Final Thoughts

So, Matt, how was the trip? Was it worth it?

Yes, it was. Absolutely. An incredible experience. Looking back now, I'm disappointed I put this off for so long. It was pretty much what I had hoped it would be - and even better than that.

Ever since college, I've occasionally daydreamed about being a vagabond, and this will be the closest I'll come to that sort of lifestyle. Everything I needed to live was on my back. Most days, I didn't know where I would sleep that night. If I was feeling social, I could camp at a shelter, and have the company of whoever else happened to be staying there. If I wanted to be alone, I would find two trees and hang my hammock and enjoy some peace and quiet.

It sounds a bit cliché, but it really was incredibly freeing to not be loaded down with the rest of my possessions. I carried everything I needed to stay alive and little else. Now that I'm back home, I am overwhelmed by all of the stuff in my apartment. Stuff that I will use and enjoy on occasion, but not stuff that I need. Life feels unnecessarily complicated now that I'm off the trail.

At least in my apt complex, people don't talk to each other. You can walk down the sidewalk and pass people, and they won't even glance at you to say hello. That was not at all the case on the trail. Everyone wanted to stop and talk about the weather or how your (or their) hike was going. Everyone was looking out for each other - even though in many cases we barely knew each other. Non-hikers that you met along the trail were just as nice - if not more. They were so impressed with the magnitude (and novelty) of your hike, that they couldn't help but interview you - and occasionally help you out with food or lodging or giving you a ride to/from town.

These are people that I probably never would have talked to if I had met them here in ATL. Some were too sketchy-looking; some were too clean-cut. Off the trail, unfortunately, I tend to gravitate towards other people similar to myself: 20-something, college-educated, way-too-sarcastic. But for the past five weeks, I was so far outside of my comfort zone, it's almost hard to believe. It's something that takes a lot of effort here in the city, but happens completely naturally on the trail.

From AT 2010

Some people take-on the AT for athletic or weight-loss purposes. I met one girl who was hiking the trail because it was one item on her bucket list. Next on her list: an Ironman Triathlon. Her plan was to use the thru-hike as training for the triathlon next year. Pretty much everyone on the trail loses some weight while they're out there. The bigger you are when you start, the more you lose. I met a few guys who lost 30/40 lbs - and that was after just a few weeks on the trail. I lost between five and ten lbs, which is about what I was expecting.

For me, part of the attraction in backpacking is deprivation. In civilization, having a glass of water is nothing special at all - almost a little dull when you have soda or juice or milk available. But out in the wild... you've never tasted better water. After a long day, sweating and cursing the mtn for making you climb it, mixing some koolaid with the water you pumped from the spring next to you campsite is nothing short of mind-blowing. Going without the luxuries we normally take for granted has a way of making you appreciate everything that you have.

For some people, backpacking in the mtns is a way of communing with nature. In my head, I pictured myself coming back from my hike with a renewed appreciation for the wild - a cross between John Muir and Bear Grylls. That didn't really happen. I can't identify what kind of tree or bird that is, but I can tell you that I enjoy it and am glad to be out here in the woods.

During the five weeks I was on the AT, I found myself thinking a lot about stuff off the trail, things that I was going without - books, movies, hot delicious food, soda, warm running water, beer, the list goes on. But now that I'm back, I find myself thinking about the trail. Backpacking may be inconvenient, dirty and incredibly lonely at times, but that's just the price you pay for a simpler and more peaceful way of life.

If anyone reading this is considering doing a long hike on the AT themselves, I would highly recommend it. This sort of thing isn't for everyone, so it's hard to say. All I can tell you is that it worked for me. Some days are really bad (e.g. bad weather, you're getting sick of your trail food, your body hurts), but in my experience, the bad days were outnumbered by the good.

Thanks for reading, everyone!