December 2011

3 Learning Lessons from 2011

3 learning lessons from 2011

Holy Moldy Mayo, Batman!

2011 has been a monumental year for Mr. Zach Davis; this is a simple fact.

It all started with a post. 

January 2011

I was suffering from a fairly severe case of life dissatisfaction.  As is a common scenario amongst the employed population, I was at odds with my boss.  So- I did what any over-worked, under-appreciated, and slightly over-confident employee does to their boss- tells them to shove it.  Unfortunately, in this particular scenario, I was the boss.

So, in search of some life answers, I decided to shake shit up a bit.  Me, the class clown, computer nerd, sheltered son to a highly over-protective Jewish mother announced that he would be spending the next half year backpacking through the woods of Appalachia.  Not knowing the first thing about backpacking, camping, or really anything related to being outside for longer than 9 innings, I was eager to take on the biggest challenge of my life.  And by eager, I of course mean anxious as fuck.

One of two things was going to happen:

1) I was going to find the life answers I was so desperately in search of, or

2) I was going to end up in a bear’s digestive tract.

December 2011

I am happy to report that not only did I avoid #2, I made decent progress down route #1.

And because so many of you have spent so much time with me during this journey, I’d like to share some of the insights that have found me along the way.Read more →

Lyme Disease on the Appalachian Trail

The follow excerpt is taken from Appalachian Trials: a psychological and emotional guide to thru-hiking the Appalchain Trail.  If you’re thinking of hiking the AT, I’ll go as far as to say, it’s a must read.

Deer Ticks are assholes.

I went into the Appalachian Trail with my share of premonitions. Most, turned out to be false.

The crazy hillbillies in the southern part of the trail, just turned out to be crazy nice.  Even if you can’t make out what they’re saying, it’s perfectly clear all they want to do is help.

That black bear that was going to leap out of tree for the sole purpose of eating my face– also turned out to be incorrect.  Black bears are big raccoons; they’re on a mission from God only to dig through trash.  They don’t seem to realize, or at the very least care about, their strength.  Watching a 300lb black bear scamper up a tree because it sees a 130lb female backpacker in the distance is one of life’s great mysteries.

My biggest fear going into the trail, however, turned out to be justified- Deer Ticks.  More specifically, the disease these micro-satans spread, Lyme Disease.

About Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States and is transmitted through the bite of one of the aforementioned micro-satans.  Symptoms include fever, headache, stiff joints, fatigue, depression, and the common “bulls-eye” rash. If left untreated, symptoms can increase in severity including permanent damage to joints, heart, and central nervous system, and eventually death.

Here’s why Lyme Disease is a big risk to Appalachian Trail thru-hikers Read more →