4/25

Today marks my having been on the trail for exactly 1 month. I feel a though time hasn't moved that fast yet my unkept facial hair and miles covered tell otherwise. I feel like my days at work and socializing out at night are right behind me. If I went back I feel like everything would be foreign for a little bit like brain was working through math problems. I stand here having learned so many new skills and tricks while on the trail, and all i I can think is, when I get back I want to plan another adventure for next year. Maybe not such a long outing next time though. 

The day in itself calls for rain, I am going to leave out of of own in the afternoon and try to avoid all the vicious showers the day is calling for around noon. 

It's strange for me to think that I will be doing the exact same thing I have been doing for another 3 months or more. Like Atlas, the weight of the entire journey sits heavily on my shoulders both literally and figuratively, but seems to pull me down a little more than usual today. I know this is part of the trail so I see no  reason  to think that I will let this temporary attitude affect me the rest of the the day. It is just a matter of lacing up the boots and moving out before I can dwell on it anymore. Zero days make it a little harder as well I think too. Getting comfortable and enjoying some consistency rather than getting up and just moving all day has the problem of allowing a hiker to slip back into the cotton lifestyle.

Cotton lifestyle - hikers all wear microfiber or ultralight gear while people living in towns wear cotton. Cotton lifestyle in is case I am comparing to going home and back to the same old routine one had before the trail.

I need to be more careful of how comfortable I allow myself to be if I do another zero any time soon. Planning a destination out of town to make sure I leave after my zero day has finished would help to limit my break rather than just hanging around. In my defense though, I have pulled big miles and if I wanna hold out of the rain, the I am going to avoid it. I will be back in Damascus in less than a month anyway for trail days. 

Planning my pick up and return to the trail took a lot longer than I thought. Not having phone service and having to use wifi all afternoon hindered my departure and I ended up just camping outside of town when it was all said and done. Not a bad day overall, but the last thing I wanted to do was allow myself 2 zero days. 

I am getting picked up Wednesday in Atkins VA which is only 70 miles away so I have plenty of time to take the next few days at a relaxing pace and then still get there. 

I will be in Knoxville from Wednesday to Sunday after the wedding and then I will be rolling back to the trail. I may try and cut some weight while I am home. Leave some of my old weather gear and then mail it back to myself in a few months. Now that it is truly warming up I don't seem myself wearing much more than a shirt and shorts. 

Being home for a few days is gonna feel strange I think. I may try and work for a few days since I would be sitting around otherwise. I still don't seem myself finishing all the books I loaded I my iPad, but I may add a few extras to give myself some varying literature to delve into. 

I set up my tent right as a group of Boy Scouts came back from dinner. This was far worse than any snoring in any hostel. I am not gonna be mad about boys being boys, but how much soda did those children drink at dinner? Damn kids go to sleep. That's either me getting old or my hiker side, can't tell.