What I Am Nervous About

A few days ago, my dad asked my wife and I what we were most nervous about. My wife said "the cold" and I didn't say anything. The truth is I am nervous about nothing right now. Maybe tomorrow, when we're actually in the van driving down there, I'll feel something. The only thing I could think of to be nervous about was people criticizing our gear choices or criticizing whether or not we treat all of our water or criticizing us if we don't hang our bear bag in a way that ensures absolutely no bears will get it. But I don't get upset if people disagree with me when I have working knowledge and experience.  The truth is there is no wrong way to go about this. Everyone will have their own way to do what they have to do to succeed. And what will succeed for one person might cause failure to another.

I'm not nervous about bears because they are afraid of us. I'm not nervous about psychos because I never have been afraid of them and there are no more psychos on the Trail than anywhere else. I'm not nervous about ticks because we've sprayed down all our clothes with permethrin, will conduct daily body checks, and know the signs and symptoms of lyme disease. I'm not nervous about getting sick or injured because we both have insurance. I'm not nervous about quitting because we are prepared and mentally strong. We have no commitments ahead of us so we can go as slow as we need. We do not need to push ourselves when our bodies are tired. We have the time to rest. I'm not nervous about running out of money because we have saved more than people recommend and we know how to be frugal if we need to be. I'm not nervous about our gear because if anything doesn't work out, there are plenty of outfitters along the way where we can change out gear.        

There is nothing for me to be nervous about. I don't think I'm being overly confident. We know it will be hard and that at times we will want to quit. But I think most of the concerns people have with a thru-hike that might make them nervous are created by a hyper-anxious society, fueled by sensationalized media coverage of every murder and every car crash.  

Tomorrow we leave bright and early for a twelve hour drive, from Michigan to Georgia. We will spend the night at a hotel an hour south of Amicalola Falls State Park and begin our journey early on Wednesday, March 19th. Our bags are packed. All of our stuff is stored away. We are ready.