My dad is what you would call a simple man. He really never talks about his hopes and dreams or what makes him truly happy. Being the father of three daughters and three step-daughters, I always figured what my dad wanted was just..peace and quiet.
Since I was born, my dad has taken annual hiking trips with his brother and two best friends up the Appalachian trail. Together, they've covered about 600 square miles. Over the course of 20 years, it may not sound like they've covered a lot of ground, but I think I know why now. For my dad, a day hiker for the most part, it isn't about "conquering" or "finishing" the trail. In fact, I think if he ever did walk the entire thing in one of those huge six-month excursions, I'm not sure how he would feel about it. Would he feel accomplished? Sure. Would he feel like he had done something special that he can talk about with friends? Of course. But, I don't think being able to say that he finished with the trail would be worth it for him.
For one, owning his own business and running a huge family, my dad probably couldn't afford to do that. The bigger reason is that my dad, being a simple man, would see the end of the trail as the end of his relationship with the AT. He could never feel the same peace, that same stillness and deathless magic in the woods. He would never quite get that "flow" back. Sure there would other things to explore, different ways to take the trail. But knowing my dad, it would never be the same.
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