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This post hit close to home for me. It's been almost 20 years since my first long distance hike. It changed my life in a lot of ways, but especially in my inability to settle to normal life again. I want, need, to be traveling. That's been true my whole life, but developed into a very different way of life after I hiked the AT the first time. I love exploring new places and am most fully alive when I am traveling. I especially love spending time in the backcountry, the more remote the better, but I have discovered that I can get a lot of pleasure out of visiting beautiful places in a car, plane or train as well. As long as I am moving, I am happy. It is both a blessing and a curse. <BR> <BR>I remember talking with Rainman in the kitchen of Cindy's house at an ALDHA Spring Steering Committee meeting several years ago. He said, "Maybe if I hike the CDT I'll finally get it out of my system." We laughed. I think Mags had the same hope. <BR>
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Seems the more you wander, the more you want to wander - at least for some of us. After a few years of being homeless, I feel the need to nest for a while, but only for a short while. The wanderlust hits again remarkably quickly and soon we're making plans for the next trip. As I get older, the hiking gets harder. I've abused my body badly over the years. But I can't stop. I can't imagine settling down for good, ending my wandering. At Halloween as a kid I was almost always a gypsy. When I grew older, I took off the costume, but continued the lifestyle. Being rootless has its problems, but at this point in my life I doubt I'll change. <BR>
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Ginny<BR></body>
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