By Kimberlie Dame.
- Hear silence.
- Finally hear what the non-stop thoughts in your head have been saying to you about yourself and others your whole life.
- Have something new and exciting for Facebook updates.
- Get crazy fit.
- Wear socks with sandals without appearing geeky.
- Learn how to get lost.
- Become very adept at knowing exactly what time it is based on the sun’s position in the sky and what the bugs are doing.
- Learn how to help other people.
- Forget what time it is.
- Watch your patience with discomfort grow.
- Finally understand what an empty mind feels like.
- Quit caring what you look like.
- Feel bad-ass.
- Become an excellent map-reader.
- Finally “get” that “one step at a time” mantra you’ve heard others spout all your life.
- Behold trees that are hundreds of years old.
- See beauty you couldn’t possibly describe.
- Figure out that your skin is waterproof.
- Debt collectors can’t reach you by phone.
- Have time to think about what the hell you’re doing with your life.
- Have the opportunity to forget about what the hell you’re doing with your life.
- Watch people gather around water sources like animals do.
- Remember that you’re an animal.
- Have non-stop haiku material.
- TRULY test gear.
- Learn 100 uses for a bandana.
- Make your kids proud of you.
- Prove the endurance and stick-to-itiveness on your resume.
- Truly feel like you’ve done something for yourself.
- Learn how strong you can be.
- Be amazed at what the human body can endure.
- Put your feet in a cool stream after miles of walking.
- Give your parents another opportunity to compare you to some strange relative in the way past the whole family still talks about.
- Get family members to join you for hikes for quality bonding time.
- Be “in the world and not of the world.”
- Begin to see a forest as your home and not feel like you’re an outsider exploring it.
- See and maybe even grow some of your own super impressive blisters.
- Learn how to NOT take pictures when having an experience.
- Earn every meal.
- But MOSTLY, have experiences that you will never forget!
Happy Trails!
Kimberlie Dame is a long-distance walker and writer who lives in Portland, Oregon. She has walked the full length of the Arizona Trail along with many routes in Scotland. She completed a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2013. You can read about her adventures in her blog: www.thenewnomads.com. This compelling list has been adapted and republished based on a piece Kimberlie posted on www.PCTTrailsideReader.com.
