Appalachian Trail: Day 13
Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored. All the gear mentioned in this post was purchased by me at retail prices. I have no affiliations with any of the companies or brands mentioned.
I mentioned yesterday about keeping a positive attitude and how I use the white blazes as a chance to remind myself why I'm out here. The reasons I remind myself with actually come from lists I made prior to the trip. There is a great book by Zach "Badger" Davis called Appalachian Trials. It talks about the mental challenge of hiking the trail. One of the things it has you do is make 3 lists. The first is simply your reasons for wanting to hike the trail. The second is the positive outcomes that will happen when you complete the trail. The third is the negative outcomes that will happen is you don't complete the trail. I actually read this book twice and did the lists twice. The first time was before I started my transition and the second was after. The lists basically broke down to the same thing both times, but what was interesting was the wording used. Before I started my transition the wording was very negative towards myself. The wording after I started my transition was much kinder to myself while still being realistic.
Basically, my reasons break down to the following:
- Because it's there and because I can
- To lose weight
- To sort out some mental stuff with myself
- To gain some self confidence
I've also been accused of being a jolly person by some other hikers. I attribute this to this mindset and the fact that I am out here making a dream of mine come true and I am doing it as my authentic self.
And, when a day goes great, it helps the mood too. After getting into the shelter late and tired yesterday, I figured that I wouldn't be feeling great today, but the opposite turned out true. My calves didn't really hurt on the inclines this morning. I made great time too. I was planning to stop at Carter Gap Shelter which was 7.6 miles, but when I got there at about 1:30, I was feeling good, the day had been easy so far, and it was too early to stop, so I pushed to Betty Creek.
I was able to catch up with John, Jen, and Tegwyn who I hadn't really seen since before Hiawassee.
A note about the milage listed on my posts. I am only listing official trail miles and not accounting for blue blazes for water or shelters. The total miles includes the 8.8 miles of the Approach Trail. I am at 97.4 miles on the AT itself currently. Tomorrow, we will hit the 100 mile mark where a fire tower is located. Should be some good views from there.