Happy Trails
Today when I was doing one of my 300 workouts, I started thinking about why I was even doing it in the first place since it sucked so bad. And, why I continue to put myself through this kind of torture, often. This got me to thinking a little more as to why others do some of the intensive and physically painful and challenging things that they do. I could come up with a million different categories: Ironman’s, triathlons, cycling/mountain biking, and obstacle course races. Oh, and for all you bad-ass military guys, all the hardcore schools you have done along the way.
Another physically challenging activity I think of often is hiking. And no, I’m not talking about a kid friendly hike down some paved pathway. I belong to a Facebook Group called ‘Appalachian Trail Hikers 2022’. One reason I belong to the group is because we now live in Georgia and that 2100+ mile long trail is the only thing that connects this Maine girl back to Maine. Ha! On a serious note, I really do enjoy reading peoples posts on that forum about why they put themselves through 2100+ miles of hell. I mean, think about it, though it would be great to get a selfie with the Katahdin sign at the end, it can’t be all fun and games the entire trail.
What’s amazing to me is that the men and women on this page are off all ages and backgrounds and share about the variety of reasons why they take on this challenge; boredom, retired, middle age crisis, a death, divorce… One 18 year old kid that recently graduated from high school just posted the other day that he doesn’t know where he belongs in life and is going to hike the trail in hopes to find some answers and take on a challenge he never thought possible. That, in itself, is notable!
No doubt, many of us here can relate to taking on some sort of physical challenge. But, the one thing I find most interesting is our own personal why’s. As Mrs. AIP, I’ve been known to recruit some amazing podcast guests for the Always in Pursuit podcast. My hope here today is to identify someone who has done the entire Appalachian Trail, from start to finish, so we can have you on as a guest and learn more about your why’s for completing such an amazing quest. I mean, what a thrill it would be to have a guest on our podcast that would share about this experience; the reason behind it, the challenges endured, what kept you going, etc. etc.
Surely you have listened to the podcast, Keep Climbing w/ Matt Nyman. If you haven’t, please do! Its powerful stuff! Matt talks about how he got into mountain climbing, some of his great summits, and what the driving factors were behind it all. Mr. AIP was fortunate enough to personally know Matt, so it was easy to get him on as a guest and the podcast was a huge hit; still is! However, we’re going to need a little help from you by putting us in contact with someone you know, or maybe it’s you, who has done the Appalachian Trail and that would make a great guest for this special episode.
The best way to reach us is via email www.alwaysinpursuit.msb@gmail.com or if you know us personally give us a call.
Can’t wait to hear from you! Happy trails!
~Sarah
