Top Ten Things I am Excited About for My Thru-hike
10. Drawing and writing more than I have in the past few years.
Once upon a time I wrote and drew all the time, and then somehow life took over and I stopped doing both. I know, never heard that one before. BUT, here I am! Writing. And drawing. I dont particularly consider myself a writer or an artist, so thank you for bearing with me!
9. All nature, all the time.
OK, its the obvious one, but hear me out As a bonafide Brooklynite, I currently have to commute over an hour to nature. An hour! Its gotten so bad that at this point, you can pretty much say the name of a trail head in NY or NJ, and chances are Ive been there, know what public transport will get you there, and when it leaves in the morning.
8. I will eat everything.
I know that most of the time, Ill be eating the standard ramen-tortilla-peanut-butter hiker fare, BUT let me tell you, on days when Im hiking to town, itll always be a burger hike. Also, I already have a weirdly sizable appetite for a non-thru-hiker, so come half-gallon challenge? Bring it. Ill hike with a belly full of cream any day.
7. Critters.
Yeah, I know people say the trail is like Groundhog Day, except instead of groundhogs nature will be serving up squirrels, mice, and deer. But the forest is full of amazing (and frankly ridiculous looking) critters, and I cant wait to gawk at all of them. Maybe Ill even see a bear! Or a moose! or a glawackus!
6. Have I met Baltimore Jack? Nope, but maybe now I will.
This really goes for any of the legendary trail folk, including Bob Peoples, Miss Janet…. the list goes on. But regardless, I hope Ill at least run into the man. The mystery. Baltimore Jack.
5. Meeting Pox and Puss!
I wouldnt say Im a rabid fan per-se, (and you wont find me clinging to the leg of an unfortunate thru-hiker anytime soon) but itd be pretty awesome to hang out with Pox and Puss at Trail Days. Pox said hes saving me a dance at the 2015 Thru-hiker Prom, and damn if Im not a sucker for men who can dance. Which is to say I will step on his feet. A lot.
4. Hiker Superpowers.
There are certain superpowers Ive heard that thru-hikers acquire over time. Aside from growing buff trail legs, Im looking forward to being able to smell a day hiker from a mile away, and gain some serious hiker stank. As someone who hails from the metropolitan haven of New York City, getting people to keep their distance is pretty righteous.
3. Getting a sweat-certified trail name.
I go by Frozen Mac right now, derived from an unfortunate Mac and Cheese freezing incident, but Im really looking forward to getting named out on the AT. Who knows, maybe Ill be doing some naming of my own Im already inordinately proud of the fact that I named three of my friends (shout out to My Way, Wikipedia, and Sticky Fingers!) But, you know, if you dont feel up to the task, Ill probably have to go with something super original. Like maybe Strider.
2. Meeting other hikers and making new friends.
Hikers are a really fun group of people, and Im looking forward to making new friends. Im a shy one, though, so go easy on me, ok?
1. Maybe, just maybe, making it all the way to Katahdin.
I made this list because I have a tendency to get sentimental and super serious about things. All jokes aside, Ive been in a mode of ecstacy-panic-joy since I committed to hiking, and am trying real hard to keep it real, i.e. together. Im at that wonderful stage of planning where I agonize over my tent choice at 2am on a Wednesday.
At the end of the day, though, Im really humbled and excited to have this opportunity, and am gonna use everything I have in me to get to Maine. See you out there Class of 2015!
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