~*~ Long Trail Journal
~*~
“The forest is under my fingernails. A
mountain stream runs through me. My skin smells like the rotting leaves
underfoot. I inhabit these woods no less than fleeting deer or chattering
chipmunks.” ~
Since
I did not have anyone transcribing my journal on this hike, I have decided to
post it on both trail journals and on this site simultaneously. Why, you ask?
Well, for a couple of reasons. First of all, there are hundreds of people that
read trail journals, not just family and friends. When we hikers aren’t out
hiking, we are living vicariously through other folks. Our hike has ended and
so now it is more about me keeping my own records. I also had quite a few
people email me asking what had happened and why had we stopped putting entries
on Trail Journals. People noticed when we were off the trail – and so I’d like
to provide the happy ending that although we did not complete the A.T., we were
still able to get out there and complete a long trail that we both had been
hoping to hike one day.
Antonio
decided to not keep a journal while on the Long Trail. To be perfectly honest,
I’m not really sure why. I found that most of the time, journal writing was a
great way to end the day and wind down before going to sleep. It gave me the
opportunity to relive the day and write about things that I wanted to remember.
M writing style often imitates my speaking style, and I will write in the same
manner in which I may say it. I know it makes it difficult for people who don’t
know me to take that part of my personality from it, but I’ve enjoyed hearing
from my friends saying “I can completely picture you saying that exact same
thing”. Hey, it’s me…and it’s how I want to remember things. One day I may
clean it up and polish the writing if I ever decide to pursue publication, but
in the meantime, I’ll be the terrible writer, hopeless sarcastic and frustrated
comedian that I am.
I’ve
decided that the best way to do this is by the week. I’ve arranged the format
so it is similar to Trail Journals in that you can see where we started and
ended each day, as well as how many miles we did per day. Please don’t email me
and tell me we are wimps for not hiking more miles per day. Thank you! I hope
you enjoy my journal and the pictures that I’ve included. If you have questions
about the hike, a section, a shelter, or anything at all, please don’t hesitate
to email me. It may take me some time to get back to you, but eventually I
will!
Here
is the link to my trail journal for anyone that is interested:
Thanks
for visiting! Also, if you enjoy reading them, I suggest you look around that
site. There are some really great journals out there that are fun and
interesting to read.
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