When I tell people I am going to do something when I was younger I was stubborn to not change my mind. This mindset was part of the reason why I was hiking the Appalachian Trail. I remember making 20 boxes of about 10 days of food and mailing them out along the Appalachian trail with an ETA (Estimated Arrival Time) The shipping cost if I recall right was over a $1500 and the food inside the boxes was well over 2k. So you might say I felt obligated in a way to get those boxes. The Mississippi trip I made promises to sponsors and news outlets making hard to take back what I had set out to do take a hybrid kayak-Canoe down the entire Mississippi river. When thinking about these trips post completion the mental weight of having the task ahead of me for the AT (Appalachian trail) at times gave me the heaviest feeling in my gut. I knew I had certain fortitude and ringing out would take a knock out I had a lions heart like rocky balboa. These thoughts would make my stomach feel even heavier. The green trail felt like it went forever. The first few days hiking I went like 5-8 miles a day making my fifth day around 30 miles of 2185miles. I guess I tried to push this thought away of how little I had done. I believe the adventure installed the ability for me to accomplish long longevity task. The hike overall was one of the best adventures of my life. You could the hiker community had renewed my faith in mankind. My ability to be present and listen showing interest after hiking mail drop to mail drop was maximized. The feeling of the hiker high me and other hiker friends were entirely sure how to explain it, but it was like a euphoria. The stress in your life wasn’t the same. You could very much so control and take out variables that caused emotional earthquake. Most on the trail were calm and collected. Nevertheless I remember many times during the hike my mind getting swallowed into loneliness or isolation. In order to get better at handling this I felt the need to recreate the environment repeatedly but also was shy of the deep dive it took each time of the high board. This is a metaphor for picking up my mail drop and heading back into the woods alone for another week or two. Each time I took the plunge you might say the pattern of thoughts in isolation became more sturdy. I did not spend as much time as improving my hiking gear and situation, but I did get strong legs. When the hike was done it was bitter sweet.
Thinking about the Mississippi trip post to the event had a different feel intensity and the settling feeling was something of the matured feeling I had from taking the plunge so many times on the AT. This trip correlated to the At as I knew or felt it would help me resolve deep seated internal conflict. Also getting away from the busy life with all the technology being overstimulated as some would say was also welcomed. I was looking for a reset. The Mississippi trip occurred right after I got out of active duty and finished my associates degree in general science along with certs in manufacturing and welding. I was taking the approach different this time. I recall entertaining forestry businesses with joining conservative experts. I went to many museums and monuments. The adventure was beautiful and I only almost died like twice. I was a wild renaissance man during this trip paddling across dark lakes connected to the river at night to go to casinos and talk to people on yachts. Many opportunity’s presented itself s to add color or layers of events making the overall journey more like a wild west film. During this trip I also isolated, but this time there was another reason. It had to do with inducing creativity. However clearing my mind was often a prerequisite. I felt somewhat obliged to go to all these museums and seek abstract encounters not really paying attention to my gear and how I can improve as an outdoors man. Both of these trips I kind of trapped myself into it coming to fruition because I knew past feelings often would suggest to not do it. My ego was beaten through physiological manipulation.
Fast forward 9 years and im 36. I remember telling myself if I graduate my MS in Renewable Energy Engineering and i’m not married than I will become an international travel journalist. Manipulating myself to do this task seems more challenging. However I do feel a need for doing it. The need was more clear during my last few over nighters. I am practicing now for this epic adventure. And I am approaching with solidity and discipline. I can make my own way I believe as my grad project has been said to be patent-able. My dream of being an inventor has come true and now I want to drown in the pool of creativity. Its really a perfect challenge to prove that a life with many vectors outside of the norm can have significant outcomes. I hope to transcribe that meaning through this journey. I’ve done a couple over night trips the last 30 days and realize how much I have forgot about backpacking. I also realize how juvenile my techniques were. This next hike i am trying to focus on a heart high nutritional value diet. I also want to not rush this journey but to take it as it comes and allow for perplexity to form through repetition and trial and error. I dont know where im two on this next 5-7 day journey, but I do know I dont have much choice in the matter when it comes to camping. My coach surfing will be postpone for another week and maybe get an apartment soon. The build up for this adventure and foundation is a slow moving giant. Using certain optimism and philosophy it deems important to not allow myself to feel isolated. My last overnight trip I felt like everyone not camping was not having a good life like me. Your stuck in a matrix maybe. Im unclear where my simplistic reasoning and logical thinking is pulled from the most but traveling is said to be one of the best ways to learn and im ready to take that task on.
