The Anniversary of My A.T. Hike

    So today is an exciting anniversary. Six years ago, I started the Appalachian Trail and completed its 2,189 miles six months later, summiting Katahdin on September 9th. It was a sensational experience, if insanely challenging at times. I was probably the only one on the trail unable to sleep despite the exhaustion that comes with carrying a heavy pack up and down mountains all day. It wasn't that I was afraid to fall asleep in the woods; I was very accustomed to spending nights in a tent pitched in the middle of nowhere. That's just the way it went for me. I'd have wildly vivid and disturbing dreams and then be wide awake between them. Surprisingly, I slept terribly in towns, too. And yet, I got up each morning and trekked on. One morning I tried to get down at least 3 cups of coffee, and another time I used a Monster drink to get me going. Of course, most of the time, we weren't leaving from a town, so these options weren't used more than twice a week.
    Some of you are probably wondering why on earth I took on this challenge. Well, I had gone through three major heart-breaks, the first in January of 2010. The day my biological mother informed me of the trauma I went through, I started day-dreaming about the possibility of doing the trail. Then, while at Shepherd University, my older brother attempted suicide. After that, a whole slew of other events snowballed to the point that I had to switch majors. So instead of an education degree, I got a general studies degree. For me, that switch was a 3rd source of heart-break. To me, this trail was a way to heal myself. It was a way for me to prove myself to myself. It showed me that I was actually all the things I had thought I wasn't and wished I was. I was strong. I was powerful. I had follow-through. I was tenacious and courageous. I was inspiring...according to those I had met along the way. 
    After the trail, I was able to write about it on this blog and called the posts "Trials of the Trail". If you're curious enough to take a peak at them, I wrote the first segment September 16th, 2016.