Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Challenges and Temptations

Tom asked: "What do you think the biggest challenges will be? What
will tempt you the most to leave before you're done?"

Of course I can offer only suppositions until I am actually out there
and doing it, but there are two things that I think will present my
biggest temptations to quit. The first will simply be missing Jodi so
much that it overrides any ability to focus on and enjoy my life on
the trail. The other situation would be spending a week hiking in
constant rain, or a prolonged hot spell hiking through the
mid-Atlantic states, or maybe a hell of mosquitoes and gnats in
southern New England, and being so physically miserable that I lose
focus on the bigger picture and can see only the current, but
temporary, misery.

Bicycle touring is somewhat analogous. It is a deeply satisfying and rewarding way to travel, but it isn't always "fun." Sometimes getting from here to there is simply a job of work that needs to get done.

I am told that thru-hiking is more a mental and emotional challenge
than a physical one. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if I am up
to that challenge or not.

--
~~~~~
Allen F. Freeman
allen@allenf.com
www.allenf.com
allenf.blogspot.com

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