week 1:
so…it’s been a week since i left for the great outdoors. i smell, i hurt, and i’m having serious civilization withdrawls. i’m journaling fairly regularly each day and i wish i could post it all here. i’ve already forged friendships with several hikers and seen others move on or drop out. i started on a warm sunny day, but i’ve already camped in snow, rain, and hail. i have blisters and random injuries all over. it’s been interesting. but, we keep saying that we’ve pretty much already seen everything that the montain can throw at us…except perhaps a bear or two. after a quick start with two days of way too much hiking i had two large-ish blisters and have been learning humility since. my new very slow and steady pace has helped but they will still be around for a bit longer. i keep telling myself that if i can get through these, things will be much more pleasant…i hope. anyway, i now sit in helen, ga, a small german town where everything looks like a gingerbread house and everyone drives a motorcycle. i like it. but then again i said i was having civilization withdrawls. i’ll be here for easter service tomorrow morning and then off agian for a few more days until reaching the next hostel. (fun fact for you, in case you were unaware: this hiking the AT thing is pretty much a series of 3-4 day hikes in between hostels and small towns…not long stints in the woods between occasional visits in civilization.) it’s hard to sum up this first week and keep it to a readable length but, for now that’s all i got.
ps: i’ll try to get some pictures up sometime this month, but it may take a while…i envy the iphone guys who can post along the trail. part of me thinks that’s overboard, and the point is to get away, but part of me really wants to be able to chat with friends and get online…and if you know me, you know which part is winning that battle.
