WHY AM I DOING THIS?

Roland Mueser, AT ’89, handed out surveys to his fellow thru-hikers that asked them hundreds of questions about their experience. He catalogued the answers to his queries in a wonderful book, “Long-Distance Hiking: Lessons from the Appalachian Trail”. According to his findings, hikers cite three basic reasons for wanting to thru-hike the whole trail in varying degrees: Escape, Adventure, and Nature. Strangely, no one cited the fine cuisine. I suppose for me it’s mostly the first two of those reasons.

Simply put, I wanted a break from regular life to do something different. I’ve been doing the same thing – working at the same job, living in the same city, thinking about the same subject matter, and participating in the same hobbies and activities for over ten years now. Not that I don’t enjoy all this, but the sense of adventure isn’t there anymore, which is something I’ve always considered essential in life. Heck, if I ran the world (!), we’d all have summers off where we’d move to the beach, or take another job, or just do whatever we wanted – just to keep our brains healthy.

So, if that’s the desire, the catalyst is the timing. I’ve read that it takes three things to hike the trail: time, money, and ability. Young people have time and ability, but no money; retirees find themselves with money and time, but a lower ability; and us middle-agers (egads, am I middle-aged?) have money and ability, but often lack time. In this I am fortunate, having an understanding boss, accommodating partner, and patient cat, and being at a point where I don’t have any responsibilities to children yet.

But why do the Appalachian Trail? Couldn’t I buy a sports car? The trail idea came about after some other adventure ideas were tossed aside – although someday, I swear, I will fly to Mexico, buy a car, and driving around Latin America for a few months. I first discovered the AT as a kid from a National Geographic book about the trail at my grandparents’ house. I knew then, at age 8 or so, that I’d do this trail someday – or so I thought then. The Trail dream went away for quite a while, but resurfaced in 2000 when my friend Jeff and I started quasi-planning a thru-hike. It never got off the ground, but I got a pack and boots out of it. (Of course, now that I know what I’m doing, I’ve had to replace these expensive items with even more expensive items to save a few pounds.)

Plus, hiking is something I love doing, as anyone who’s traveled with me and been dragged down some random path can attest. Thanks to my parents, I day-hiked and car-camped as a kid, but it was during my time as a Forest Service volunteer in Alaska that I picked up the addiction of climbing on top a crest to see the view. Juneau is not a bad place to get to know hiking, either. My fellow volunteers and I hiked every week on our days off – Juneau has dozens of amazing and challenging trails to mountain tops, alongside glaciers, and through old-growth temperate rainforest. Plus, I was volunteering, and hiking is free.

And even better, I escape contemporary society for a bit. I’ll miss a good portion of the election insanity, I’ll leave reality TV behind, I won’t have to think about Ed Rendell trying to put casinos in my neighborhood, and I won’t have to wear a suit for 6 months. Considering this, any of you up for joining me?