Dennis is our guest blogger as he gives us his insight and reflections while hiking the AT...He truly embodies our mission of living each day to it's fullest through our compassionate and adventurous spirit...read on and be inspired....
My Katahdin I grew up in the woods. Every weekend of my childhood was spent in the White Mountains, and multi week hikes with my father were the highlights of my summers (and sometimes winters). The idea at the time was to climb all of the 4000 Footers in the Whites, and after I graduated high school I was going to hike NOBO with the old man. When I was 15 he died in an accident in the Whites, and I didn't step foot into the woods again until last summer. Life wasn't too fulfilling in this hike-free period, and by a fluke, or maybe fate, the AT spark was reignited last august when I met a few thru-hikers on Mt Washington that were coming to the end of their hike. Too many people live life for tomorrow, "I'll get around to living next year, after I pay off this credit card," "I've always wanted to hike the AT but I can't quit my job." No! That job you don't really like isn't ever going to get better, and the life you want to live is just a leap of faith away. I come across alot of people who are here to finish the Trail as quickly as possible, just another notch on the belt, and OK, hike your own hike, but come on! How many times in your life can you wake up in the morning and think "Do I want to wake up right now? No, it's warm and dry in my hammock. I think I'll go back to bed for a while and then all I need to worry about is food and water." Life, boiled down to the three things that you need to keep living. Love won't keep you alive, love isn't all you need, but the solitude of the Trail has made me realize that love is an augmentation of the life you choose to live. Many set out in life hell-bent on falling in love without ever knowing how it feels to be alone. As the type of person who rejects affection outright, the Trail has made me realize how it feels to be alone, soaking wet at the end of a long day covered in blisters, without a shower for 19 days, with nobody to get a few words of encouragement from. This is the product of my own doing, but because of the experience I've found myself shoulder-deep in I've realized the err of my ways. In summary, (although I could go for days,) life doesn't begin until you have left your comfort zone. It's scary out there. I got dealt a few bad hands, and I sat on them for far too long. I'm not full of answers, I cant figure out what the fuck it is I want to do with my life, but I can tell you one thing, it's tattooed across my back: Live for Today. Because you never know what tomorrow will bring, if tomorrow ever happens. Greenlight!
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