Max brenner atlanta12/28/2023 ![]() Harder to believe still is that some of my parent’s orders in my younger years were somewhat conducive to a better life– brushing every night before bed will actually keep the Dentist at bay. For example, sleeping 8-9 hours at a regular time each night is healthy. ACDC blaring at four in the morning? I don’t think so. ![]() My roommates wouldn’t appreciate it much if I did exactly what I wanted all the time. This rebellious and at times unhelpful attitude isn’t completely sticking with me, and that’s probably for the best. I was on my own schedule and made decisions completely uninfluenced by societal norms or matriarchal instincts. Sometimes I would just walk all night and take a long lunch nap. I tried many different routines sometimes I would start walking early in the morning and sometimes I would sleep in and walk late into the night, using my headlamp to navigate around trees and over rocks. With nobody telling me how I should behave, or role modeling ‘typical’ behavior, I was on my own clock. I guess she wasn’t around for my first two years at MIT either, but there were certainly other people (in MacGregor and in Sigma Chi) who influenced my decisions on clothing and eating/sleeping habits. Mom wasn’t around to tell me when to shower, when to eat, when I should go to sleep. Perhaps this is part of any young man’s coming of age, but I started to trust my own judgment while making decisions on the Trail. That’s what Hot Rock (the shuttle driver who whisked me to the start of the AT in Georgia) told me. ![]() I plan to collaborate even more this coming year. Going through MIT alone would not be enjoyable, if even possible. Collaboration is encouraged, and my hike made me internalize that even if it’s possible to ‘solo’ something, engaging others is fun and can usually be more productive. Although I am determined not to write much on the subject of MIT’s difficulty (I’ll leave that to the other bloggers), P-sets are often challenging. With time alone, enough is enough, and hiking all of June void of companionship taught me that. Go hike for 4 months and you’ll find out what simply doesn’t matter to you too.Įxcept for certain reflective outings, I want the people in my life who I care about to share future experiences and adventures with me. Some things just don’t matter to me anymore. ![]() This will translate to my life at MIT by allowing me to focus less on money and materials and spend more time doing cool things with interesting people-I will splurge less on food (ramen noodles and pasta sides should suffice most evenings), I will make do with what clothing and materials I already own, and I will recognize that my smile is independent of my bank account or the label on my shirt. Although money can help place you in experiences that will enrich your life, money can’t buy happiness. But I no longer aspire to drive a Porsche Carrera or live in a multimillion dollar home. As soon as I got back after the hike I thoroughly enjoyed texting my friends, browsing Facebook, sitting in my comfy desk chair and even splurging a bit at Max Brenner (a must-have dessert stop on Boylston Street). Much how extra stuff weighs my backpack down on the Trail, extra stuff weighs us down emotionally and physically through life. Living out of a 38-liter backpack taught me exactly what I need and what I don’t. So long as you have a certain amount of each, you don’t need more. My three main takeaways from this experience:ġ) Materials and money do not equal happiness I’m going to take this space to connect what happened out there to my future at MIT. For more of the nitty-gritty details and hundreds of cool pictures, check out my hiking blog. It rained, well, probably just as often as in other parts of the country. I clambered over rocks, roots, hills and mountains for 20-30 miles every day. The hike (called the Appalachian Trail, or AT) itself was challenging. I’m blessed to have been in a position to take the semester off, to have supportive family and friends, and to have gotten exposure through the Boston Globe and various other news outlets, all of which contributed greatly to the fundraising. I kept a blog (which you can read at if you’re interested), and raised over $11,100 for Juvenile Diabetes Research using per-mile sponsorship. I finished just in time to cruise back to Boston for 4th of July celebrations and fireworks. I flew to Georgia on February 28th and hiked to central Maine, traversing over 2,181 miles in four months.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |