Woooooooooooohooooooo!!!
At 11:45am on October 7th, I reached the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. As I approached the iconic sign atop the mountain- a moment I had been thinking about for well longer than the length of my trip-a feeling of accomplishment, satisfaction, and relief swept over me. Some people yelled and screamed. Others cried. It was a wild range of emotions. For me, my arrival yielded a silent smile from my lips and my eyes. I was there. I was done. I was happy.
I snapped a couple of pictures, exchanged congratulations with my friends already atop and sat on a rock. While I was eating my victory twix and drinking my victory PBR, I looked out at the miles of wild, natural, and beautiful landscape. In the time I've been in the woods, a lot has happened to me, you, the world. So much has happened, but it all still seems the same. I'm no different than I was 6 months ago. My hair is longer and beard is out of control, but I'm still the same person. It is now up to me to take what I've learned in the past (about myself, community, nature, anything) and use the knowledge to build my future.
After about an hour up top, it was time to go. I put my backpack on and prepared for my journey back down. Prepared for my journey back to what the thru hikers call "the real world". I may not always know where I'm going here on out and I hope it always stays that way. Live life like the adventure it's supposed to be and you'll always be on the trail. Just make sure your shoes are tied :)
Thanks for reading
-Mojo
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