Adjusting

It has been just over 2 weeks since I completed my through-hike, and moving on has been an interesting experiment. After walking 20 miles a day for four and a half months, everything else seems simple and dull by comparison. Roxy and I have both been very restless. Our bodies have been working in high gear for so long that now we have endless energy. I've been putting that energy into helping my mom clean out her house (her basement deserves a week-long special on Hoarders). Sifting through boxes of old letters, school projects, and photos has been an emotional experience, but sorting out my past is cathartic and definitely helping me decide where I want to go with my future.

Off-trail me wears real clothes and goes to interviews.

Speaking of the future, when I am not helping clean out old junk, I've been very actively searching and applying for employment. Now that all my AT funds have run out, it is time to make some money again. My first goal was to find some quick and easy seasonal retail employment, just to get back on my feet and start saving money for my next steps. This was surprisingly easy to do. I received invites for interviews everywhere I applied, and after opening with "I just finished hiking the Appalachian Trail," I got job offers at all 3 stores. Compared to the typical retail employee, I'm a rock-star.

Despite finding a job easily, I am not satisfied with spending any significant amount of time working in retail. Hiking the Appalachian Trail has taught me to never do anything that doesn't make me happy. As I search for career positions, I am only applying for jobs that will make me feel like I am doing something meaningful with my life. For me this includes mostly educational outreach positions at zoos, humane societies, museums, and nonprofits. I've applied for 10 different positions so far, and am genuinely excited about each of the jobs. Although I would love to live and work near the mountains, I am trying to stay open-minded about geographic locations. Click here to see my resume in case you want to see how talented I am :)

In addition to job searching, I'm trying my best to keep Roxy happy. Living in a house is driving her a little bit crazy. Despite having all the love, food, and companionship she can imagine, nothing compares to the constant adventure she was used to along the trail. All day long she follows me expectantly, usually with her favorite toy, just waiting for us to do something exciting. She sits and stares at me as I type away on the computer, or sort through all junk from my mom's crazy collection of junk. I've been trying to get back into running, but my body is still sore from hiking, and Roxy does not find jogging on a leash through a neighborhood of cookie-cutter houses all that interesting or physically satisfying. Luckily we found a dog park nearby, so once a day I take her for at least an hour of off-leash playtime. Roxy is an unbelievable dog, and I don't want any of her potential to go to waste. She is unsatisfied with being a suburban house pet, and I'm doing my best to keep her spirits high.

Since being off the trail, I think both Roxy and I just need to focus on new hobbies to keep our minds and bodies occupied. Staying busy helps keep my mind off all that I am missing from the trail. The lifestyle shift between trail and suburbia has been jarring, but it is important to focus on the positives. I keep reminding myself that new adventures will come, and my current conditions are only temporary. The adventures of house-life can be fun too. For example, now that I have a full kitchen instead of just a pocket-rocket, I've renewed my passion for cooking. Since I have all the time in the world, I have been making gourmet meals for my entire family. For me, cooking is an outstanding form of stress relief, and the delicious results are also fun :)

So despite no longer being on the Appalachian Trail, I hope to maintain this blog as an inspiration for adventure. For the time being, my posts may not include many mountains, but I hope to soon be out and exploring once again.

Living in the woods was the best, we'll get back there soon!