Riding It Out

I've found that spending time in towns is a bit of a catch-22. While I think it's necessary to have adequate time to rest my body, especially in the beginning, it is quite difficult to get back to the trail after spending a relaxing evening in a comfortable bed and having a hot shower whenever I'd like. Once I'm back on the trail, it's all okay, but making that initial jump to get there is the hard part. I'm hoping it will get easier or it won't be as crucial to take as many days in town as my body gets more and more accustomed to the trail.

The time has come for the real journey to begin. My parents have gone back to their lives and I am left on the trail to figure things out on my own. 

Pretty much the whole first day of being on my own I felt like I was going to cry. Even though I wasn't actually alone since I was hiking with a few other people. I think it was mostly because it had been so fun and easy hiking with my parents and now the unknown seemed much more daunting. But after the first day and night, I realized that I was going to be okay. I know what I'm doing and I just have to trust that. Even now as I sit in my tent as it rains and hails and ominous clouds swirl overhead, I know I'll be okay. All I need to do is ride it out and let the bad weather pass. And that goes for almost everything.