Exactly 375 days ago I took my first steps on the Appalachian Trail headed north towards Maine and Mount Katahdin. Exactly 234 days ago I took my finals steps, at Mount Katahdin, running out of trail to walk on. Hiking the AT was the hardest, most cultivating and most rewarding experience I have ever had. It is my greatest accomplishment, trumping academic and sports achievements. The people I met, difficulties I endured, and sites that I saw are impossible to describe on an internet web blog. The only way to know what it is like to walk towards one goal for 141 days is to do it yourself. Or you can watch this video http://nobo2010.blip.tv/ which pretty much sums up the whole thing.

Hiking became an all day activity from sun rise to sun set. At night I barely had enough energy to make dinner and frequently fell asleep while writing. In addition, lines for computer use were often long in trail towns, making it hard to post updates and not to anger the people behind me. So I am left with a half complete blog which will probably never be finished.

Instead I am going to start over.

While hiking the AT one enters a community of long distance hikers not just Easterners. I met triple crowners, PCTers and people that have hiked well over 10,000 miles in just the last few years. People that work 6 months of the year and hike during the other 6. One thing they all have in common is talking about this gem of a trail out west, The Pacific Crest Trail.

Now it is impossible to thru-hike the AT without once considering completing the Triple Crown. In the hiking world this consists of thru hiking the Appalchian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail. In other words hiking every major mountain chain in the US, essentially from end to end.

When I was on the AT the idea had crossed my mind of one day hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, which extends from the California/Mexican border, to the Washington State/Canadian border. All in all 2650 miles, ~400 more than the AT. This idea however was very faint and non-existent on the difficult days. But as I came closer to Maine the idea grew. In the weeks succeeding the AT I had almost made up my mind that I wanted to go out west. But in reality it was a dream. I was broke, tired, skinny (lost 20 lbs) and had put a lifetime of stress on my knees. I was ready to get back home, see friends, get a job, eat fast food and get back to "normal" life. Little did I know what would happen to me when spring rolled around.