Monday, August 2, 2010

Maine

Written by: Katherine 'Ringleader' Imp

Our journey to Maine has been anything but perfect. There have been extreme highs and extreme lows, some moments I wish I could relive, and others I wish I could forget. But I'm not sure I would've done it any other way. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: people have all different reasons for doing a thru-hike. For me, it was not about 'leaving' society, or finding myself, or being alone, or accomplishing a physical challenge. I love society, I know who I am and what I want to do with my life, I like being around people, and I've never really had a passion for proving myself athletically. I came out here because I wanted to be shocked. I wanted something different. I wanted an experience that would help me see the world, and myself, in a new and totallydifferent way.

The first 2 months of this trip were probably some of the worst moments of my life. My body hated me and I hated my body. I was looking for external satisfaction from the thru-hiker community, from Emily and Brandon, from the trail -- and I wasn't finding it. I wanted to leave and work at a B&B in the Greek Islands.

But I stayed.

I stayed because I wanted to understand why so many people rave about thru-hiking. And I knew that I would never understand the power of a thru-hike unless I stuck it out to the end.



Maine. We are in Maine. We are 15 miles from the 2,000-mile marker. We are 10 days away from summiting Mt. Katahdin. I am 13 days away from moving to my favorite city in the world. I am 14 days away from starting my career as a lawyer. I am 25-yrs-old.

These days the trip is purely introspective for me. I don't need trail magic or music or social interaction or motels or ice cream to keep me going. I don't even need a mountaintop view. I just feel high on life all the time. I feel accomplished. I feel satisfied. I am at peace.

I now understand the power of a thru-hike.

5 comments:

  1. Congrats! What an accomplishment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You just discovered ....... You! This is what the journey is all about and you earned it. Here is a toast to the first new day of YOU!

    Jeff

    ReplyDelete
  3. That 'a' girl...so glad to hear those last few comments you wrote. See you soon...at Mt. Katahdin! Love, Mom

    ReplyDelete
  4. Number 5. Send me a wave from the top of katahdin!

    ReplyDelete