65. Pressing on (Beahm’s Gap to Mosby Camp VA)

Sun comes up; press on. Sun goes down; press on. Find a nice place to rest to watch the moon emerge. Today was my longest day so far, about 27 mi.

I resist the easy way. This week, I had a number of time-consuming off-trail tasks to do, and on-trail, I needed to go far to catch a train in Harper’s Ferry at the end of the week. Following the trail itself is already an arbitrary constraint. I booked the train ticket some 4 weeks ago, giving myself the pleasure of a further constraint and challenge.

There are multiple ways to get from Georgia to Maine. One is the Applachian Trail, which follows the eastern crest, up and down and weaving to stay atop ridges. It is just about the most topographically difficult direct route possible. Following the coastal plain or going through passes rather than over mountains would be valid but less difficult routes.

Even on the Appalachian Trail, everyone who pursues it may augment or decrease the level of strenuousness in some ways. Slackpacking for example, is quite popular. This means having a hostel shuttle drop you off some distance away and then walking back to the hostel with just a day pack, usually net downhill. Another practice is blue blazing, where you take trail shortcuts when available. There are not a ton of opportunities for this, but these can make up considerable time within a given day. Pushing to catch the train over the last couple of weeks, I considered the source of my unwillingness to slackpack or blue blaze. These clashed with my drive to take the hard way.

For some reason, blue blazing or slackpacking feels a slippery slope to backing out of something else later in life or standing down amidst some future challenge. I signed up to hike the Appalachian trail, so whatever course it takes, though arbitrary in the end, I will carry myself and my pack over it. Once making that commitment, I feel unable to change course. Broadly, putting constraint on freedom, I believe, makes the journey more difficult and also more rewarding.

When you choose to take the harder route, you naturally attain some degree of superiority complex or judgementalism. Purists are often annoying. I wanted to avoid this too. So as a cure, I tried a blue blaze this week. For two miles, I deviated from the white-blazed Appalachian Trail and took a marginally shorter blue-blazed alternative. When I hiked with family earlier in the week, I did about 3 miles without a pack. Breaking the rules was a good reminder that in the end, the rules are up to me. It’s my own hike, and no one will dictate how I ought to approach it. Nor do I care how the slackpackers or blue blazers approach the trail, truly. It’s their own hike.

In the end, I tend to create rules to make life harder. Sometimes, I rebel from them to prove that I am in control and not the rules. The general principle: be resolute but occasionally give in for good reason.