The LASH That Wasn't
It has been nearly nine years since I made a vow to myself to improve my work-life balance. I started to look at life differently and began to change my state of mind, inspired by a high school classmate’s open-ended journeys to South America and Southeast Asia. I was already hiking and backpacking frequently but it was time to expand on my trips and stay out longer. Years of self-growth are now harvested in the form of experiences. One such experience I have sought for some time has been a long distance hike. Finding the time and resources were a matter of... well, time. Things came together in 2022 so that I could get on the trail for more than a week; or so I thought. I started planning a long ass section hike (LASH) on the Appalachian Trail in November 2021. A friend had mentioned her plans to start in GA in March 2022. It was then I said to myself very prophetically, "Fuck it, why don't I hike for a month?" So, spreadsheets were started and trail r...