[at-l] hikitis

[spiriteagle99@hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

Nancy -- that was a nice post.  Congratulations on making the decision to 
thruhike.  I assume you meant the AT -- but in any case - it is a big 
decision, and a happy one to make.  So how long is it until retirement?

I know what you mean about never imagining how long distance hiking would 
come to take over your life.  I was never athletic growing up.  I enjoyed 
short walks in the desert and picnics by a stream, but I never thought I 
would become someone for whom hiking and camping and spending time in nature 
would be absolutely essential to my wellbeing.  I never imagined doing one 
2000 mile hike, much less what I have done so far in my life (and what I 
hope to do in the future!)  Right now we are resting, saving money and 
letting the memories of sore muscles, heat, rain, dehydration, etc. fade a 
bit before we go back and try it again.  In memory, all the hard times 
become just faint echos, and sometimes a good story to relate to friends, 
while the good times become beacons, drawing us on to the next adventure, 
and rich tapestries of remembrances of beauty and happiness to savor during 
the times that we aren't living the life we love.  And in the meantime, we 
get out when we can, as often as we can, until our next long hike, when we 
will once again discover as if for the first time, "This is HARD!  But oh so 
worth it."

Ginny

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Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always 
ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is 
one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and 
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then 
providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never 
otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, 
raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen
incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed 
would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. 
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.
      — JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE,
         German philosopher and writer, 1749–1832

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