Simply Put: Anxiety is anxiety
This episode actually began in my hiking notebook from a solo 2014 Appalachian Trail hike (spoiler alert, I did not do the whole thing). I started at the north end…but not the final end end. Rather I jumped on in Kent, CT on August 11. My goal was 3 nights or approx 30 miles.
My sister dropped me off at 10 am. The first leg has uphill, welcome to the AT! It took me 7.5 hours to go 8 miles. Not bad considering the elevations and the weight of my pack. I set up camp that night at “10 mile river camp”, still in Kent, it is funny how you can walk all day and be in the same city but 8 hours of driving you could be 3 states away in the east.
I did a check:
Mentally OK
Physically Good
Emotionally Flat
Why am I not thrilled and excited? I was nervous about sleeping alone with bears.
It was physically challenging, lots of ups and downs, large rocks and several streams, got to collect water from one of them, that was exciting. I bathed in the stream at the new camp. The river provided a constant sound of rushing water. It was lovely. Dusk was here. Bears? I wondered. I wonder if there is anyone at the nearby shelter? I wondered this until it was dark and I was in my bag in my tent…the thought of a bear wouldn’t leave me. GO! I grabbed my gear, along with the assembled tent and nearly ran (in the dark) and found 3 thru hikers camped there at the AT shelter. I had to go back to “10 mile camp” in the morning to get my food that was suspended in a tree. Listen to the rest of the story....
Link to an anxiety reducing hypnosis recording by Valerie Grimes, audio talent.
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