Remember that first day of college when your parents drop you off at the dorms with all your stuff and you don't know anyone, you feel like your in a foreign land and you have faintest remembrance of how to academically study... Well that's what I feel like for me right now. Especially when my parents (BackpackingAT friends : Eric, Lauren and Bo), foreign land (new part of the Appalachian Trail) and study (general hiking practices and mindset) are all preparing me for what's to come. Not to mention it costs too much to drop out half way through!
After a SOLID week of male bonding, acting silly and floating down a river (winter/summer break) its time to get back into the groove for my second semester as freshman on the trail.
With a couple heart warming "see you soon" exchanged, I am dropped back off on the trail.
Slowly warming my thought process to nothing less of Bear Grylls, I realize that i need to be cautious of my new shoes, where I reorganized my belongings in my backpack and.....ohhhh shit.... I forgot to get gas for my stove!
Walking a mile into the trail, I mentally calm myself down knowing that I will be passing through a town within the next couple of days that should have gas for me. Meanwhile I just have to build a small fire like I would have, had I not brought my gas burner. No Big Deal.
But what is that? A hot sensation coming from the left side of my left foot. Is my pinky toe already being irritated by the new shoes? Perhaps I should walk on it a little bit further as the shoe has time to loosen up.... Right? Well after a stopping every couple miles to readjust, I think I might be able to live with it.
Now it's getting dark...I'm in between shelters and not looking to hike in the dark. I hear the tops of the trees move in the distance like static on a broken TV getting louder and louder. With the sudden drop in temperature and the smell of humidity in the air, you know it's about to rain. So I find a small open area (with minimal rocks covering the flat spots) and set up my tent as fast possible. As soon as my last stake was forced into the rooty soil, rain drops start bouncing off my tensioned vestibules walls. Enter the thunderstorm which sets the tone for a mental horror story...
Now here I am; Alone, Without gas and friends.
Luckily It's not that dramatic (but it is when your in my shoes and not behind a computer in your house/work) and I have my good friend Mr. Technology to keep me company. All of a sudden being sent to my room by Mother Nature is not so bad. Having all the Verizon 4G service my phone's battery can use, I pass the time writing thoughts out like this (or actually being lazy and using the speaking-2-text feature), uploading the days pictures and catching up for a hot minute with friends and family. I'm no longer alone. It's nice to know that even in the absence of most comforts, technology somehow has/is a remedy. GenY for life.
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