Why I decided a gap year thru hike was for me.
As a recent high school graduate I have received more questions concerning my thru-hike than the usual thru hiker has to endure. Some are concerned with my safety (a valid concern), and others just thoroughly confused as to why I would want to walk in the woods for six months. Although, for some reason most people believe that while I am on my 2000+ mile journey every single college and university is going to disappear and I will never get my chance to get a higher education (sigh). So in honor of exactly four months until my goal start date, I have decided to write about why I decided a gap year thru-hike is the best choice for me.
Being a nineteen year old from a small Florida town it is obvious that my one and only dream growing up was to get out into the world and see what else was out there. Sure, I have been to NYC, Philadelphia, etc but there was always a feeling of wanting something else when it came to visiting new places. Now donât get me wrong, I am in love with city life, Philadelphia especially but I always felt like there was another side of  travelling that I wanted to know about. One day during my Sophomore year of high school I discovered the concept of thru hiking and was immediately in love, obsessed, and all sorts of other emotions I canât explain. I was instantly sure that I had to do this, but where? So I continued my research and on top of discovering thru hiking I also found a forum titled âThru Hikers Georgia to Maineâ and I was like âwhaat? I have found my people!â. You can only imagine a mothers reaction when her sophomore comes to her and says âso in 2016 I have decided I am going to go hiking for six monthsâ
There are many reasons on top of wanderlust that make me want to take on this challenge, but one of the most important reasons is for mental clarity. Dealing with anxiety and depression is nothing new to me, but spending six months with nature personally sounds like the best thing I could do for myself as a newbie in the adult world. I want to be confident, and sure of myself before I am truly on my own. Lets be honest, nature is the most healing power there is, itâs 100 times more effective than therapy, and to be honest itâs a hell of a lot cheaper too. Â Thinking about letting myself open up for nature to do itâs magic sounds like ultimate peace to me, and I believe the best thing you could ever do for yourself is to find yourself, love yourself, and understand that learning to love yourself is so important to live life beautifully. Iâm not there yet, but I will be soon.
Another very important reason I am thru hiking the Appalachian Trail, is for my grandfather. Thru-hiking the AT is something he has always wanted to do, but never had the chance due to enlisting into the military, family, etc. My granddad is my one of my biggest inspirations hands down, he has lived his life and will tell you exactly that. Although he lived his life amazingly, he still never got the chance to hike the Appalachian Trail and I feel like while yes it is going to be my own journey, I am without a doubt also doing it for him.
My thru hike has so many purposes, and I can honestly say it is the best decision I have ever made for myself and I havenât even begun yet. I know it is going to be especially rough, and I am going to discover so much about myself that I donât know about yet, but I am ready to take those steps towards self confidence. I am excited to experience trail life, meet amazing people, make memories, and find myself. Â So for anyone asking, I am gap year thru-hiking because life is so incredibly short, and if we only did what society told us was ânormalâ for the rest of our lives, are we truly living life to the fullest? One thing that really stuck with me growing up is that I do not want to be sixty years old and look back on life and say âI always wanted to ____.â the idea of those words coming from my mouth terrifies me. I could go on and on about why I am taking a gap year to thru hike but it would just end up sound like more of a rant than it already does. To everyone who supports my hike thank you, and to anyone who doesnât I hope this article cleared things up!
End of rant.
