How awesome is this? The real ending:

I’ve been sitting on this info since November, but I can finally tell you all about the amazing ending to my adventure.  Sure, sure, technically it ended at 11am on 11/11/11, but for me the real amazing ending happened about a week later – when I walked into the doors of ArenaNet to meet the people who created a world that helped inspired my adventure in the first place.

We were invited in, given a tour of the (really really beautiful) studio by the Community Team (sans Martin, who sadly wasn’t in that day) and generally treated to a wonderful afternoon.  I got to meet people I had been following online in person for the first time.  And it was so cool to meet the people who inspired me and to find out they had been following my adventure and that I in turn had inspired some of them!

It was the absolute perfect ending to an amazing adventure.  A year earlier I was sitting in my apartment playing Guild Wars and lamenting about the lack of adventure in my life, and then there I was after having an epic journey actually meeting the people who created Guild Wars. My life was certainly not lacking anything in that moment.

And to add to the super coolness of it all, I am now in Guild Wars 2. My mind is still blown by that.  ArenaNet has a blog entry all about my NPC (Non Player Character, for those not in the know) and our adventure.  You should definitely go check it out: Meet Ameranth

My norn character talking with Ameranth and her trusty hound Anna, during the Beta Weekend Event in Guild Wars 2.

As long as there’s laughter. And random 90′s references.

Last night, after some random back and forth, my mom commented that our discussions rarely make sense. I told her it didn’t matter, things didn’t need to make sense they just need to make you laugh, and our conversations always make us laugh.  She was willing to go along but seemed a little unsure.

I don’t even remember what we were talking about last night, but here’s a conversation that just took place:

 

Me: Oh. Ow. There’s shooting pain down this side of my jaw.

Mom: Maybe you’re having sympathy pains. (She just had a tooth removed.)

Me: Like Uncle Jesse did when Rebecca went into labor with the twins?

Mom: Yes, like that.

Me: Only it turned out it was really appendicitis, not sympathy pain at all.

Mom: And you really have a broken tooth.

Me:  This is true. So it really is like that episode of Full House.

 

I’m left unsure how I feel about my life turning into an episode of Full House, but the whole exchange made me laugh, so that’s something.

Just a Glimpse

Here’s a tiny tidbit from the book in progress:

 

 

Once I explained what I was doing, the same three or four questions would be asked by nearly everyone.  Without a doubt, the most common was “Why?”

I would always draw a blank at this one.  Not because I couldn’t think of an answer, but because too many would rush to mind.  There were so many reasons why I wanted to walk across America, to pick one single reason as an explanation seemed impossible.

Instead of trying to pick one from the confusion of ideas that would spring forth in my mind, I’d usually answer with a simple “why not?”

Which would mostly just confuse people more often than satisfy any curiosity.

 

The open roads of Nebraska. (Definitely not flat.)

Someday….

You know what I think would be fun? Taking a road trip across America loosely following my walking path and seeing all the people who helped me along the way.  It’d be pretty nice to be able to let the ones who don’t follow online know that I made it safe and sound.

And road trips are always fun!

I’m imagining we’d go in a tricked out VW Van.

Travel in style! Plenty of room for a bed and storage of gear.

I think Anna would really take to van travel.  She’s excellent in a car (as many people across America can attest to), and I think she got a little bored with the constant foot travel.  I think travelling in a van, and taking day trips would really suit her.

We could stop places and do day hikes and explore areas we couldn’t get to while passing on foot.  Maybe schedule in some organized public/town walks.   Do some public speaking at local schools, encouraging kids to get outdoors and explore more. I don’t know. These are the things I contemplate and dream about. What my next adventure will be, what I’d do differently, different modes of travel.  It’s fun to plan and dream.

 

Edit to add:

After reading this blog entry my mother commented: And to think, that’s what I suggested you should have done the first trip.

To which I replied: Yes, but it wasn’t the right time for that kind of trip. I needed to go on foot first.

Which is true. Everything in it’s own time, and all that jazz.

Same Goal, Different Paths.

You’ll Never Walk Alone by Nate Damm

The above link takes you to a guest blog entry Nate did for Tyler over at his site.  Take a minute to check it out.

For those of you who might be new or have horrible memories, Nate, Tyler and I all walked across America last summer around the same times. Nate was the first to leave, followed by Tyler about a week later, and then I jumped in a little after him.  I learned about Nate’s trip about a week before I left, and about Tyler while I was already on the road.

