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[at-l] Re Timeframes and Journals and Such



Frank, you are my hero!  Such a positive attitude!!!  Hope you and Paula are
going to be at the Soruck, there's a big hug I've been owing ya headed your
way.

Shelly Hale
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Frank Looper" <mapster@charter.net>
To: <at-l@backcountry.net>
Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2005 4:58 PM
Subject: Re: [at-l] Re Timeframes and Journals and Such


> > Friends and neighbors:
> >
> >       This thread could not be more timely.   With a start date of March
> 14, I
> > have reached the fifth level of Pre-Hike Purgatory -- you know the one
> where
> > you're desperately trying to get it all together, and the pile of stuff
in
> the
> > corner keeps growing, but the backpack just sits there looking at you
> saying --
> > "Yo, Dude, I ain't getting any bigger, ya know, "  and you just spent
> three
> > whole days of your Christmas vacation planning which shelters to stay in
> and how
> > many miles a day and how many mail drops between Springer and
Waynesboro,
> and
> > then you get this email that gives you what you just KNOW is the right
> mileage
> > per day for Georgia, and you say to yourself "FONTANA".    Now I've got
to
> go
> > back and redo the whole thing.
> >
> You sound a lot like me this time last year. One word of advice: Quit
> worrying! Well, that's two words, but you get the idea.
>
> I over-planned everything, carried too much gear, and stressed way too
much
> about "getting it right." Then I started getting headaches everyday, and
> came off the trail in NC. I got extremely depressed because I hadn't "got
it
> right." I hid out for months after I came back, partly from hurting so
> bad--I still get those headaches--and partly from a misplaced sense of
> embarrassment.
>
> There is no right way except to enjoy yourself. There is no wrong way
except
> to worry too much.
>
> I'm going to take off on a hike from Springer again this year. I'm not
gonna
> call it a thru-hike, unless I end up in Maine. That's reasonable for me,
> because of the frequency of major migraines and cluster headaches that I
> have. I'll get both occipital nerves blocked right before I leave, take my
> meds every day, take a lot less gear, and hike until it isn't fun any
more.
> Not a bad idea, IMO.
>
> 90% of the folks who start don't do a thru-hike. Chances are that you and
I
> won't either. Does that mean that we shouldn't try? No. It just means that
> it shouldn't be what it takes to brand our hikes as successful. I had a
good
> time last year, and I'm going to have a good time again this year.
>
> :-)
> Frank
>
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> at-l@backcountry.net
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>
>
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>



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