Little talk at Vermont – The Trek

I finished my walk of the Trail of the Appalaches on July 22! Now that I have a time of inactivity, I will be finishing my blog for the walk.

At the beginning of me

One of the things that excited me most was to walk through New England, particularly entering Vermont, since it had spent very little time in the state compared to Maine and New Hampshire. As much as I loved the hills, the red effects, the mountain laurels and the culture of the southern path, I yearned to return to the family field of rocks, roots, mud and perennial leaf trees of the north of New England. I was aware of the title of the path of Green Mountain State of «Vermud», which did not disappoint, since I immediately found myself crossing the prey to the Castors, navigating more steep ascents and moving through 15 -feet clay wells every room of mile when crossing the border from Massachusetts. As the long path shares its first 100 miles with the AT, I have also seen some more people on the way of the usual. Easily identifiable with impeccable equipment and honest attempts to dry the shoes bathed by the mud to the sun (something that does not doubt, also would). I enjoyed chatting with the long paths of paths and listening about their experiences in the first days of their trip.

While I took the time on the top of Bromley Mountain, I crossed the paths with a couple of the section walking along the long path. While we were talking about a small conversation, the husband shared that he spent in 2014, naturally, which led to more conversation about the path, our individual experiences and my emotional state in more than 1600 miles.

«Are you ready to do?»

I stopped for a second, a little surprised by the question and I am not sure how to answer. «Yes and not,» I replied. In addition to two days in northern Pennsylvania, there has not been a morning in which I have not been excited to walk, but there are things that certainly strange. I have been anxious to go on a mountain bike as the weather has improved, and there have been many times when I have wanted nothing more than the ability to sit on the couch with a hot coffee on a rainy day. Not to mention how frozen burritos, clif bars and tuna and rice have really begun to age. Despite these few monotony, I still feel mentally and physically strong. My motivation to get to Katahdin has not faltered and I feel prepared for what is coming in New Hampshire. In retrospect, I think a better answer would have been: «I think I will be ready to do it when I meet Katahdin.» Although most likely it ends faster than I expected, I do not feel that it moves at a pace too fast that I will miss the experience. On the other hand, the last thing I want is to be on the way for so long that I have been exhausted and frustrated, counting the days and miles until the end, with the view of Katahdin bringing relief instead of joy.

«Have you been being treated?»

The wife asked. «Yes,» I replied: «I have breakfast with a friend before.»

It was a kind of automatic response, I had to think about the course of recent months and see if I am really «treating.» Everything is so subjective, between not carrying a stove, rarely drink zero, and constantly dedicating long days, I don’t think many people classify me as a hiker focused on «comfort», but I really enjoy being on my way and I really don’t need much to stay happy. In spite of this, I have come to recognize that I am quickly approaching at the end of the path and that the land will only become more difficult. As I mentioned, one of my priorities is to make the most of my experience on the way. Lately, I have been making a point to sacrifice one or two miles at the end of a day if I meet a particularly picturesque camp or one that provides a good opportunity to swim. The most important thing is that I am trying to make one more effort to get photos of myself, since I want to have the memories to look back, no matter how strange I feel taking an uncomfortable selfie on each marker of mile or line of state that I find.

Eventually we went on separate roads, I did not walk differently for the rest of the day of what I would, but I thought about how the husband added that Katahdin would come faster than expected and if he were taking enough moments to enjoy the trip.

That night, when I went through a camp on the edge of a stream, I knew that my day was complete.

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