It seems surreal that 5 months ago, we started off on this grand adventure not knowing what awaited us up the trail. We had very little idea what to expect and just took the first step having faith that somehow our feet would keep moving us forward, northward the entire way to Canada. We knew the odds were against us--only 50% of those who start the trail complete the entire trail in one year--but I guess our tenaciousness worked in our favor and we overcame the odds. EVERY step was worth it, whether it was on a day when we felt great and light on our feet, when we could feel ice cold water squishing constantly between our toes, or when we were trudging through endless snow pack. It was all worth it.
Our experience was not just centered on the natural beauty of the landscape that continuously surrounded us.
We've learned a lot about ourselves on this trip and about humanity as well.(Okay so, just to get it out of the way: No, we didn't discover the meaning of life or have any huge zen moment.What we were able to do was really take in the moment, contemplate, and fully appreciate human and natural experiences.) The human aspect was unexpected but very much a huge part of what I will remember the most. Primarily, we were humbled...
Humility: Our hearts were touched by the seemingly endless small blessings and kindnesses offered toward us on our journey. Without cars easily available to us, we had no choice but to basically make ourselves vulnerable and beg for rides to town for our food resupplies (aka stick out our thumbs and hope for the best). All I could think of was what I had thought towards people trying to hitchhike where we live and how I would just drive past, avoiding eye contact. Being on the other end, it really hurt when people purposely avoided eye contact like we weren't there, like we didn't exist. We were truly humbled every time someone took the chance and stopped for us, complete strangers.
In addition, there were countless times we came to a paved or dirt road and we would find that someone had left food goodies specifically for those crazy thru-hikers. Sometimes there was actually someone there, waiting for us with sodas, coffee drinks, assorted goodies, maybe even a burger. We had plenty of food in our packs to sustain us (though we welcomed the extra calories), but what made these goodies so good was the person behind them. This person stopped, took a day (or week or month, yes MONTH) out of there normal life, and came out (sometimes very long distances from the city) to give us, total weary strangers, encouragement. It made a huge difference in our day and our trip overall. Sometimes it was like these angels-in-disguise even knew where the hard sections were... We were energized and reminded of our own inner determination to complete the trail.
Remote Encouragement: We also were thrilled every time we got a message or comment on this blog. We looked forward to checking in every time we had internet availability. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!!!
Track us and check out our updates as we begin our hike on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). On top of working towards the goal of completing the 2,650 mile trail, we also hope to raise that same amount in dollars for the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy. Check out our related links and our dedicated page through the Highlands Conservancy for more information and to donate.
Hey! Congratulations on completing the trail! I look forward to hearing all about it in person. An alumni of a club I am in on campus talked about his experience last week (trailname roadrunner). He said that he remembered you two, but I didn't get a chance to find out much more than that. Thought it was pretty cool though. Again congrats!
ReplyDelete