That is about the hardest question I've ever had to answer. My first response to "Why?" is "Why not?" I've always been one to do wild and crazy things for no other reason than it's wild and crazy. However, it's much more than that.
I am 26 years old, and have been called "the baby" ever since birth. I am the youngest of four children, and after five years of college and three years in the work force, people still tell me I'm just a baby. I'm wet behind the ears. I'm a spring chicken. Apparently, I'm young and inexperienced.
However, my inexperience has taught me quite a few things.
Yep. That's about the gist of what I've learned in my very short life. I'm sure that I'll learn more.
That's probably the main reason I've decided to hike this hike. I have been out of college for three years (going on four in May). Since graduation, I have been a shift manager at a pizza parlor, a waitress, a clerk at an investment bank, a Sunday school teacher, a database administrator; a rolling stone. I can't stay put for very long. My grandmother calls it "wanderlust." That's much better than my term of "not being able to make up one's mind." I can't exactly say that I'm at a turning point of my life, because I haven't done the same thing for more than two years at a time. I thrive on change. I can't stand the status quo. I must move on. So, I'm going to hike. Maybe I'll figure out what I want to do with my life. Maybe I'll figure out that what I want to do with my life is to follow this "wanderlust" that I have. I don't know. I'll let you know what I come up with at the end of my hike.
Another reason for my hike is spiritual. I don't think I'm a religious person; the last time I went to church was in July. I do believe in God & I do believe that he made this Earth and each one of us for a purpose. I don't think the Catholic Church has taught me my purpose. I don't think the Catholic Church could if it tried (or any other religious institution, for that matter). I think that it is something I have to go out and find. The Appalachian Trail is the perfect place. I will be away from all the worries and noise of my usual life, and better able to sit and listen, and figure out the next step on my life's journey.
Thirdly, I need to be more self-reliant. I feel that I rely on worldly things a little too much. Heck, I'm making a web-page for my hike, aren't I? If my e-mail breaks down for a day, I get sick. If I can't watch Ally McBeal, I cry. I lose my mind if the radio in the car is broken. Flushable toilets? Forget about it. Can't live without them. Telephone? Well, yeah, I could live w/o that, but only because I have e-mail. I think that six months without such modern conveniences will help me to appreciate them more when I return, and have more empathy for those who are without.
Fourth, I would like to make a difference in the world, while I attain my "selfish" goal. I am hoping that everyone I know and everyone I meet, will make a donation (however big or small) to Womanline of Dayton (a link to their web page is coming soon), a non-profit counseling center for women in Dayton, Ohio. I worked there during my last two years of college, and have never been the same since. I've always thought it very important to give back to the community when you can. Womanline does this by helping women who have been battered, who do not have the resources to take care of themselves or their children, who are merely teenagers with newborns and want to stay in school, and who have a multitude of other issues, get back on their feet.
Lastly, I want to hike the AT because it's the most wild, insane and crazy thing I've thought up to do, and the thought of it just makes me giggle so much.