So all totalled now we've been on the trail for about 20 days now or
as I like to think of it 162.9 miles and there have been a lot of ups
and downs in both terrain and spirit but other then getting really
smelly and tired one of the things that being on the trail has given
me is perspective. So I figured I might share a little bit of that
with you. First off I have learned a level of contentness that I had
never before. What I mean is this when your on the trail you have to
learn to be content with the situation for instance the first 11 days
of the trip, 7 of the days it rained and it was really tough but you
get to the point where you don't let it botherbyou anymore because
like it or not you will get wet and dirty and like it or not you can't
stop hiking you stop and you run out of food. So you just have to be
content with your surroundings cause sometimes you just have to walk
in the mudd cause there's no where else to go. Beyond that you gain a
lot of perspective on other things you take for granted. Again take
something like a mile you don't really apericate how long a mile is
until you walk it up and down a mountain with forty pounds on your
back and then to get into a car and drive what takes you a whole day
to walk in less then 10 minutes and you really apericate how long a
mile is. Now for this next part I might get a little gross so I
appologize in advance. When you are on the trail you are given a
trail name by other people that you go by and then everybody knows you
by that name and so my name is decidely "cat hole" and for those of
you who don't know what that means a cat hole is a hole you dig in the
ground in the woods so you can go, well, poo. The reason I was given
this name was for what ever reason, I think I've been cursed, I have
had to go almost everyday since I have been on the trail if not twice
a day. So someone thought it would be a good idea to call me cat hole
since I have become quite good at making them. Anyway the reason I
tell you this is because after doing all this for twenty days when you
come across a port-a-poty it is one of the nicest and best smelling
things you come across and before I started I would never have let
myself go inside of one now when I get to one I want to take my time.
Again sorry if I grossed you out, but again take water it is one of
the greatest luxuries to come across a foset that gives you water the
moment it turns on and keeps giving you water until you turn it off or
even just being able to go inside when it rains. Well anyway I wrote
this not to tell you to stop taking things for granted rather I wrote
this to let you know how thing were for me and to have you maybe smile
every time you get to go number 2 while inside. I hope you are
reading this and doing well. This cat hole on the AT signing off.
