Living too far from the AT

[StarLyte]

Depression, anxiety, loneliness, jealousy, sleeplessness, anger, desire.

These things come to mind when I think about living so far from the AT.

Those of you that live close to the AT are fortunate.

The closest point of the AT is 5 hours away from me-Duncannon, then Pine Grove 5-1/2, Harpers Ferry 6.

I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. My father and I have been driving to the Appalachian Trail since I was a child. I know most AT forest service roads better than locals do. I have film of me hiking on the AT when I was 8 years old. I'm 49 now.

I used to sneak out of the house when I visited my grandfather and run to the Trail. I always looked back at his house to make sure I kept it in sight distance. I would run as fast as I could to make it there. Once inside of it's corridor.....the world became a fantasy and I didn't want to leave that. It's still like that for me.

So, I'm used to driving this, but this past year, it is REALLY getting to me.

The desire to be closer is just hitting me like a ton of bricks and I'm tired of waking up wondering what it would be like to view a mountain in my back yard instead of a 1/2 acre of fenced in property.....all the trees in my back yard have white blazes painted on them. I have an Appalachian Trail wall filled with photos and postcards of beautiful friends and memories. I have Earl's pith helmet hanging here. My backpack sits right next to the computer so that all I have to do is grab it and take off!

Tricks would understand me. I hope he reads this.

Does anyone else go thru this?

It's very painful.

I have a beautiful life here in Cleveland, but yet, I don't.

[Lone Wolf]

Then get your butt to Damascus!

[SGT Rock]

I've lived in West Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Louisiana while trying to feed my AT addiction. It helps to have other trails to help ease the desire to hike, but they are not always as fulfilling as being in the Appalachians. That said, there are some great trails out there and the AT is not the only game in town so to speak. Getting a taste of other flavors of hiking such as trails that are "wilder" can give one an appreciation of likes and dislikes about certain aspects of the AT and influence hiking styles and attitudes. Imagine eating the same good steak and baked potato dinner every day then one day getting to eat a nice boiled crab leg dinner. Both are great, but you can get tired of one and it makes appreciation of the other that much better.

So how I coped was hiking what trails I could, posting on WhiteBlaze and other sites, and make it to the AT whenever I could.

And as soon as the oportunity arises, move somewhere close to the trail.

[JojoSmiley]

Starlyte, you have a great trail out there in Ohio, its called the Buckeye Trail. Goes all the way around Ohio and has some really great little pieces in conjunction with the North Country Trail. Hocking Hills has a section named for Grandma Gatewood. Beautiful cave there, huge! Check it out and Savor those moments too!

[Lilred]

I go thru the exact same thing every time I think about living on a lake. I grew up on a lake and my folks sold the place when I was 18. For 30 years I've dreamed of getting back on one. And you're right, sometimes it darn well hurts. Well, it looks like my dream is about to come true although with a price. We purchased a lake lot 10 years ago. My youngest is now a senior, and my husband and I have decided it's time to do it. The price we'll have to pay is an hour and 15 minute commute. I think I can live with that to have my dream come true.

I highly recommend trying to make your dream come true. If it's at all possible for you, make the move. We're not getting any younger, and I want what I want while I can still enjoy it. I read somewhere that God gives each person a special place that touches their heart in order for us to know Him better through His creation. It's a lake for me, sounds like it's the AT for you. I say go for it. My sister is 53 and she just quit her job as a nurse, sold everything she owned up in Michigan and moved to Key West, Fl. She's loved that place since she was 18. She now sells jewelry she makes at Mallory Square.
Making the decision to move is a scary thing. We're giving up a town I've come to love over the last 15 years, friends we probably won't see again, a lifestyle I've grown accustomed to. I've been weighing all this in my head, but my desire and need to be on a lake is paramount now. I feel like if it doesn't happen now, it never will, and that is NOT an option.
My advice Starlyte, make the move. Move heaven and hell to make it happen. Got a husband? Convince him you need this for your sanity and health. My hubbie knows my 30 year dream. He was there when I broke down in tears of joy when we bought the property. He's seen me shed tears more than once over the loss of that lifestyle. Thank goodness we don't have to quit jobs.
I'm 48 Starlyte, and time is flying by so very fast these days. Ten years from now I'll be kicking myself in the arse if I don't do this. What will you be doing 10 years from now? Staring at that fence?
Did you post this thread to find kindred spirits or to find someone to kick you out of Cleveland and all the way to the mountains?
Consider yourself kicked, from a kindred spirit.

