Then I can walk 3000 more.
The last of the Big Three. If I complete this trail, I will be a triple crowner. What does that mean? That means I will have hiked the entirety of the three longest trails in the United States: The Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail. It means I will have walked nearly 8,000 miles through 22 states. It means that I will be among the mere 600 humans in the world who have completed such a feat. It means that I have traversed America on foot from Mexico to Canada-- twice, and climbed the equivalent of Everest over 60 times. It also means that I will have dedicated 16 months of my life to simply walking. It means that I will get a simple plaque to gather dust and my name on a website that few visit. Not many people even know what the words "triple crowner" even mean.
But to me, finishing will mean so much indescribably more.
I always thought I would put this trial off as something to do in retirement, or maybe as a honeymoon, hiking alongside a good friend or partner. The most difficult of the Big Three, it's not necessarily the best one to go by yourself. But the time to do it has come, and now I know I need to start this trail alone. Because starting alone scares me.
And one thing is clear: More so than the other trails, I have no idea what I'm getting into.
"And then there is the most dangerous risk of all -- the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.” -Randy Komisar