Searching for the WHY - Lessons learned while Couch Surfing the Parents' houses

 It has been just over a month since I decided to leave the NCT for the second time. I spent Memorial Day Weekend with my college roommate and her family helping them make their new home prettier and learning how to play video games with the kids. It was great to get to spend time with my Dana! She suggested a friend tour might be what I need, and I stewed on the idea.

Tuesday after Memorial Day, my mom drove to Pittsburgh, PA to pick me up and take me to Michigan. We drove north to the Lake Erie coastline and took that west towards Michigan. Because it was about a 7 hour drive, we stopped for the night in Huron, OH, and got to take in the sunset over Lake Erie with Cedar Point Amusement Park in the foreground. We then walked around the small town before heading to bed.

The next morning we got up, grabbed our free bag of breakfast, which included a frozen breakfast sandwich, and headed out on the road continuing to follow the Lake Erie Shoreline. We took the coast all the way to Toledo, and then I put us onto I-94 towards Kalamazoo, MI. As we travelled across lower Michigan, I realized we were basically paralleling the NCT, so I had my mom get off the highway, and I showed her what it was like to hike roads/follow the NCT. We followed the blue blazes from just outside Albion, MI through Marshall, MI into Historic Bridge Park just outside of Battle Creek, MI. Since Historic Bridge Park is a small slice of the NCT, I got my mom to join me as we explored the NCT through there. It was a nice little park next to the Kalamazoo River. Another mile or so added to my collection of NCT miles this year, so far. I think I was at 135 miles (23 miles in VT + 13 miles in NY + 99 miles in OH).

All this touring I think gave my mom a good idea of the NCT, and we headed towards home. Along the route, we stopped to visit a friend, whom I haven't seen in probably 10 years. Again, I thought of the friend tour idea. 

At my mom's house, we kept very busy. Jazzercise (yes! That's still a thing despite it not being the 80s anymore), planting flowers, watering plants, visiting cemeteries and planting flowers there as well as watering daily, attending church, buying groceries, pub crawling, and then I took a few side trips to help my aunt clean my grandma's house as a step to selling it. I did get a day to set up my tent and make sure it was dry as well as laying out my sleeping bag and pillow to dry as they smelled like ammonia. This may also have been the day I spent simply reading. I definitely kept busy and free from thinking about my recent NCT failures. 

After about 2 weeks at my mom's house, I moved on to staying with my in-laws as I prepared to meet up with my husband in Ohio for his 100 mile race. Life with my in-laws is a lot more relaxed than the busy-ness of my mom's, and I had a lot more time to think about my why. The first night there, I had dinner with my mother-in-law's mom, sister, her husband, my father-in-law's sister, and her husband. I don't even remember what my mother-in-law's mom said to me, but it instilled in me what I have always felt in the presence of my in-laws...support. Being in a slower paced atmosphere with walks along the beach and being surrounded by people who support me no matter how crazy I am, makes me think that I should give this trail one more chance. 

During my time at my in-laws', I took a day to visit with my father and his wife. My dad and I have never been real big talkers, so I guess it's good that his wife was there. The down side is that she has worked with the state of Michigan in the realm of mental health. So, of course, she knows the right questions to ask to get my mind thinking even more. She brings up the idea of my mind and body not being on the same train of thought right now, thus the problems I'm having with backpacking the NCT. I take this and use it to ponder my why as well. 

In heading to my husband and his race in Ohio, I was able to convince my in-laws to stop at Hocking Hills State Park, what on the Facebook group looked to be the most spectacular part of Ohio.

Also, based on my calculations, I still needed another mile to make 100 miles in Ohio for this year. The day we traversed Hocking Hills, my in-laws were agreeable to letting me hike the entire Grandma Gatewood trail, which coincides with the NCT for about 5.6 miles. I wasn't wearing my full pack, but I did enjoy the time hiking through the park. It reassured me that I should give the trail one more chance; however, this time I will set my focus on the state of Michigan, my home state and my HEART state.

Towards the end of my time with my mom, her husband, and my in-laws, I finally had time to think about my WHY vs pretending not to feel like an incompetent child back living with her parents. I reflected on the people and places I had met and visited in the past few weeks. This lead me to think about the kind of people I have met during all my long distance backpacking. It reminded me of what John Campbell, my Ohio trail angel, and I were talking about in regards to the trail community/family. 

The NCT community is different since there are not 1000 people attempting to thru-hike this trail like there is on the AT. It is a community mostly online, and one needs to reach out to the different chapters typically for assistance. I am not good with asking for help, so this will be a challenge as I continue on the trail with the idea of hiking my home state of Michigan. Hopefully hiking in Michigan will allow me more time with friends and family still in the state vs having to ask strangers for help, but we will see. Part of what I enjoy about long distance backpacking is meeting the local people and seeing what our country has to give in the mountains, woods, and valleys. 

On 12 July, I plan to take amtrak from Denver to Grand Rapids, MI, where I will then take a Greyhound to Cadillac, MI. My aunt and cousin come to Cadillac 16 July with my sister arriving 20 July. I will make sure my sister's birthDAY is a success, and then plan to head to the Mackinac Bridge to camp with a couple of my dad's sisters. On 23 July, I hope to take off on the NCT, again, heading for Marquette, MI. During my time couch surfing and asking myself WHY?, I continuously feel my heart pulling to the shores of Lake Superior. So, I figure if I cannot make this trail happen with time spent along my favorite great lake, then it is just not meant to be at this time. The upper peninsula of Michigan has always been a place of happiness and friendliness for me. May it be that way as I work on traversing it and recapturing my joy of backpacking.