[fishinfred]

I can relate Starlyte as I am stuck here in Mi. feeling the same way about being so far from the trail.I can feel it calling me back everytime I click this site open ,or every night when I wish I could hear the owls ,or with every sticker or pendant I make it is pulling at me and I want to run back but just can't.I have an elderly mother that keeps me from moving for if i leave the responsability falls on my daughter to care for her grandma,and she is getting married in oct., so I just keep plugging along staying as close as I can to the good thoughts of the trail and the friends Ive made out there .I've just about worn out the 3 CDs i got from Takoma Ted at Trail Days........Calling me back.....
Eventually I hope to move somewheres close to the Trail (like Damascus) and open a little Appalachian Gift and Souvenier store with a bunkroom in the back .......
For now I just have to wait and keep making stuff (to keep my sanity) but I know I'll be making it back someday!
In fact I may try and complete my hike this fall Monson to Harpers Ferry after the FEED . My pack is ready and so am I.... but its not worth making plans as for me plans keep changing so I just go with the flow ...it will happen when it happens .....
Keep dreaming Starlyte and it will happen!

See ya out there eventually!
PEACE
Fishinfred

[Nean]

I have film of me hiking on the AT when I was 8 years old. I'm 49 now.

First of all, watch your typos! I'm sure that must be a 3, not a 4.
Too bad you missed the post about me moving. We had a mountain in the front AND the back yard while the trail crossed our driveway. It was neat to look out your window and see the hikers. No nieghbors, surrounded by the Pisgah NF. Damn StarLyte, now you got me depressed.
We live in hell now, aka New Orleans, but are always looking for a place and dreaming. I can see us w/ a hostel on the Divide by next spring. Life is short, the trails are long.... plenty of room and reason to move!

[Amigi'sLastStand]

Funny I should come across this post now. I have arrived in back in Fl now, and one of my first thought after I laid in bed my first night back was," Damn, gonna be hard getting to any gatherings now." I have the Florida Gathering that frieden and I got organized, so I hope that calms my addiction somewhat, but I sure do miss being 1.5 hrs from the AT. I love the FNST, as I live right on it, but the majesty and grace and history of the AT just aint replaceable. I wish Benton MacKaye had turned south from GE all those years ago. Then he could have ended at Mt. Key West!

[Footslogger]

The closest point of the AT is 5 hours away from me-Duncannon, then Pine Grove 5-1/2, Harpers Ferry 6.

I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Does anyone else go thru this?

It's very painful.

I have a beautiful life here in Cleveland, but yet, I don't.

==================================

First off ...I was born in Cleveland too.

Second ...if you thing YOU'RE far away just imagine living in Wyoming. Sure, we've got some great trails/hiking out here but if you feel a special connection with the AT like we do it DOES get painful now and then, especially in February/March and again in September/October.

For the past several years we've made the pilgrimage back east, generally for Trail Days, and combined that with some hiking. But ...it ain't cheap and it does get rougher and rougher every year.

'Slogger

[Vi+]

StarLyte,

Some dreams endure, some pass with time. The problem is, knowing what you’ve got.

I used to hunt deer. I’d scout them for a week or two, then hunt them a week or two. One time I even camped under a very low Fiat, in snow I had to scoop out each morning and evening, to get beneath and out from under the car.

I would sometimes unexpectedly bump into some long-abandoned homestead, while hunting out in the middle of nowhere, and think how much I would prefer to live there.

I’ve lived and worked all other the U.S. and overseas. I moved to a very small house with a great yard, almost a hundred acres. I see the Appalachian mountains and drive to the AT in about 45 minutes.

I discovered I really just wanted to get farther away from people and more into nature. I no longer hunt.

I commuted 66 miles each way, to and from work. Hiking the Appalachian Trail was a dream which helped me cope with working until I retired. I started a Thru-Hike but aborted it shortly after beginning when a knee problem flared up. I day-hike, hike overnight, and section-hike as I prefer. A Thru-Hike is still a dream, but may remain just that. I can live with that.

So, for my wife and me, rural living is very important. Hiking the AT is great - our close proximity to the AT probably has kept us from moving elsewhere - but it’s not as enduring a need as is the rural lifestyle. You may be able to satisfy your needs elsewhere; or not.

Oh, what to do, what to do? That is a problem.

