It’s a zero day. I feel like I’m having a lot of these but, I don’t care. I enjoy my time in towns and think exploring these different places is just as much a part of this journey as the hiking through the mountains and seeing the views. Is it tough on my budget? You bet! My hunger is insatiable but I’m having fun and I’m not broke… yet. LOL!

I wanted to spend today doing a brain dump of things that go through my mind as I hike. I’ll start by saying, in the beginning, I really hated hiking. No, seriously! It was painful, exhausting, and just not enjoyable. Georgia sucked! It was a constant climb followed by a big drop into an immediate rocky, rooty climb again. It was truly horrible on legs that weren’t used to it! I can see why so many quit and never make it out of Georgia! I will say it was truly my stubbornness, my strong desire to see all the popular views, scenery and landmarks and to prove to myself that I can actually do something so physically and mentally challenging that pushed me on. I refuse to quit! Even as I’ve watched people all around me leave the trail, skip around, start slackpacking, etc, I stuck to my guns to make this a pilgrimage heading north all the way, through whatever the trail throws at me. And you know what? Here, just before hitting mile 730, it hit me. Hiking is now like a drug. It’s still insanely difficult at times but I don’t hate it anymore. The step after step has become a form of meditation and a sense of peace comes over me as my leg muscles pump like a well oiled machine over whatever terrain gets in my way. I feel powerful. I’m proud of my accomplishments in ways I would never have dreamed. I’ve met amazing people and seen amazing things. Life is an adventure and I am so thankful for this opportunity to be out here really living it and not backing down from the struggles. I could quit now and know my life would be forever different in so many ways it’s hard to describe. It’s in the way I see things now, experience things and react to things. I won’t be quitting now though. I’m determined to see this through and look forward to the new challenges ahead as it’s only going to build me up even more. I don’t know what life has in store for me after this hike but it’s the unknown on this trail that is preparing me for the unknown after. I will just keep on walking and see where this journey of life takes me.

Thanks for listening (or should I say “reading”) my ramblings. You have a lot of time to think on trail and this is just a taste of the things that the mind out here runs through. Cheers, everyone! Go have an adventure. It doesn’t have to be a 2,000 mile hike. It can be anything that is different from your norm. Just do something you find adventurous and reap the rewards it will give you.