And the next adventure is...
The moment you've all been waiting for!
I did an interview for someone and one of the questions I was asked was – What would your advice be to your eight year old self? My answer was this – Don’t put so much pressure on yourself when making decisions, life is fluid and things always work themselves out in the end.
Advice I should probably take on board given how much pressure I have piled on myself while making a decision about the next adventure. I don't know what it is that holds me back. I spend a lot of time panicking about whether I am making the right decision. I weigh up so many things and go over so many options and scenarios in my head. I research every last detail and I analyse costings to the last penny to make sure I can afford to do it..
Ultimately I have never regretted doing any of the things I have done, so why would this one be any different – says the rational side of my brain. But I still put myself through this process every time.
Eventually I did make a decision and I have booked a flight to Boston in preparation to hike the Appalachian Trail.
The Appalachian Trail goes from Georgia to Maine in the United States of America and is 2,190 miles long. I have heard a lot about it from other people who have hiked the trail and it sounds like it will be a very different experience from hiking the PCT. It is nicknamed "The Green Tunnel" as you spend a lot of time in the forests, and there is a saying people adopt – "No Rain. No Pain. No Maine."
Ideally I would have chosen to go south, the AT has a bit of a reputation for overcrowded shelters and a bit of a party scene, but because of time constraints I am going north. I'm hoping that starting quite late in the season will mean that I manage to avoid the 'Chill Hard Tribes'.
My goal is to be back in England for my cousins wedding in the middle of September. I have missed a lot of events at home and family get-togethers and I would like to be back for this one. So that gives me between 115 and 119 days to complete the trail. Hopefully I will be able to do that.
If anyone is able to help me out in Atlanta, anywhere along the trail, and getting back to Boston from Maine then please do get in touch!
But what about the ocean rowing?
Unfortunately for me all of the crew are still annoyingly fit and healthy so as time goes on the likelihood of me getting the chance to go gets slimmer and slimmer.
Salisbury is a small place, it's the town I grew up in and the cup of opportunity isn't exactly overflowing. Having been here for nearly 3 months now I feel like it is starting to close in on me. Another 2 months of waiting to see if I might possibly maybe get to row will drive me mad.
If something terrible happens at the last minute and I need to step in, then I will fly to Australia and my summer will look very different, but for now my focus is on the trail. But there is a big ocean row in the planning for the not too distant future so keep an eye out for that one!
Back to now
So I now have 6 weeks to plan my hike, sort out everything that I have been procrastinating over, order all the stuff I need and brace myself over the fact I might have to eat tuna again.
6 weeks is going to fly by, I'm getting excited already...