort of endearing once you realize they're not creepy) weirdos. Also, people who are victimizers are also often very lazy and hiking hundreds of miles on the off chance of finding a victim in the middle of the woods when there is a whole town of them right outside the door is counterintuitive, and gear costs money. Hope this is making you less worried rather than more.
True, I can see your point. While most of my hikes were very short, we also did some longer hikes and campouts. I guess I tend to pick up on the wost of what can happen when it comes to Riga, alittle over protective I guess.
Best way to be.
Obsessively overprotective is where the problems start. Everyone ought to be a little overprotective. Better to err on the safe side, so long as it doesn't keep you from having some fun.
Years ago I had this one in my head. I'm sooo happy I stopped listening and it went away for good. No one, not even Bill Gates seems to have enough money. Maybe, just maybe, as a Long Distance Hiker, you do.Originally Posted by aaroniguana
"Don't do it!" Discouragement attempts.
LOL, risk in hiking the AT. As Bearpaw pointed out...there are riskier things that a person can do. Hiking the AT was absolutely the healthiest thing, both mentally and physically, that I've ever done just for me. My AT hike was expensive but a drop in the bucket compared to my divorce...but both were worth it.
My wife and I are section hikers and we get it too. It seems that most people are afraid of the unknow. Instead of looking for ways to expand their experiences and learn something new they'd rather just do the same old stuff they are comfortable with. We just got that same reaction as people found out about our plans for a dogsledding trip in northern MN this past Feb. They insisted that we take lots of photos so they could "see" what it's like. For the people that we thought were physically capable we invited them to join us. Not one person took the invitation seriously though
Seems to me, at least in my experience, most of the "Discoragement" is from a lack of knowledge about the AT, or hiking in general.
I'm only doing a 200 mile section hike, & already some of my co-workers are giving me grief about: not carrying a (Really big) gun, hiking alone, not calling in every few hours (that one offered to kill me if I got hurt), etc. etc.
Most of my other friends are used to me by now, so don't say much anymore.
Fortunatly for me, my wife is VERY supportive, & My work partner is also a Hiker, so he is actually helping me get ready. The boss is acting somewhat miffed, but only cause he will have to cover the majority of my six 24 hr shifts while I'm gone. Thankfully we have been friends for over 10 years, so it's just good natured ribbing I'm getting from the boss.
Doctari.
Curse you Perry the Platypus!
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