ATL (5-10-10)

I've been back in Atlanta for almost 24 hrs now, and I'm trying to ease back into my former routine. It's been overcast/drizzly most of the day, so I've only been outside a little bit - and it was to go to the grocery store. I came back from my hike a little earlier than I had originally planned, but I'm glad I came back early b/c it'll take a few days before I can pick up where I left off.

I've heard stories of hikers that finish the trail and have trouble adjusting to things once they get off the trail. The guy who runs the Blueberry Patch in Hiawassee said that when he and his son did the trail in the 90's, it was a few weeks before he could sleep inside again. When I first heard that, I was skeptical, but now that I've spent five weeks on the trail, I can believe it. I can sleep in a bed just fine, but one thing that somewhat bothers me is the stillness of the air inside. Outside, you have the wind blowing against you as you sleep and you're subject to whatever the temperature is. You also have much more sound as well - birds, trees blowing in the wind, crunching of fallen leaves. Inside, with AC/heat, everything seems so sterile. I'll get used to it pretty quick I'm sure, but for now, it feels odd.

Another phenomenon I've read about is people coming off the trail and feeling estranged from everyone they knew. People change. Drastic lifestyle changes (e.g. hiking the AT) can sometimes force you to change your world-view. I don't anticipate that really being an issue for me (party b/c I only did a piece of the trail), but once again, I can see how it would happen. Sitting in my apartment, driving to the grocery store... I recognize that it is familiar, but it still seems so alien at the same time. This might wear off in a few days.

I was putting on my old shoes earlier, and I was having trouble fitting my feet into them. I've heard that your feet may grow a size or two while hiking (b/c you're on your feet so much of them time), and I anticipated this by getting hiking shoes a size larger than I needed. But, until a a couple hrs ago, I wasn't aware that my feet had actually grown.

From AT 2010

The past few weeks have been one of the most stress-free periods in my life. On the trail, your schedule is simple: wake-up when the sun comes up, eat, start walking, eat some more, walk, stop for lunch and maybe take a nap. Then, do some more walking and continue until you're too tired (or you come to a convenient shelter). Make dinner, socialize, and then once the sun's set, it's time for bed. Out on the trail, your needs are simple: your goal each day is to end up somewhere closer to Maine than where you started. In between, you eat, walk, enjoy the occasional vista, hang out with your fellow hikers and rest when you need to. There are no deadlines, no checklists.

The transition to normal life could take a while...