What in the world do I think I'm doing?! It's 10:30 PM on a Friday night. I'm just pulling out of a parking lot in downtown Knoxville where I have spent the last 2 1/2 hours listening to a 30-something hiker and trail runner describe in detail the gear necessary for extensive long-term backpacking in the rugged outdoors. Of the 11 attendees in the "class," only the college couple from the University of Tennessee, interested in taking off into the wild together, were also young. The rest of us were balding, graying, and spreading older men.
I call my wife to let her know I am leaving much later than expected. Now I can settle down to my 40-minute drive through the night toward home. Backpacks, mats, tents, sleeping bags, cook stoves, ground covers, wool shirts and underwear ...
it all seems so strange and yet exciting. I can see myself striding down the trail somewhere in the wilds of America, swinging my trekking poles and whistling a happy tune. The path before me is a long ribbon of adventure just waiting to be explored. I will be the one to penetrate and discover the beauty of this vast wilderness.
Then reality hits. Driving though the darkness, munching on a leftover cookie I found waiting on the passenger seat, I suddenly surface into the real world. "Who am I kidding? Look at me!" I am a 60-year-old, out-of-shape, worn-out guy. These are my strong qualities! In addition, I suffer from sleep apnea, a bad back, a poor sense of balance, vertigo, and a
great love for the comforts of home. I am the one who always found excuses through the years when the kids begged to go camping as a family - excuses not to go. I am the one who can't handle the dirt, doesn't like to sweat, and will choose a bucket of chicken over the mess of cooking outside. I don't even like s'mores!
So, what am I doing? Well, I'm in the early stages of preparing myself to hike the Appalachian Trail!
I call my wife to let her know I am leaving much later than expected. Now I can settle down to my 40-minute drive through the night toward home. Backpacks, mats, tents, sleeping bags, cook stoves, ground covers, wool shirts and underwear ...
it all seems so strange and yet exciting. I can see myself striding down the trail somewhere in the wilds of America, swinging my trekking poles and whistling a happy tune. The path before me is a long ribbon of adventure just waiting to be explored. I will be the one to penetrate and discover the beauty of this vast wilderness.
Then reality hits. Driving though the darkness, munching on a leftover cookie I found waiting on the passenger seat, I suddenly surface into the real world. "Who am I kidding? Look at me!" I am a 60-year-old, out-of-shape, worn-out guy. These are my strong qualities! In addition, I suffer from sleep apnea, a bad back, a poor sense of balance, vertigo, and a
great love for the comforts of home. I am the one who always found excuses through the years when the kids begged to go camping as a family - excuses not to go. I am the one who can't handle the dirt, doesn't like to sweat, and will choose a bucket of chicken over the mess of cooking outside. I don't even like s'mores!
So, what am I doing? Well, I'm in the early stages of preparing myself to hike the Appalachian Trail!
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