Everyone hikes their own hike and packs their own fears...Maybe the completion is where my enjoyment comes from. The logistics, organizing, crunching miles and days.. and then once you hit the trail it all goes out the window
haha That's what is enjoyable to me. "Nature is just the setting"
It looks like I will be leaving 55.6 miles of VA unplanned for the foreseeable future. I hate to think I will but I know I will sneak off up there, 350 miles 1 way, twice to knock out the last 56 miles on 2 day weekends before the end of the year. Hate to do it but its worth it to me to finish VA this year. Otherwise I will be eating into my 17' plan to take 12 days (all my vaca to finish up PA and NJ).
Starting March 10th I will be starting a second map of the AT to stay in shape thru out the year for my 16 day trip. I may start map 2 and find I rather hike other trails...But I don't think so
Map2 will be much less aggressive then the first go around was, and I think I only really have a desire to finish my second map up to Fox Creek, VA. I will do all the sections in order from ASP visitor center and will kick off on one of the busiest thru start dates of early march. Should be easier this time around right?? I already have all my shuttle contacts, I know which road crossings are not so great for trip logistics, I know which hostels are or are not for me, and I know the value of seeing a trip to the end and not going home early. There isn't a single trip that I pushed to the end that I look back and regret, very few trips cut short do I recall "no other choice". Only 1 in fact.