| 4/19/99 First Journal Entry
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Well, today I leave for Atlanta. I am typing this first entry on my fathers computer in Marlboro, MA killing some time before I have to head to Logan airport. There is a lot of mixed feeling going on today with me. I am excited, anxious to get going and start this great adventure. I am also sad to be leaving those who care about me, especially my girlfriend who has been nothing but supportive and who stayed up with me last night until 10 getting my schedule corrected.
While those that I met made the trip sound great, it all seemed a little too far fetched for me. After all, quitting your job, packing up your entire life and walking a trail for MANY MONTHS seemed a bit extreme to me, to say the least. However, the more I thought about it, the more that I decided if I was to make this trip ever, I would like to make it now, while I am young and in good health. I know that people of all ages make the trip, even Earl Shaffer made a repeat journey last year, but as you get older, there are mare variables to consider. I have very few bills currently, don't own a house or have a family and I am in good shape.
But mostly I am excited, and the actual size of what I am about to attempt has not set in yet. Basically, I feel like I am going away for a week long trip, when that is not the case. What will it be like to get back and not has seen my home in 5 months? Or my family? What will it be like to depend mostly on people I am going to meet along the way for support and encouragement? How will I respond to being so disconnected from everything? I know that these are issues that I will have to deal with, but it hasn't really set in yet.
What I am worried about now are simpler things. Is my pack too heavy? Did I forget anything that I really might need? When packing for this kind of trip, you really have to cut out just about every nicity and keep only those most functional items. Also, is the food I have prepared enough? Will I be able to take my stove on the plane with me? Will I be able to hike 16 miles in my first day? Will I make it the entire way, or will I be one of the 50% that packs it in before North Carolina? These are the issues that I am concerned with right now.
And those of you reading along with my journal, what will you think of my thoughts? I hope to have a good mix of facts ( where, when, how far ) and thoughts from my journal. I would like to look back on this and see not only what I did, but how I felt and what the trip meant to me at a specific point. I hope that I can keep everyone interested but at the same time not write to entertain, and become some sort of John Grisham of hiking journals.
Well, I will have the answers to these questions soon enough, an I imagine by the time I get my first mail drop in three days that I will be adjusting my schedule and pack more that I think now. I hope to complete this trip, as I don't forsee a time where I will be able to do this again. I also hope that everyone reading will enjoy watching my progression and my experiences. Here is to a great adventure... and six months without work!
-Chomp