[pct-l] impact of a thru-hike

[Scott Williams]

We are all so different.  I went at it so haphazardly, not even planning on
hiking the whole trail originally, that I had very little of that
determination.  What I focused on was not the goal, but the experience of
the day in, day out, life on trail, always heading north, but simply one
step after another.  Anywhere short of Washington, even the thought of the
totality of what I was attempting was enough to make me shiver.  Only in
northern WA did I start to marvel at what I'd done up to then.  My response
was to have no determination at all, but to simply focus on each day, each
snow pack, each stream crossing as if they were all that mattered and of
course all those wonderful angels and friends along the way.  I almost
wonder if I would have made it at all if I'd been focused on the goal of
Canada.

Vive la difference!!!  There are so many ways to have this experience, from
a day hike or a weekend on trail, to the one who just makes it to Canada
because he hasn't been focusing on Canada.  Then there are those who find a
determination that takes them to a goal, and a dream, that changes their
life.

Hike on my friend!

Shroomer

On Sun, Mar 10, 2013 at 5:52 PM, Tom Holz <tom.holz at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mar 10, 2013, at 3:13 PM, Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <
> diane at santabarbarahikes.com> wrote:
> > Before you go, you are full of what-ifs, but once you are out there,
> > every what if actually does have a solution, even if the solution
> > is something you would never think of  in the comfort of your
> > own home.
>
> We are getting away from the original subject of plantar fasciitis, but...
> Yes!
>
> For me, thru-hiking is a balance of single-minded determination and
> flexibility to adapt to circumstances that you cannot foresee.  For someone
> like me--who guaranteed success by only attempting what I could
> sufficiently understand, plan, and predict the outcome of--developing
> confidence to move forward into uncertainty was life-changing.
>
> Bigfoot
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