Rocket on Trail Video #8: I Can't Go Home
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มิ.ย. 2024
- Hi! I'm Rocket and I successfully thru-hiked all 2,198.4 miles of the Appalachian Trail in 2023. This had been a decade-long dream for me and surpassed all of my expectations!
I'll be posting videos to share what my thru-hike experience was like for other aspiring thru-hikers or people who are just curious to learn more. I was a first time thru-hiker and I had only been on 1 prior solo over-night backpacking trip before I set out on March 5, 2023. I hiked NOBO and summited Katahdin on August 30, 2023, bawling like crazy when I finally touched that sign.
Life has been pretty hectic lately and this was a tough video to put together. This was one of my lowest points on trail. I had never even considered the possibility of getting injured in a way that would end my hike for good.
For anyone who hasn't heard yet, this is the story of how I sprained my ankle on trail.
At the time, I wasn't sure if this injury was going to send me home. I knew in my heart I was meant to finish the trail and that tiny bit of hope propelled me along in the immediate aftermath of my injury. The selfless support of so many generous hikers, trail angels, and my tramily helped me to safely make it to a hospital where I had x-rays and a full check-up. The news of a sprain instead of a fracture or break flooded me with relief, but the entire experience was really sobering. I held onto my dream even tighter and tried to be optimistic that my ankle would heal enough for me to finish the trail.
Happy (and safe) Trails,
Rocket!
Hey Rocket... First time commenting here, and I just have to tell you how much I'm enjoying your vlog-for three main reasons. First is the overflow of your effervescent joy to be on the trail. Then there's your inspiring resolve to keep pushing north even when a painful ankle injury threatened to derail you. And the last one is the narrations of your reflections, feelings and observations of your trail experiences. Those three aspects, in my opinion, are going to going to propel this channel into the realm of the elite. It really is that good.
But I think what really is going to distinguish your channel is the addition of your narrations. That's my favorite part of any vlog, but it's nearly impossible to do on trail in real time. Now that your journey is over, you have the time to look back and add your narrative to the experience. And I hope you'll continue to do that abundantly, because you have the gift of expression and depth of insight. Tell us, for example, what it felt like to break out of the long green tunnel onto the openness of a mountain-top bald or how you felt when you first discovered that you'd never been any happier in your life and the only possessions you had were in a pack on your back.
So, please, keep adding those narrations and reflections so that we can, not only see what you did, but hear what you felt.
And here's a reflection that you may enjoy reading. It's from David Brill's matchless book, "As Far As The Eye Can See," (a reflection of his AT thru hike). It's taken from his actual on-trail journal. I thought of this when I heard you say how much you loved being on trail and feeling at home there......
"I believe I have finally found my niche, and it's here in the woods. I thrive here. I relax here. I feel so right here. And, I've begun to realize that I have become a resident of the wilderness. I no longer leave society to visit the woods. Rather, I leave the woods to visit society. When I'm in town, I feel uprooted and often suffer pangs of separation. When I'm in town, I constantly wonder what natural displays I'm missing, and it's also sometimes difficult to sleep, because the air seems stale and all the familiar night sounds are muted by walls and windows."--David Brill, August 17, 1979, Little Rock Pond Lean - To, Vermont.
Hey. I hope your ankle gets better. You sure have fun out there and no other way to be. Crazy and free. I finished AT in 2023! Life changer! I never want to go home Rocket!😊
Were you at trail days '24? I swear someone who looks/sounds just like u yelled at me, mistaking me for Spicy.
I find you incredibly interesting! Is there any chance we could collaborate?🥰🥰