The Climb to Katahdin: Time Moving Too Quickly/Slowly

I sell boots at The Boot Store. Where "Boot" is our middle name. I've been there for a couple years now. I can often tell what boot you are gonna buy before you even look at our pretty enormous selection. I know how it is suppose to fit your foot. I find myself saying things like, "snug is good, tight is bad" and "if you get it a little too loose at first it will be way too loose later on" wayyy too much. I've been saying it for years. There's not a whole lot more to it. It's a nice little comfortable store. Yet I am so uncomfortable there. The feeling of needing a change is overwhelming. I've never carried less about selling boots than I do now. I'm ready to be in the mountains. I'm ready to see if all the preparations, studying, and saving pays off. I'm ready to see things I keep seeing in pictures and films. I'm ready to make my own. I'm ready to get this show on the road.

I love my home. Between Baton Rouge, Baker, St. Francisville, and Liberty I'm happily content; like I have been virtually my whole life. It's time for some uprooting. I want to see what else America has to offer. I want more options. I wanna meet more people from all over, not just the ones that ended up Baton Rouge. In addition, I want to spread the news about how great the South is too.

The Trail is for everyone. It's for those reading this right now and those who aren't. Adventurers from America and travelers from anywhere else in the world. It's there for anyone who needs something different from what they have right now. It's there in the summer, spring, fall, and winter. You can decide to adventure on the AT today, tomorrow, next week, or next year. It'll be there. But this is all because of the tremendously hard working efforts of many people. Notably the original visions of Benton MacKaye and Myron Avery, to the first thruhiker, Earl Shaffer, to every single member, volunteer, and supporter of groups dedicated to keeping and maintaining the condition of trail as intended(ATC, other mountain clubs).

If there's a tree down in the trail, you can't just throw a chainsaw on a four-wheeler and go remove it like I can at the camp. You gotta hike there. And generally NOT with a chainsaw. You bring handsaws, picks, and muscles. And what do you get paid when you finally make it back to comfortable safety and a hot shower afterward? Satisfaction in knowing that you helped clear the path making it significantly easier on future hikers. Not money. To those awesome people, we thank you.

We are very determined to give back during and after the Trail. It's not all about us. It's about everyone who wants to be apart of it. "Leave a place nicer and cleaner than when you found it" my dad always told me. It's instilled deep inside my soul. And I appreciate that.

We have 46 days until the first steps on the AT. Until we see what we adjusted our lives to experiencing. Until we find in ourselves what we've been waiting to get out. Until we can say we are really doing it. And do it we will.

Again, we want to give everyone who donated a special thanks even though they deserve so much more(and will get it post trip). Just since last week, Aunt Valerie, Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Gayle/Uncle Howard, Lindsay's old manager: David Powell, Lindsay's Aunt Debbie, Lindsay's sister, Lauren Fasic, coming all the way from China with without a doubt the largest donation yet, and Brad and Laura Griffin. You guys are awesome and the fact that your support accumulated in the form a donation is overwhelmingly kind. We are going to finish for more than just ourselves. This is for everyone and we thank you again and again and again.
(don't know if I've ever started and ended a paragraph with the word, "again")

One more thing, it's looking like my awesome mother will be the one transporting us to Springer Mountain. Lindsay, Chaser, Austin aka Caveman, and myself will be piling in in just over a month to begin the journey. 9 hour drive there. 9 hours back. Thank you, mom! I love you!