1-30-13
I have been busy on my computer for hours every day. I copied all of my photos onto my external hard drive and then began organizing them by state. I then had to choose the pictures I like the best and size them down so I could post them online. I am still not the biggest technological whiz out there, and I haven't figured out how to post dozens of pictures at once to this blog. I did realize that I could post hundreds of pictures on my Facebook group "Carey Belcher hikes the Appalachian Trail," so that is what I have done. It is an open group and as long as you have a Facebook profile you should be able to view the pictures under the "Photos" tab. I check that page every day and am still adding new people to the group.
I have been transferring this blog onto my own blogsite. I got the posts hopelessly out of order for May and June of my hike and I know it's frustrating to read. I couldn't even follow it very well and I hiked it, so I apologize for that. I don't know how to fix it, and rather than spend a lot of time working on this site right now I decided to move my blog to the new site because I plan to keep it going and have other adventures, beyond thruhiking the Appalachian Trail. Maybe my adventures won't be quite this big for a while, but I do plan to hike the other two big long distance trails, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, in the next ten years. I plan to hike the Triple Crown by the time I'm 50-hopefully sooner. And in the meantime I plan to have smaller outdoor adventures. The new blog has pictures! Here is the link.
http://carryonadventures.blogspot.com/
I won't completely abandon this Appalachian Trail blog, however. I am a Camel after all. I do plan to do some gear reviews, and I will check in periodically, but I plan to focus most of my energy on the new blog and on getting a job in the outdoor industry. Now that I've had this taste of outdoor adventure and loved it, I want more. So I have also been working on adding my outdoors/thruhiking experience to my resume and have begun to get it out there. I realized that because I have animals, who are like my family to me, most outdoors jobs won't work well for my situation. However, the retail industry will allow me to come home every night and take weekend adventures and that is what my animals need from me, so I am putting my focus there. I will write a book about my hike as well.
I feel a bit claustrophobic because I have been indoors almost constantly since I got home. I haven't been hiking even one time in the last six weeks and I don't have much money either. The tire went flat on my car and so I've been even less likely to leave the house. I actually feel as if I've been hibernating. I don't think I'm depressed but I don't think I'm adapting very well to being off the trail. Having the pictures and blog to keep me occupied is a good thing, I think, though it keeps me tied to a computer all the time. I'm reliving my hike as I post each entry on the new blog and I think I'm processing it, but also it makes me long to be back on the AT, or back on any trail. I have joined several AT Facebook groups and I find great satisfaction in sharing what I learned with those who are leaving this spring. I know how they feel as the day gets closer to hitting the trail, boy do I remember that feeling. I'm excited for them, and jealous of them, those 2013 thruhikers.
I haven't seen hardly anybody in town and haven't been up to visit my friends at the animal sanctuary. I was waiting to receive the check for the fundraiser so I can present it to the clinic, but since it will take another month or so, I won't wait to visit. I'll just make it a separate visit when the check arrives. Of course, I still need to get my flat tire fixed before I can get up there unless I want to spend all day walking, and who does that? :)