[at-l] Not Meaning to Start Something---

[turtle at min.midco.net (Howard)]

>To reprhase the wisdom of Jim Owen, instead of hiking my own hike, I
>was hiking the book's hike. Similarly, by turning yourself into a
>walking charity, you tend to be doing the hike for people and causes
>other than yourself. It skews the experience.
>  
>
I had two sponsors for my first attempt in '99.  Three days after 
starting, I had to eat a lot of crow and had to settle financially.

I can imagine myself sharing the experiences of a hike with others, but 
I don't want to spoil the experience for myself or anyone that might 
listen to my "war stories".  I've anguished over every other hike, for 
what ever reason or other.  I've hiked as part of my job and worrying 
about a paycheck, I've been frustrated about failing to meet the 
expectations of other (and my self) and had to face "I told you so"s.

 This time I don't have the expectation of  finishing a thru-hike, but I 
hope to finish.  I do expect to enjoy others and myself.  My oldest son 
said that I like hikers more than hiking--that's true, but I think I'll 
enjoy both this time.  As a retired pastor, I've learned that to enjoy a 
congregation you must become part of it--incarnate.

Turtle