August 25 - A month later

August 25, 2005
Danielle:
Despite what you think of Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods," whether his friend Katz is real, whether he is truly depicting the AT experience, one has to admit that he is a gifted writer. As Ryan was finishing up his re-reading of the book today, he read off a quote to me that rang true for both of us.
"I had come to realize that I didn't have any feelings toward the AT that weren't confused and contradictory. I was weary of the trail, but still strangely in its thrall; found the endless slog tedious but irresistible; grew tired of the boundless woods but admired their boundlessness; enjoyed the escape from civilization and ached for its comforts. I wanted to quit and to do this forever, sleep in a bed and in a tent, see what was over the next hill and never see a hill again. All of this all at once, every moment, on the trail or off."
The trail was fun and pain, joy and misery, all at once. If we were still out there, headed north, we would have close to a month of walking to go. We know we would be excited, but tired, wanting to reach the end and not. The trail tugs at us, but civilization sure is nice. We are sad, still, to not be out on the trail with our friends, wandering through the northern woods, and yet, happy to know we'll have the chance to spread out our experience, enjoy the trail in short bursts and at a more leisurely pace over the next few years. We will never stop thinking about the trail, one way or another, remembering the good and bad, and I suppose, really, that was what it was, and is, all about :-)
-Sparkplug

My body still hurts. -a P.S. by Snowman