Welcome to My AT Adventure

Today we hit the 100 mile mark at the summit of Mt. Albert. We woke to an overcast day with rain forecasted to begin late in the morning.  We knew from Zen at Gooder Grove that it would be a short day – he told us to call him from the top of Mt. Albert to schedule the time for him to pick us up.  We were racing the rain!

We made it to the summit of Mt. Albert by 9:45 – just as the rain began. We estimated we would be down by 1 pm. However, by 11 am, it was clear that we would be down by noon. Called Zen with an update and unfortunately, he had another shuttle scheduled and couldn’t pull in his arrival. We were ok with that – there was a shelter only 0.2 mile from the gap where we could wait out of the rain. By the time we got to the shelter – I was soaked. So, I took the opportunity to change into dry clothes. Just as I finished changing – we heard a vehicle honking. It was Zen who had been able to arrive early. It was wonderful to get into a warm car and then a warm shower when we got back to the hostel.

Serpent had to go to the grocery store for some resupply items. She purchased a rotisserie chicken for dinner along with spinach that she sauteed with garlic. It was an excellent dinner!

Discussions and Self-reflection

On our climb up Mt. Albert, Serpent and I shared our relationship stories. She has a wonderful story of how she met her husband (Andy), their courtship and their first year of marriage. I am a romantic at heart and loved hearing her tell her story – but it is hers to tell, not mine.

Growing up and into adulthood, I always assumed that I would marry and have children. But, I never seemed to find the right man – if he could put up with me, I couldn’t put up with him and vis versa. In the recent past, I haven’t dated much, but dated someone for a short time last summer. After a few dates, I realized that I had no interest in displacing Thena (my black lab) in my bed to make room for this guy. It was a telling moment and I stopped dating him. I realized that a man has to bring a lot to a relationship for me to give up my independence and freedom.

You may ask what this has to do with hiking the AT? My independence and introversion are key reasons why the AT has an appeal and why hiking is so satisfying for me.

In addition to my independent streak and introverted personality, I like having goals to work towards. The goals can be mental (education, bridge, and professional career) or physical (sports). Thru-hiking combines both the mental and physical. Clearly, hiking almost 2200 miles is physical. But successful thru-hikers with tell you that it is much more about the mental game of the hike than the physical. I am definitely experiencing both mental and physical challenges!