Well...it's D-Day. Minus storming the five beaches of Normandy part. Last night was such an amazing capstone of a hectic summer within the confines of civilization. What an unbridled flurry of activity! It could not have been better, however. Not only did I have the opportunity to see one of my best friends seal the deal with the girl of his dreams, but I also got to reestablish bonds with people who I have not seen in quite some time. I was also blessed with being in such good company and to forge new bonds through the marriage of the new Mr. and Mrs. Matthew James Peharda via post-marriage celebratory mustaches. Sorry I couldn't cut the rug longer.
There is one distinct memory that I have of Matt and I when we were young...apart from the time when he hurled a rock into the side of my head...or the subsequent reaction of my terrified mother after he hurled a rock into the side of my head...when he dropped a concrete slab on my hand...or when he was with me when I "caught mad air" resulting in the extraction of medal bike pedals from my Achilles tendon. I remember the last day of sixth grade. On this particular day, we reveled in the fact(s) that we had escaped banishment from Mrs. Hanson's social studies class and had literally survived (in all sense of the word) Mrs. Bell's English class. Not to tangent, but that was the most demanding class I ever took aside from History-Theory and Practice when I was a sixth year senior in college. After a long afternoon of yearbook signing, bringing the heat in driveway basketball, playing Red Faction on his PS2, and running a train on a 24 pack of Frescas...and Fruit Roll Ups, we wearily made it out to his backyard only to collapse on his trampoline. When we woke up, we continued to lay there and this is what crossed my now seventh grade psyche as I gazed up at the drifting cumulus:
a. I survived the most academically stringent year of my life to date.
b. Where should I barf after all of the unsettlng fruit roll-ups and Frescas I just consumed?
And most importantly:
c. This was life and it was bliss.
d. This is where Matt's and my long history really begins...
I cannot articulate in words how much it meant to me for you to include me in your wedding party. I love you dude. NO HOMO.
I am now off to a long morning of sorting through my bounce box, quadruple checking my gear, and making sure I have enough Nutella to sustain a modestly sized third world nation. After my logistics work and after Mom leaves to head back to the Wheat State, I am left to my own devices until my 4:20 shuttle departure from the hotel to the BNSF Railway Station on Downers Grove Main Street. From there, I commute 18 miles to Chicago Union Station, where I walk 1.5 miles through inner city Chicago's labyrinth of tennant housing to Drifterville at your friendly neighborhood Greyhound Station. It brings back such good and definitely vivid memories of the East St. Louis station en route to Charlotte, NC five years ago. It very well could be that the most epic part of this adventure is the 45 hours I spend on the Greyhound to Medway, ME.
On a last and unrelated note, I want to quickly divulge into more precise directions if you are willing and/or wanting to donate to the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation:
1. Go to the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation website at www.alefwv.com.
2. At the bottom of the home page, click on the following link: "ALEF partners with Appalachian Trail hiker. Learn More"
3. At the bottom of "Partnership on the Appalachian Trail" page, click on the link "Find out more about Charles and how to support his Trail to Knowledge."
4. Underneath Charles Janssen's Trail to Knowledge Event, click on the link to download a .pdf form with information. This will bring you to the offline donation form.
Anyhow, all seven of you who have read this blog are probably exhausted from incessant jabbering regarding this trip. So on this note, I am going to adjourn myself for the next 3.5 months. My mom will be periodically updating my Facebook as to my whereabouts in the months to come. In all seriousness, thank you to all of you who have encouraged and supported my dreams and endeavors. One last thing to leave you with...
"Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb."-Greg Child; climber and mountaineer
Peace.
Charlie Janssen
No comments:
Post a Comment