Along the Appalachian Trail and other long trails too, hikers tend to clump together in small groups called "a bubble" as they move along they trail. These bubbles can stay together for months or just a few hours depending on a lot of factors such as the hikers' compatibility, goals, pace, etc. Right now, I think Pam and I are in a different kind of hiker's bubble. Our bubble is a mental one.
Every part of our day, it seems, is consumed with some activity surrounding our upcoming walk. What kind of tee-shirt should I purchase? Is our tent too heavy at 7.2 lbs. or should we break out $400-500 for one that is 3 lbs. lighter? Will our packs hold it all? If they can, will we be able to carry them? Will be in good enough shape when we start? Is it better to prepare food boxes to be shipped to us while we are on the trail or just purchase food in the towns along the trail? Was that nine and half foot rattle snake from Georgia I saw on Facebook real or Photoshopped? The questions are endless, as is the advice from every perspective.
There is a saying on the trail to Hike Your Own Hike (HYOH), which is definitely something I think we should do. Now, figuring out what your HYOH is going to look like creates a bit of anxiety at the least and will drive to not want to continue at the extreme. There are a great deal of unknowns. Trail guides, and there are a lot of them, can only cover so much. So, like anything else, you take the advice that makes sense to you run with it. You take someone else's list and begin modifying it to make it your own, such as the one I got from a guy named "Griz" and is now my list. The process of refinement is endless and fluid as your information grows as your education gets deeper. At some point, either dictated by time or money, we will stop refining and just go. I have a feeling we're going to run out of both.
Back to the bubble.
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