What I like about this entry is that it shows how different each experience is. We may have been all walking across America at the same relative time and area, but each experience was unique.  Tyler and Nate texted and communicated throughout their walks, helping each other to feel a little less isolated.  They shared the random high and low points, give each other a small outlet.

I didn’t have that.

In some places, especially west of the Mississippi, I could walk all day without seeing another human.

I was pretty secluded and alone on my walk. Just me and my Anna. I called my parents pretty frequently. At first it was nearly once a day, then dwindling down to a few times a week. Once a month or so I’d call my friend Melissa and chat, and sometimes my sister or brothers.  But rarely did anyone call or text me, and while I had access to the internet the only emails I received were the daily missives of my grandfather*.

I don’t want anyone to mistake this as complaining. That is definitely not the case. I actually think my lack of communication with friends made me more open and adventurous when meeting strangers.  There were times I was so desperate for communication I’d talk to anyone I saw – which always always led to something amazing (food, friendship, shelter to name a few).

Another example of the kindness of strangers after a simple conversation: Anna and I set up camp outside a local museum/B&B in Nebraska.

The point is that everyone approaches walking across the country in their own unique way. There is no wrong here. Everyone’s adventure is different, and everyone’s adventure is awesome.

*My grandfather has had a “family letter” going for quite some time. At first this was a typed letter mailed out roughly once a month or so, then as the technology came about he switched over to a family email.  Everyone replies back with little tidbits of their lives and goings on. When I was on my Walk this was a huge thing. Not only was it a daily email to look forward to, but it was also a way to keep me feeling connected with my family.

A Quick Update

For those of you wondering, yes, I’ve been working on writing a book all about my adventure walking across the US.

I had, rather foolishly optimistically, hoped to be done by now. That is very much not the case.  I got a good start back when I arrived in Maine, then sunk into a miserable depression and got nothing done.  I suppose, in retrospect, it shouldn’t have been so unexpected.  The combination of winter in Maine (cold, gray, short days) and ending such an awesome amazing adventure was quite a blow.

However, the tides have turned and I am back to being productive. Huzzah!

In the coming weeks I plan to post bits and pieces from what I’m working on for the book.  Chopping bits down to a good blog-entry size to give all you awesome loyal followers a sneak peak at what’s to come.

So thanks to those of you who have stuck with me, and if you have any questions you’d like to see me answer or topics you’d like me to write about, as always feel free to email me (ameranth at gmail dot com) or comment on any of the entries here.

And because I know you’re all curious, Anna has been doing great. She is, at long last, fully rested and recovered from our adventure. And she is just loving the snow. Forget all that desert, it’s all about the snow covered forests for Anna!

Anna, checking for more partridges in the trees.

Depression? Anxiety? Challenge Accepted.

I’ve talked about approaching life as a game before, specifically in how I approached walking across America.  That approach doesn’t just apply for Epic Quests, but can be applied to every day life.  As with any game, you just have to understand what it is you’re playing and adjust your gameplay.

I clocked hours and hours of play time on my Walk, and leveled up pretty much to the max. The challenges were tougher, but level appropriate. When on the road, an acceptable goal and achievement to aim for was walking 20 miles, or crossing a state line, or maybe something more like talk to X amount of strangers.  But I’m not on the road anymore; the game has changed.

The name of the game: Depression and its less popular add-on, Anxiety

I’ve been stuck on a low level dungeon of this game since December.  I’ll level up and think I see the stairs up the next level, when BAM, killed by an ogre lurking in the shadows.  It’s been frustrating, to say the least.

You have to adjust expectations and achievements to the game. You have to tackle challenges and go after achievements that are level appropriate.  It’s not always easy, and you’ll find yourself getting frustrated, but that’s the way it is.

For example, today’s first achievement was Getting Dressed. (Okay, if I’m being honest here, the very first big achievement was Getting Out of Bed.) Achievements that followed were along the lines of Brushing My Teeth, and Eating a Healthy Breakfast.

These may seem overly simple or silly, but as I said, you have to adjust your expectations to the game you’re playing.  I have to remind myself that I’m starting off fresh. The game has changed; I lost all the XP and leveling up from walking across America, and I’m starting off a low-level noob.

So now I have to figure out how to level up in a whole new game.  It’ll be tough for awhile, but I’m up for the challenge.