My Lists

In hopes of doing everything possible to ensure a successful thru hike, my three lists go public to the world wide web.

I am thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail because…

• if not now, when?
• I’m fiercly competitive and accept that the trail will challenge me, I will not challenge it.
• I will get soooooo many steps and make my Fitbit (and myself) extremely happy.
• I want to experience a new environment.
• Diana is counting on me.
• spending time alone allows me to reconnect with my values and meaning; solitude excites me.
• I could benefit from a pretty drastic change of pace and am excited to be in a new environment.
• confidence in decision making is a skill I typically lack, but I’m comfortably confident in the decision to thru-hike. It feels like a calling.

When I successfully thru-hike the Appalachian Trail I will…

• have a great amount of pride.
• have no regrets.
• eat pizza until I puke.
• go back to school.
• continue to get in as many steps as possible.
• reconnect only with those who add value to my life.
• continue to blog.
• stalk Beyoncé’s life from the previous six months.
• start planning my next adventure.

If I give up on the Appalachian Trail I will…

• not look at myself the same way.
• disappoint myself.
• have to publicly explain my failure to a lot of people.
• have worked a stupid amount of hours at four jobs saving money for nothing.
• feel embarrassed.
• continue to settle in other aspects of my life.
• be ashamed.

To state the obvious, the first two lists are significantly more fun to read than the third. I just finished reading Appalachian Trials and truly took a lot of the material to heart. I’ve completed my lists and am now starting to look into different meditation practices that would be beneficial on trail. Taking care of Allison’s brain is now a top priority. Don’t worry, I’m still gettin’ jacked in the gym but I need to be a strong mental athlete as well. If you haven’t read  Appalachian Trials, give it a go. It’s a quick read that will make you laugh, think, and even more excited to depart for your backpacking adventure. If you have read it, where are your lists? Mine are now taped next to my crappy A.T. map on my wall.

Cheers and happy trails,
Allison

PS: GEAR IS ARRIVING IN THE MAIL. I’M CLEARLY EXCITED