Well...here I go!

So here I am in my hotel room in Dahlonega, Georgia for one more good nights sleep before I head out for my Appalachian trail journey woo!

I haven't had much doubt/nerves about this trip until a couple of days ago.  Part of me thinks I am crazy for quitting my job to go do something that I "thought was cool".  I've never even freaking hiked before...how do I even know if I will like doing this?  I'm not sure, but something tells me that I will have a good time.  I think that as soon as I get out there and start hiking, all my nerves and doubts will disappear.  From there, its just one step after the other....for a very, very, very long time.

My first job out of college was a super demanding one.  I was working 70-80 hours a week, 6 days a week (sometimes even 13 straight days), and I was working in a factory under stressful conditions.  Not to mention I worked with all Italians who chose to spoke mainly in Italian, unless they needed to give me something to do.  It was the hardest time of my life, but I am really glad I did it.  I think that most Americans (especially new college graduates) are pansies when it comes to working hard.  After my experience working, most things don't seem too daunting to me any more, which is pretty awesome in my opinion.

Also, after seeing what my sister had to go through with her cancer up until the very end helped me get through the tough times at work.  Whenever I wanted to bitch about what I was dealing with my job, I always thought about my sister and how she knew that her time was very limited, and she never bitched about it once.  She just made the most out of every day.  It made me realize that I shouldn't bitch about things too much, after all I still have my health.  I think this will help me get through the tough times on the trail.  There are no doubts that I will have days where it will be cold, raining, and just plain shitty all day.  But,  as long as I can stick it through, things will get better.

After working at my job, I really looked at this Appalachian trail journey and said "I made it through my job, I can freaking do this."  And now its go time!  Lets see if I can make this entire 2,200 journey happen!!  Hopefully you will not hear from me again for a few weeks, and hopefully I will have some cool stories for all of you all!

ciao!

Joe