Only When I Step On It: One Man's Inspiring Journey to Hike The Appalachian Trail Alone by Peter Conti

Author:Peter Conti [Conti, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Adversity Press
Published: 2021-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

14

May—Finding a Buddy

You Can’t Avoid Pain, But You Can Choose to Overcome it.

—Paulo Coelho

Two and a half hours after leaving Shenandoah National Park, I arrived home. My wife gave me a huge hug and told me that she’d put together a “1,000 Miles on the AT” party for us to celebrate with family and friends. Once everyone arrived the following day, she made sure everyone had a glass of champagne and then made an incredibly nice toast to me.

She shared the story of how I was injured just over three years ago, the incredible pain I went through, and the challenges I had in getting off the oxycontin painkillers I was taking. How I’d seen the movie “Wild,” where Reese Witherspoon’s character hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, read a few AT books, and then started talking about hiking the Appalachian Trail.

She told everyone how she thought this was highly unlikely. “When he went on his test hike around the neighborhood, he barely made it one mile before calling me to pick him up because his leg hurt so much.” She explained how I took the Amtrak train down to Georgia and started anyway, hiking just 3.6 miles the first day. And how since then, I’ve managed to hike a total of 1,057 miles.

I had tears in my eyes when she asked me to say a few words.

“It’s been a long but absolutely amazing journey. And every step I’ve taken has been based on hope. Hope that I’ll get better someday. Hope that I’m able to accept that I may never get completely better. Hope that I can grab on to each moment and enjoy it no matter what challenges I’m faced with.”

At the time, I thanked her, but after thinking about it, here’s what I meant to say:

“Joanna—you are the most incredible, beautiful person I’ve ever met. Thank you so much for supporting my idea of hiking the AT. By the time I finish (assuming I do), I’ll have been away from home for almost an entire year. That takes an extraordinary wife, and I’m blessed to be your husband.

“For my kids—thank you so much. I love the plaque you got me and especially the texts that you send while I’m hiking. They give me a boost each time I see them.”

Last but not least, I really do appreciate you, my reader. By reading my story, you have contributed to my ability to keep going. You see, whenever I have a tough day or a big hill to go up, I think of you and the other people who followed my journal and who are reading this book. I don’t fully understand it, but I do know that I’m too proud (or something) to give up knowing that you’ll be reading about my eventual failure or success.

It’s because of this, along with my desire to heal myself, that I keep going, and I’m loving almost all of it.

A few days later, I left our comfortable house in Annapolis around 7:00 am.

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