[at-l] a sobo remembers...the question

[icw39@ncfreedom.net (Clark Wright)]

Nice post - my standard answer while out walking last summer was "I've
always dreamed of doing it, but I cannot answer you fully unless and
until I finish whatever portion I am destined to finish!"  Colin
Fletcher was also a great, early influence on me; more recently, I
really loved reading Bryson's book, Luxemberg's book, and Lynn Setzer's
book . . . they all were inspirational in their own way to me! :)

There are so many reasons to start, but then everything changes while
you are out there . . . and afterwards . . . still learning and
discovering reasons every day!

hike on!

thru-thinker

South Walker wrote:
> 
> The Question
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> The syntax, tone and emotion with which the question was asked varied almost as much as the people who posed the question but the meaning was clear: "Why are you doing this hike?"
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> It seems clear enough more than two years later but at the time I couldn't quite get with the question. I had read the books and stories about thru-hikers and many of them hiked for a noble reason; a lost parent, a sick friend; an awareness needed to promote some cause.  I had no noble cause; my family was well, as was I and so I couldn't quite get what the askers of the question wanted me to say.
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> Frustrated with my inability to provide what I thought a suitable answer I discussed it with other hikers and found to my surprise that I didn't need some lofty purpose and it was indeed OK to merely be doing what I wanted to do, hike the trail.
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> And so when the question was asked again I simply said that I had read about long distance hiking when I read Colin Fletcher's book, "The Man Who Walked Through Time" and the idea had captured my imagination. Other books followed and I realized that people actually hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. The idea remained solidly in my head and with section hikes on the trail and opportunities to meet thru-hikers I began to dream about some day making the commitment to do a thru-hike. The opportunity came and I took it.
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> Which is what I told a small group of women in VA when they posed the question. As I finished my spiel one of the women said, "Do you know what you are doing out here?"
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> Misunderstanding her meaning I became defensive and told her that while I certainly wasn't the best hiker on the trail, I had made it more than halfway and would, God willing, some day make it to GA.
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> "No" the lady replied quickly. "That isn't what I mean. Look at it this way. You read about doing the AT, it became a dream that you held for years and now you are doing it. So, what you are doing is living your dream."
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> "I never thought about it that way before. I guess you are right about that. I am living my dream", I replied.
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> "And the other part you don't realize is that by doing so you are unique. Look, we all have dreams as we go through life. But you made it happen. You seized the opportunity to make your dream come true. Most people never do that. And that is why you are unique."
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> I though about that conversation for days, playing it over in my head and the more I thought about it the more I realized that the lady was correct. I was living my dream. And once more realized how blessed I was in being able to do my hike.
> 
> South Walker
> MEGA 1999
> 
> In hiking there is no special recognition given for speed, style or finesse. There are only those
> who do the hike and those who don't.
> 
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