if you wanna find yourself by traveling out west
i talked to my mom about my hiking trip tonight-i thought for sure i had before, but apparently i either didn't or they forgot about it because i only casually mentioned it.
naturally, when she realized i was talking about hiking the majority of my trip alone (i didn't even tell her it was 500 miles), she began voicing worry after worry... from "what if you get hurt?" to "it'll be cold!"
my parents are like almost everyone else's parents in this way, i think. you present them with an idea or a plan that you as an adult have crafted and they present you with reasons you shouldn't do it. heh. the older i get the easier it is to deal with this, but it's still frustrating.
my friend amanda and i were talking about the differences in the parenting of boys and girls. it's true, there are possibly dangerous situations out there waiting for me on the appalachian trail by myself. but how many more than already exist here in bowling green? or in jackson, living under their roof? would they worry about me as much if i were a boy? probably not. probably in different ways, too.
i tested my pack out today- carefully thought of what i will need to bring for the trip, pulled my gear out of its hiding places and compressed it as best i could without any airtight bags. i managed to stuff everything i have in there just fine, surprisingly, and i left out what i estimated i would wear on the average day. the pack weighs a TON. probably almost forty pounds (too much!) and i need to find ways of cutting down this weight. i had about 10-12 lbs. of "food" (sugar, bags of dried beans) and no water at all. i'm looking forward to all these tentative planning steps. i also feel like the gym is really helping me prepare--not just physically but mentally, too. but carrying that pack up a hill was not as easy as i would have liked. i was thinking about walking around town with it on my back and now i can see that will be essential. luckily, there's a lot of hills in bg that can help me re-create the trail in my backyard.
be excited for me! i'm excited for me! who wants to come hike with me for a bit in the spring?!
naturally, when she realized i was talking about hiking the majority of my trip alone (i didn't even tell her it was 500 miles), she began voicing worry after worry... from "what if you get hurt?" to "it'll be cold!"
my parents are like almost everyone else's parents in this way, i think. you present them with an idea or a plan that you as an adult have crafted and they present you with reasons you shouldn't do it. heh. the older i get the easier it is to deal with this, but it's still frustrating.
my friend amanda and i were talking about the differences in the parenting of boys and girls. it's true, there are possibly dangerous situations out there waiting for me on the appalachian trail by myself. but how many more than already exist here in bowling green? or in jackson, living under their roof? would they worry about me as much if i were a boy? probably not. probably in different ways, too.
i tested my pack out today- carefully thought of what i will need to bring for the trip, pulled my gear out of its hiding places and compressed it as best i could without any airtight bags. i managed to stuff everything i have in there just fine, surprisingly, and i left out what i estimated i would wear on the average day. the pack weighs a TON. probably almost forty pounds (too much!) and i need to find ways of cutting down this weight. i had about 10-12 lbs. of "food" (sugar, bags of dried beans) and no water at all. i'm looking forward to all these tentative planning steps. i also feel like the gym is really helping me prepare--not just physically but mentally, too. but carrying that pack up a hill was not as easy as i would have liked. i was thinking about walking around town with it on my back and now i can see that will be essential. luckily, there's a lot of hills in bg that can help me re-create the trail in my backyard.
be excited for me! i'm excited for me! who wants to come hike with me for a bit in the spring?!