Why

The question I get more than any other concerning my upcoming walk is "why?". I suppose the short answer to this question is if you have to ask, you will not understand. However, there really is much more to my desire to walk the trail than that.

I'm looking forward to meeting people as much as I am to seeing the country. The trail goes through some of the most beautiful areas of the Appalachians, and it will definately be nice to see the scenery along the trail. However, I'm looking forward to meeting people along the trail as much as I am to seeing the scenery.

I met some really interesting people when I did a short walk on the trail the summer before last in the Shanandoah Valley. People tend to be friendlier and more willing to talk when you meet them on the trail or in hostiles and places like that. I really like that. I've rarely met or talked to many people when traveling to national parks and places like that in a car.

I also want to have the time to live more in the moment. Some of the best times I've had in the Boundary Waters was just sitting and watching the squirls play in the morning sunlight or watching the waves on the water. Too often, I feel too rushed to appreciate the beauty around me. It's the beauty around us every day that makes life worth living.

I decided that now was the time to do the trail. This is something I've thought about for years. It might have been nice to do the trail while in college when I had few commitments. However, everything was so much heavier then than is now. A typical backpack would weight up to 50 or 60 pounds for a week then, and that was normal. Everyone else's pack weighed a lot too. It just did not seem practical to walk so far with a pack so heavy so I never seriously considered walking the trail then.

There's been an ultra light backpacking movement in recent years. I'm anticipating a pack weight without food or water to be about 15 to 17 pounds for this trip. My pack might top out at 30 to 35 pounds with food and water. I've yet to put everything in my pack so I don't know how close I'm going to get to this goal.

I have more commitments with work, relationships, and a house now, but I also still have my health. I decided that if I am ever going to walk the trail, I need to do it while I still have my health. I don't want to wake up 10 or 20 years from now, and regret not having tried.

Joe