Discovering the AT

This is the beginning of a story seven years in the making. For an English project in my junior year of high school, I chose to read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I had never backpacked or heard of the Appalachian Trail before. The thought of spending months in nature, exploring new places, building community with similar people and the physical challenge of traveling from Georgia to Maine on foot captivated my interest. I decided there and then that I would thru-hike the AT one day.

Looking forward to the AT got me through some of the hardest years of my life.

The past four and a half years of my journey towards the AT have been difficult, but equipped me with the mental fortitude to make it to Katahdin. I started college at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with no intention of accelerating my graduation timeline. As the years went by and it became clearer to me that starting a thru-hike in May after graduation would be too late, I adjusted my plans to graduate a semester early. I then added on an extra year of school in order to get my Master’s; it made sense to me to knock out all of my schooling at once so that I never have to do it again. I am emerging from one of the most rigorous engineering schools in the country with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. I am proud of this accomplishment, but am most grateful for the lessons that I learned along the way. I built a tenacious work ethic which will help me be a successful engineer, but first I get to apply it on the Appalachian Trail.

I am staying true to myself and answering my call to the trail. However, it hasn’t been an easy choice to stick to, especially over the past few months as I have been wrapping up graduate school and thinking about full-time jobs. When I told my grad school advisor my plans to postpone work to chase my dream of completing the AT, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about my decision. He told me that if I was his son, he would tell me to think long and hard about this decision, and I could tell that if it were up to him I would go straight into the workforce. As I left that conversation, I smiled and laughed to myself. I believe so strongly in myself and that thru-hiking the AT is the right decision for me, that nobody can convince me otherwise. I have worked my ass off for nine semesters and now I get to reward myself for it. I smiled after that conversation because I was glad to see how dead set I am on the AT. I honestly don’t care that I am pushing off jobs for a few months. They will still be there when I finish. Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail is a once in a lifetime opportunity and now is my time to seize it.

Why do I want to hike the AT?

The Appalachian Trail has symbolized freedom for me for so many years. I feel that it is my return to nature after being stuck indoors in school for the better part of my life. Furthermore, it is the first time in my life that I am the master of my future. It is up to me to get to my destination on the trail each day. Gone will be my schooling days because that is what “normal” kids go through. From now on my life is in my own hands.

One of my biggest draws to the Appalachian Trail is that it is so starkly different from my life so far. I will carry all of my life’s needs on my back. I will hike to a new shelter to sleep in every night, or even better, find a spot to camp under the stars. As I travel through Appalachia, I will expose myself to ways of life foreign to how I grew up. This will give me a new perspective on what is important in life. I will cherish the opportunity to explore new places and gain new experiences.

A personal struggle of mine through college was finding friends who share my interests. Especially in recent semesters, I became jaded from the college party culture. I would much rather go to bed early on weekend nights and wake up before the sun rises to go on a long hike. I realized that my priorities just didn’t align with many of my peers. I have been looking forward to my thru-hike because I will finally be around people who are as crazy about the outdoors as I am.

Learning about how our ancestors, and not-too-distant predecessors survived without all of the comforts and technology which we have today fascinates me. I wonder if living simpler lives and having to work harder in some cases gave people a different perspective on life. I feel like thru-hiking the AT can give me a taste of what life is like without all of those luxuries. I am especially excited to take on the physical challenge of traversing over 2,000 miles of mountains.

I understand how John Muir felt when he said “the mountains are calling and I must go.” The mountains have been my sacred place; my place to recharge. The mountains have beckoned me through the toughest years of my life. I am excited to fully embrace them in my life moving forward, beginning on the AT.

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