[MOWGLI]

The grass is always greener.... Relocating to Chattanooga has been nice, but dang, I do miss New York sometimes, and living 5 minutes from the AT. So, what's our next move you ask? Probably Colorado in about 3-4 years. Huh? That makes no sense! Well, actually, I have a sister out there and our eldest daughter is about to move there. So it does make sense on some level.

Like Jo Jo said, these days I focus more on "other" trails. To me, the AT is not the "be all and end all", but then again, I've done a thru-hike. If I was sectioning away, I might feel differently.

Figure out what you want, and make it happen! Ready, aim, aim, aim, aim, aim, aim, aim, aim gets you nowhere. You have to eventually pull the trigger.

[StarLyte]

Hey JoJo--Yes I'm on the Buckeye Trail frequently. You can't tent anywhere near here so I do travel a bit to backpack. I belong to 3 hiking groups in NE Ohio as well. 3 weeks ago it was too hot to hike and we riverwalked. Rockdancer and I were just on a bit of the Buckeye Trail a month ago: http://tinyurl.com/fnzx5

Nean you are so charming.

'Slog - I bet you have a beautiful view in Wyoming! But yes, you are really far away.

Lone Wolf---I'll see you real soon.

[Doctari]

Hanna Hanger lives in Hawaii, that is a bit further than Cleveland

I'm planning a trip next April or May (2007) SOOO, if you only want to drive to Cincinnati, My wife will be dropping me off just south of Roan Mt & (My plan is) I'll hike to Damascus. Wife will stay with friends nearby, & pick me (US?) up in Damascus.


Doctari.

[soad]

all the trees in my back yard have white blazes painted on them.

I read this quote this afternoon and went out and painted a 2x6 inch white blaze on a tree in the woods behind my house....THANKS!!!!!!!!!

[Freeman]

I see a cabin in your future.....elec, water, sewage, simple.
A small porch, surrounded by woods, fireplace.
You are in love.
No one else lives around for miles.
There are blue blazes in your backyard leading to......
....stay tuned

[Gray Blazer]

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Try 10 hours! I know it's a choice and one day we intend to move near the trail, probably somewhere near Damascus. Until then I'll be hanging out at Whiteblaze and living the trail vicariously through the rest of you. We just got back from a trip up north. We hiked 20 miles near Dicks Creek Gap, camped out on Albert Mountain (Got some great shots) camped at Beauty Spot and rafted the Pigeon River (a lot of water) ate at Erwin Burrito ..AND...found Miss Janet's hostel. Funny thing, she wasn't home, she was vacationing in FL. One day I'll meet you, Miss Janet! Moonshine, her housesitter was very nice and gave us the tour and told us stories about Miss J and the hikers. It felt funny being in your kitchen w/o you being there. You could call your place "Boot Hill" (I'm sure others have told you that). My son and his girlfriend gave me my 1st real trail name....Viewmaster! I'll go by gray blazer for now. I already had Attroll change my name on this website once. This may be one of my longest post, so, to all of you who haven't put me on your ignore list, thanks for reading. I intend to sponser another thru-hiker feed on Black Bald in March. I'll need some help. I intend to make it an annual event (as Archie Bunker would say, "That means once a year".) Where's Neo? Hi, Larry. I'll post some new pics to my gallery tomorrow.
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[Gray Blazer]

Whoops, I forgot. See ya at the FL gathering.

[Programbo]

While I don`t exactly live right on the AT I can reach pretty much any point from Northern Virginia thru Southern PA within 60-90 minutes (I actually hiked a section near Pen Mar earlier today and then in the afternoon I drove down near Harpers Ferry and did a small section)...I can understand how you feel though..I`m sure we ALL live far away from someplace we love to spend time and are jealous of those who are there all the time...But please remember that those who live in that place often take those places for granted and don`t give them a second thought...I often drive thru Washington DC and look at the White House or the Capitol building or whatever and think, "Boy these people have come from all over the country and around the world to see this stuff and it`s just background junk to me."

[Hitch]

I live in a CDT trail town and only abouy .5 miles off the trail but I long for the AT. There's just something about the AT that speaks to me. I'm planning a month in September. Can't wait!!

[Shutterbug]

Does anyone else go thru this?

It's very painful.

I have a beautiful life here in Cleveland, but yet, I don't.

My home is approximately 3,336 miles from the AT and some of the best hiking in the world is less than 50 miles from me. Still, I have to return to the AT once a year to get my "AT fix."

Week after next is my time for this year. I am flying back to Maine to do the 100 mile wilderness again. I can hardly wait.