We are sitting at day 36, quite some time has passed since the first of April. The body finally has seemed to have caught up to where I’m at mentally. There is definitely still a lot of adjustment that has to take place but I’m recovering faster everyday and I can maintain more consistent high mileage days.
In a way I viewed redoing the Appalachian Trail as a way to see how my outlook on the trail has changed in my approach to trail and my perspective on walking. In other ways I wanted to use the AT as a way to get my legs back under me.
If I’m being honest though what has been driving me lately is the physicality and arbitrary goals like a town breakfast or something silly like that. I honestly don’t always feel compelled by the environment I am traversing through. That is not to say I’m not appreciating the subtleties and sublime. There has been an abundance of beauty so far, and more kindness and compassion extended from others than I could have imagined. I’m reminded I’m still learning and I definitely still make mistakes.
For now I’m going to keep on walking North, I’m still on track for a sub 100 day hike so schedule wise everything is chilling. But I’m beginning to see that as much as I like setting out goals for myself I don’t have to do anything I’m not enjoying fully. The goal this season is to give my all and hike a fuck ton, so we will continue taking it day by day.
The mileage in terms of consistency is still a bit wonky, I always tell myself I’m going to clean it up on the next stretch. But for real we are going to see if we can get more consistent numbers. Also getting so close to the Mid-Atlantic soon means that I can hopefully start really seeing how far I can bend the mind.
Looking forward to what the rest of this trail has to offer and the beauty that is around every corner. I feel blessed for everyone that has helped me get to this point. And to those few that have really held me down in the recent year I appreciate you more than you realize, I’m constantly reflecting and I’m shown I owe so much to some. There is love to be found in the simplicity but there is also inherent hardship. I’m just learning to let go, it’s not always so serious.
Until next time,
Larsen
Here’s some stats so far:
Last 10 day mileage breakdown: 35.7, 23, 29.3, 29.4, 31.36, 11.37, 3, 20, 23, 24
5/6/22 ending mileage: 788
Average: 21.88
Current base weight: 7.8 lbs
1 Pound Soylent bags consumed: 9