Georgia and
North Carolina
"If Stupidity got us into this mess,
then why can't it get us out? "
March 2000.
Ok so let's get the "trail divorce" out in the open so I get on with the rest of my story. Jeff and I decided to hike the trail together as a couple. No big deal, right? Well just a week into the trip Jeff decided that he "didn't want to be in a relationship" on the trail. That was about all he said. I wish I had a long drawn out dramatic tale to tell but Jeff was a man of few words, at least when it came to breaking up with someone. So there I was, out in the middle of the woods in Georgia, faced with the rejection of this person that I cared for and dealing with the thought of how the heck am I going to pull this off by myself now and do I even want to? Luckily I am pretty stubborn and proud and I was not going to let this person who dumped me "win" by getting to stay on the trail while I went home to feel sorry for myself. Oh no girls, don't ever do that! Mind you we tried to continue hiking as friends for another few weeks but it just wasn't working and Jeff finally said that he thought we should split entirely. So I called my dad and had my one-person tent sent to me, switched out all of the gear we were sharing, and we then continued north separately. (We had separate mail drops for our food supplies so we did not have to worry about somehow dividing those from home.) I passed Jeff (trail name: Hoagie Dreamer) in Virginia and never saw him again on the trail. I ended up finishing 2 months before him and I have to admit that it feels pretty damn good to know that I kicked ass, stayed focused, and did not let that one bad experience ruin my personal dream of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail.
Of course it's all easy to talk about now that the feelings are long gone and in the past. But at that time I was really upset by the whole situation. One of my problems with it all was that I did not want to be known as "the girl in the couple that broke up on the trail." You see, everyone knows everyone's business in the thru-hiking community and since we don't have tv or office gossip out in the woods, everyone takes on to talking about everyone else. It's kind-of fun actually. Anyway, this was the main reason why I hiked ahead in many back-to-back 20 mile days - because I wanted to get away from all that talk and just meet new hikers and people who would not judge me based on the "divorce".
In between all of the break-up stuff, we were still hiking north and getting used to life on the trail. The weather quickly turned to rain and colder temperatures after the first week. It was exciting to complete the 88 miles of trail in Georgia and get to the first state line. Some memorable events including getting my first mail drop in Helen, GA (food resupply), climbing Albert Mountain at 5220 feet, and staying at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) in Wesser, NC. My right foot had begun to slowly hurt more and more every day. The pain was like a hot poker shooting through the ball of my foot. Although I tried to ignore it, I quickly realized that it was going to become my biggest physical problem on the trail.
Journal Entry 3.13.00
"15.1 miles today - wow! And my first solo day too. Crossed the NC/GA border today. No more Georgia! Now it's the NC/TN shuffle, for awhile anyway. Felt pretty good hiking alone, well after this morning anyway. I was feeling the blues big time this morning, feeling sorry for myself, wishing I had never changed my plans, regretting being here..."
Journal Entry 3.14.00
"It's only been 10 days and so much has happened - it's hard to imagine what another 160-some days will bring. I've decided in my solitude the past two days that I want to finish this trail regardless of where Jeff fits in. Even though I am disappointed I do not want to take the easy way out and quit. I need to know that I can commit myself to finishing this. Running away would give me short-term satisfaction but in the end I fear I would regret not trying to finish. There is still a wonderful experience to be had in this journey and I don't want to lose that because I've trapped myself in negativity and self-pity. So on to the brighter side of life and let this journey begin..."
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