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[at-l] A more distant perspective

This message may be a bit long and rambling, but I hope someone finds it be
one of those messages worth filing away and pulling out some day when it makes
more sense to the reader.

My name is Dan "Focus" Grossman, GA->PA 96, PA->ME 97.  You can check all the
pesky data on my hike at http://www.cs.cornell.edu/Info/People/danieljg/at. 
This data is exactly what I am _not_ writing about today.  I have been on this
list longer than most of you -- about 3 years I think.  You haven't seen a
post from me in months.  I get the list in digest mode.  I don't read most of
the messages -- just skim the titles, really.  Why?

Because I don't care what stove you use.  Or where you stay in Monson.  Or
whether you go Trail Days.  Or if you hike South to North.  Or treat your
water.  Or like Wingfoot.  Or blue-blaze.  Or trim another pound from your
pack.  Don't get me wrong -- these are all important things to you.  They were
important to me too, and they still are from a logistical point.  But others
are plenty eager to answer your questions.

Does this mean I've put the Trail behind me or that I don't have the decency
to care about other people's hikes?  Absolutely not.  If your hike is
one-tenth as meaningful and rewarding as mine, then you are truly fortunate. 
I'll do anything to help you.  I want people to have those moments that will
stick with you long after you don't remember how many ounces your fuel bottle
weighed.  Those feelings that you just don't get on a weekend hike:

* Walking into Fontana Dam and realizing that after years of dreaming, you
really are capable of hiking the AT.  Realizing that only a calamity such as
serious injury will stop you.
* Sitting in SNP, hearing "Rocky Top" being sung, and realizing, "I just
walked here from there."
* Walking through a thunderstorm in Pennsylvania and bringing yourself to
tears just thinking about the sign on top of Katahdin.
* Seeing Katahdin for the first time and realizing that you would literally
crawl to the top on your hands and knees if you had to.
* Having your parents pick you up at a road-crossing a thousand miles from
where you last saw them -- and showing up 20 minutes early.
* Sleeping on a closet shelf of a bar in Unionville, NY and feeling like a
king because you're not out in the rain.
* Seeing a home-made sign on a tree that beautiflly understates, "Welcome to
Maine."
* Meeting hikers you've been 2-4 days behind for 6 weeks.
* Listing all the parts of your body that have hurt at least once in the last
two months -- and realizing there aren't many left.
* Being unable to look at a U.S. map without mentally tracing a path from
Georgia to Maine.

Of course, these are just a few of the important things that can never be
taken away from me.  I don't talk about them much, nor do I feel the need to. 
But from the message titles on the list lately, I thought they might be
helpful.  Do everything possible to make your hike a success, go out there and
be a part of the Trail, and realize just how satisfying an end-to-end hike can
be.  A year later, you might sound a little like me.

-- 
|Dan Grossman		 Cornell Univ Computer Science H:607 256 0724 |
|danieljg@cs.cornell.edu 4132 Upson Hall	       O:607 255 1179 |
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