Miss Janet's House
Please excuse the recent lack of updates. I have been taking a crazy emotional ride the past few days trying to come to terms with the fact that my thruhike is basically done for this year. I know I said I'd accepted the fact in a previous post, and I had, but it still comes back every now and then (read: 50 minutes out of every hour). Even if I was healed right now and started walking, I would have about 120 days to hike 2000 miles... and that's just not a speed I want to maintain. It would suck all of the fun out of hiking.
Right now, I am at Miss Janet's House in Erwin TN. I hithchiked here from Hot Springs on Saturday morning. Miss Janet's house is a trail legend... it's one of those places that is not optional: You MUST go to Miss Janet's. I have an arrangement worked out with Miss Janet: I can stay as long as I need to, to heal. In exchange, I help take care of the hikers while she is out running shuttles. She is also practically forcing me to ice my leg and take ibuprofen regularly. I've got an ace bandage wrapped around it and the swelling is finally starting to go down. I check on WebMD.com: the injury I have best fits a "Class II Groin Strain", which often takes several months to heal completely.
Miss Janet's house really is amazing, and I understand why it is such a destination. Miss Janet herself is one of the kindest people I've met, and she pulls hikers in. It's hard to leave. Most people end up staying for 3 or more days. Every morning we wake up (i've been sleeping on the couch or the floor because the place is so packed) and cook breakfast. Usually a few hikers and locals help out. There's this one local guy, kind of old, who rides his bike up in the morning and then helps set the table up and serve the food. He stands up while we all eat and runs stuff back and forth from the kitchen, telling old jokes the whole time. It's absolutely hilarious. He was thrilled to hear that I was from Great Barrington, as he'd skiied there before. After breakfast, I clean up, and the hikers head out to their various slackpacking routes. I sit on the couch all day with an ice pack and a book. I don't really get bored though because there are so many people coming and going all day.
What about the future? Well, if I heal up quickly, and am able to do small miles, I may do a little bit more hiking before coming home to the Berkshires. And just because I'm not thruhiking this year doesn't mean i'm through hiking this year. I may take a few short trips in New England, on the AT or possibly a thruhike of the Long Trail in Vermont.
I really can't say how thankful I am for all of the support I have received. I feel terrible about letting all of my fans and supporters down. If I had been a bit stronger and not gone home in February, or if I had been less stubborn and quit hiking when I got the blister in the Smokies, maybe this wouldn't have happened. There would have been a lot of ways to avoid it, but I try not to focus on that. I had invaluable learning experiences so far (and I still am), and I will have many chances in the future to come back and try again, which I fully intend to do. As for the finish date pool... one person said they wanted to revoke their bet. That's fine. I'll send back all of the bets.
Thank you so much to all of the people who sent me donations and care packages. I leave you with two options:
1) I'll give back the donation, with the promise that you may donate again next time I try, or
2) I will use the money for trail magic, to help out other hikers.
Also, to any hikers reading this, if you're ever on the AT in northern Connecticut or southern Mass, give me a call or an e-mail and if I'm in town I would love to come hike with you, maybe arrange some slackpacking and some home cooked meals. If i've met you and hiked with you, your presence is requested. Everyone else is welcome too.
So thanks again for all the support. I may not be going to Maine, but the adventure is far from over, so don't stop reading! If you're browsing around for something to read and I haven't updated, check out the Grease Frightening Saga (the link is on the upper right).
You, my readers, rock. You're the best.
Happy Trails,
Mr. Happy
posted by Josh @ 9:13 AM
7 Comments:
Josh, if you got the donation I left for Zero by mistake, please make sure he gets it.
thanks,
Ron
Just have a good time dude, thats what matters.
It's never been about the destination, Josh, it's always been the journey itself that was important. Your thruhike may have come to an end, but your journey will continue.
Heal up, go home, and keep your head high. You learned alot in a very short time, and nothing will change that.
When you're bored, be sure to visit me at MY blog, okay? And don't be a stranger at AWR!!
--LisaY
www.yaktalk.blogspot.com
There are moments in life where you come to the realization that you just suck at what you are doing. But that is okay because you are young enough to still have the illusion that you'll be better at something else, or next time you'll do it different. And, maybe you will, but probably not.
I've tried to hike that damn trail dozens of times (my first attempt was in '62), but it always kicks my ass. The furthest I have ever made it is 32 miles. I think that was only because I was trying to keep up with the girl i was dating. Needless to say the relationship did not work out. When she finished she wrote me to tell me she met someone on the trail, I think his trail name was.... oh yeah "guy who finishes things." I've had every injury in the book, I've hired Sherpa's and donkeys to relieve some of the burden and on and on, but to no avail. I even tried starting in Maine, but then realized the starting point is all the way up that big mountain so that didn't work. You should be proud you made it as far as you have. Last year I paid someone to hike it for me, but they quit too! (we are still in lawsuit over the payments). People will always try to make you feel better with sayings like "its not about the destination, its the journey!" But ask them if they have ever come up short, it sucks! If its about the "journey" why is there a beginning and an end. I've been in therapy for years trying to extract a shred of evidence that all my AT "journey's have taught me anything. All I keep coming up with is the fact that I'm a LOSER.
I had dreams of finishing the trail and going on to bigger things, bigger hikes, well... not so much. Now I just try to focus on getting out of bed every day and going to my job. I try to view my commute in bumper to bumper traffic as a journey, but it's a stretch. I am slowly coming to accept my pathetic life. So don't feel sorry for yourself, feel sorry for me. If you end up attempting and failing to hike that trail a dozen or so more times, look me up at my website www.attraildropout.com.
Sincerely,
The greatest trail loser of all time!
You know, that post would have been a LOT funnier if he'd left it unfinished.
hahahaha, I agree entirely.
Trail Loser: I would delete your negative, abrasive and obnoxious comment, but I trust the people who read this blog to see your comment for what it is.
I'm sorry that you've never been able to make it past Neels Gap. It sounds to me that hiking the AT just isn't for you. It is for me though, and of that I am certain. Just because you can't do it doesn't mean it can't be done: a few hundred people do it every year. Sure, several hundred more don't, but that's ok too. I will be back, healed up and ready to go, at some point in the next four years, and I will finish a thruhike.
Also, no offense, but if you were only willing to walk 32 miles for a girl, that's pretty pathetic.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home