Don't Wait

April 23, 2007 - Began hiking on the Appalachian Trail. This will be my longest trip yet, hoping to get three months out of my budget. There was a ATC volunteer at the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail whose job it is to write down the names and trail plans of everyone beginning the trail. As one is obliged, we made small talk about the prettiness of the area, the delightfulness of the weather, 'interesting' hikers he had met and such things. I asked him if anyone had started the trail today. Two had began, "a nice fellow" trail-named 'Don't Wait' whom I would meet that afternoon and a female "about your age" who was walking to Hot Springs, (whom I would marry).

Don't Wait is a slender man, probably in his early fifties with a well-groomed salt-and-peppered beard and an external frame backpack. He was photographing a trail-side wildflower as I caught up to him on the trail. "Uh......the picture....is for my wife", Don't Wait assured, "....she likes that sort of thing".

"Nice iris" I replied.

Don't Wait and I were the only two at the shelter that evening. We had a small campfire and talked about the purpose of life and how great it was to be in the woods completely removed from cultural expectations and responsibilities (these were, of course, separate conversations as the purpose of life is not likely to be a bum). Don't Wait taught me how to use a flint and magnesium contraption we found in the shelter to build a campfire. My first ever flint and magnesium fire! This was Don't Wait's first trip on the trail and had been a long-time coming, hence his trail name.

I spent two days hiking with 'Don't Wait'. We had several pleasant conversations. On the third day it was raining and we came to a hostel on the trail. 'Don't Wait' chose to stay at the hostel and I chose to go on. I met Alex a few hours later. I saw 'Don't Wait' one more time, at a hostel about two weeks later. He had finished his hike on the trail and had loved it. He wished us well and went back to Kentucky the next day.

June 28, 2010 - We [Alex and I] were meant to catch a plane into Port Vila yesterday. The plane didn't come because the grass runway was too wet from all the rain. We spent last night in the guesthouse near the airport. We received several packages at the post office today. Letters from friends and family, packages from each of our parents and a padded envelope from a name we did not immediately recognize. The person had sent us giant pumpkin seeds, pictures of Halloween and several pictures of the American countryside from an old calendar. And a note that read:
"...I've been following your blog off and on for a while now....Congratulations on your marriage and life...It's great that your doing this when you're young. I think most people start their family and careers and never really get the chance to break away....Don't Wait"