BECAUSE??? – The walk

Why do I want to hike the AT? That’s a very good basic question. I have some answers that begin when I sat with my father years ago while reading an article in National Geographic. «It says here that there is a trail you can hike from Georgia to Maine in the woods. This is a very interesting article, you should read it.» There’s a good chance you skimmed it and that’s when the seed was planted. After that, my dad said he thought it would be an amazing trip for him and me. At the time, I’m sure I was in high school and my dad was in the middle of «making ends meet.» But the idea never really left my mind. My dad’s health was always a problem for him and back then no one would have thought that he could have undertaken that kind of journey. My dad is my hero. It always has been. Although he was far from a perfect man, he was perfect in my eyes. He did the best he could with what he had. He was and is my best friend although he passed away many years ago.

Is that your only reason?

Well, that’s good. So you are undertaking a huge undertaking for a man who is no longer alive and you are carrying his memory. Is that all that motivates you to do this? No, and here’s a little more general information. I have been a firefighter for over 36 years and there is a good chance that by the time you read this I will have just retired or will be retiring in a matter of days. I have seen the good and bad sides of many people throughout my adult life. Being a firefighter is how I have defined myself since I can remember. With few exceptions, everyone I know is a firefighter. If you know a firefighter, we are some of the most stubborn and determined people on the planet. We allow the firefighter lifestyle to overwhelm us and we become immersed in the pursuit of being the best we can be. In addition to that we constantly set goals. Through hiking, the AT is one of the longest goals I’ve ever had. It’s time for me to retire. I have spent the last few years training others to replace me and my friends. I get to step away from everything I know for a short period of time and clear my head.

Are you going alone?

I have a friend who retired last year from firefighting and for the past few decades we have talked about hiking the trail, but never together. I was planning to go last year, but it wasn’t the right time. He had many obligations at home and his daughter had some health problems that prevented her from fulfilling her dream of the trail. My amazing wife, always insightful, looked me square in the eye a year ago and told me that if I couldn’t go with him, I should ask him to wait a year and we could go together! Sometimes I overlook the obvious and my wife sees things very clearly. I mentioned to him the next day at work that my wife thought it would be a good idea for us to go together. He stood in front of me in the room while I watched the wheels in his head turn and I finally said, I think that’s a great idea. None of us have trail names, but he’s always been known as Big Man. I’m really hoping that’s his trail name, I call him that more than his first name. We are two different people who have long been told that we are extremely similar. Big Man is a brother to me and has been for years. Starting in February we will begin a chapter of our lives that has us both super excited.

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