Happy Anniversary

Wow, ten years. 

A lifetime ago, and yet I remember it as clear as if it were yesterday.

Driving down the day before.  Staying at a local hotel.  A hardy breakfast at the diner down the road.  Signing in at Amicalola Falls State Park visitor center.  My parents making me pose for pictures and then waving as I walked away. 

Stairs.  More stairs.  Holy cow, a lot of stairs. Freaking out halfway up the stairs – “what the hell did I get myself into?  Maybe mom and dad are still close enough to come pick me up.”  Reaching the top and resting on the official AT start stone.  And then the short walk to the first night’s campsite at Springer Mountain Shelter. 9.8 total miles, and only 0.2 miles of official A.T.

Dinner was awkward – we were all strangers, all second-guessing the choices that led us here, and for some, learning how to use their camp stoves or tents for the first time. Helping instruct others helped me get through the first afternoon and evening.

But I also remember climbing into my tent, nestled under a tall pine tree, as the sun dipped below the mountain edge.  Using my headlamp to write the first of many journal entries.  And smiling as I drifted into a VERY deep sleep.

I was finally here.  Finally started.  No more planning.  No more waiting.  Now was the time for doing. 

I fully expect this entire summer to be full of memories, smiles, tears, and shared photos. Maybe I’ll even dig up my journal - ok, so it’s sitting right on my shelf with all my other journals, no digging required - and post a few entries. Or not.

The hardest part of accomplishing something so meaningful on such a personal level is that nobody else cares much about it, at least not for very long. After a decade, nobody wants to hear about the trail anymore. It only means something to me. And my Trail Family, most of whom I’ve talked to today. Love the Easter Pod.

I’ve been asked the age-old question a few times… “what’s next?” And to be honest, life has thrown so many curve balls the last decade, especially the past few years, that I have nothing solidified. But I do have one idea percolating, nearly at a boil. If it boils over into a true plan, I will be sure to post about it. Waiting for a few of my haphazard ducks to at least get on the same pond, if not in a squiggly line.

Until then, remember to always Spin the Compass.