How the heck did I decide to thru-hike the entire 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail this upcoming year? It all comes back to Florida…
Keith and Finn spent December happily venturing up and down the Florida coast looking for new places to fish. After just a few weeks of this, they boldly exclaimed that Florida was the best place ever! They were living in a fisherman’s paradise.
While they were off having their fun, I tried to take advantage of the outdoors too. I went kayaking in the warm December sunshine. We experienced some new adventures, like snorkeling with manatees. I even did some hiking out on the Florida Trail.
But let me tell you, Florida is not really my jam. I was constantly on alert for wayward alligators. And I missed the mountains terribly.
Hiking on the flat, flat, flat Florida Trail
Post-hiking blues?
After Keith returned from fishing one evening, he could see that I was starting to wallow in my misery a bit. I just wasn’t getting the same joy by our tropical surroundings that he felt.
At first, we wondered if my funk wasn’t just the leftover effects of my hike in Spain. You see, when long distance hikers come to the end of a big trail, there’s an inevitable sadness that sets in. You no longer have that same sense of purpose you had on trail.
After days, weeks, or months of working toward a finish line, your “post-trail” life can seem pretty ordinary and bland. Here’s the thing though. I love our full-time nomadic RV lifestyle and don’t think it’s boring.
We get to explore new places and try lots of interesting restaurants. I’m getting plenty of fresh air and have the freedom to choose what I want to do each day. But, something was still missing.
And let’s be honest. I didn’t quit my job and embark on this radical new lifestyle, just to sit around waiting for my loved ones to finish fishing. I changed course because I desperately wanted to go out and hike some epic trails – all those trails that I didn’t have the time to explore while I was working 60+ hours a week.
My bucket list plans to hike the Colorado Trail and John Muir Trail in summer 2019 were good ideas. But, I really longed to hike something even bigger!
Oh such beautiful mountains.
What about the Appalachian Trail?
As I bemoaned my frustrations, Keith turned to me and posed a simple question. Why not take advantage of the fact that we’re already on the East Coast and thru-hike the Appalachian Trail this summer?
That was a good question! And frankly, I didn’t have much of a response.
You see, growing up on the West Coast, my first love was the Sierra Nevadas and Cascades. So naturally I’d always imagined myself hiking the Pacific Crest Trail as my first 2,000+ mile trail.
That’s not to say the other National Scenic Trails weren’t on my radar. In the past six months, we day hiked on the Appalachian Trail in no fewer than five states. And I even blogged about summiting Mt. Katahdin HERE.
So what exactly was I waiting for? An engraved invitation?
And with that, the decision was made. I started planning a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail for 2019!
Do you have big hiking plans for 2019 too? If so, I’d love to hear about them. Leave a comment below.
Appalachian Trail here I come!