Is This an Obsession?

I was just asked if this was an obsession. This draw of the Appalachian Trail. The desire to read books about it, two, three, ten times over, even more at times than the stack of fiction novels I have on the shelf. (!)

I looked up the word obsession. My dictionary says an obsession is- "a persistant, disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling."

So is this desire to hike the AT an obsession? It is persistant, yes. Has been for over thirty years. I can get preoccupied with it, yes. Especially when I would rather look for backpacking gear or scan the forums on White Blaze - a web site for AT enthusiasts, rather than my work. Is this disturbing? For someone who can't fathom the idea of spending six months in the woods hiking 2,000 plus miles, sure it is. For me, no. Is it unreasonable? For some, sure it is. Even walking down the street can be unreasonable to some! For me, no.

So is this an obsession?

No.

It's a dream. A goal. And as a Christian, I believe it's a dream that God has nurtured over the years. And with His help and guidance, it will come to pass.