Harpers ferry tuesday, march 31

had a pretty long and sleepless train trip here,starting monday morning in st louis and stopping in chicago…for 5 hours!! then we waited on the tracks for 3 hours while some electronic problem was resolved. met some great people from,of all places WISCONSIN!! really fun bunch , entertaining kids…we played war and giggled alot. everyone is so interested in what I’m about to attempt. seems like a lot of hiking, but one step at a time…right!! don’t need to be in a hurry. want to savor every sunset and sunrise,talk to all the doggies I meet. even some of the people. stay in touch!! leaving tomorrow for points south! …supposed to rain,CRAPOLA!!

last day in st louis,mo

today is the last day here. I’m taking care of some last minute packing,making hotel reservations in harpers ferry. looking over my stuff….remember the george carlin skit about our stuff?? where did all this stuff come from? where am I going to keep all this stuff? why am I bringing so much stuff? what if someone else wants my stuff? will I be able to get more stuff?? I’m leaving duplicates of most everything available so if I lose something or some of my stuff breaks I’ll have replacements ready to come by mail. today its cold and rainy,even some snow flakes flying. makes me wonder if I’m going to be able to stay warm enough. should I bring more stuff?? the amount of food I’m carrying is equal to a weeks worth of dietary supplements,crackers,tuna and peanut butter and honey which I will spread on pine cones to get the recommended amount of dietary fiber! what to carry? what to leave behind. what is important to my survival? how far can I walk carrying all that stuff??? will I have enough energy left at the end of a 10-15 mi day to even cook up anything? what if the pine cone crop is deficient this year?  and then there is the weather question. what is it going to do? rain like hell or get hot as an oven ?? or be so dry that I’ll not be able to find a drop! all questions that will be a constant worry. I’m heading out tomorrow, alone. with all that stuff to carry,I wouldn’t be able to keep up with anyone! I’m surely not going to break any speed records! but I’ve been in training for 3 solid months. hiking 10-15 mi 4 days a week with a heavy pack. deb and I have gone out overnight. spinning 2x a week after work. OH! by the way if anyone up there at mcguire furniture checks in here…MISS UUUU!! REALLY!! was a good time, great way to get outta the house this winter and get some exercize. assembling furniture,disassembling furniture,and fixing …..FURNITURE!! well thats it folks…time to get outta town and declare myself a candidate for Appalachian trail thru-hiker. wish me luck!!!

Time to get ready for the trail!!!

with less than a month to go before I head to the AT…the clock is ticking!! its the first week of march and I’m getting apprehensive!! what the heck am I thinking?? why in gods green earth would I suppose that I’d have the nerve and the determination to attempt such a hair-brained stunt? thousands of would be thru hikers attempt the AT every year only to be thwarted by a multitude of woes. blisters,snow and cold,rain without end,loneliness,heat,exhaustion.this is starting to sound like something I really want to do??? I’ve been strapping on a full pack for almost 2 months now. hiking up and down west tyson,castlewood,green rock trail. I’ve been training my guts out at spinning,2 nights a week after work. hiking 4 days a week,at least 10 mi at a stretch. packing and unpacking that damned backpack. what to take?? what to leave behind. experimenting with different food,beans and rice,liptons soups,drink mixes,nuts/gorp…..the pack gets heavier, I get stronger. feet seem to be ok, no blisters….till I pulled a 20 miler . took 11 hours. I think I’ll limit myself to 15 mi or less. was a hot one that day too, one of those early march heat waves. I was drenched,green rock trail is quite the test for a tenderfoot , 20 mi death march. ran out of water , none to collect.

the plan:

  to begin hiking on or about april 1st. leave st loo on amtrak for harpers ferry VA. start hiking south until I reach springer mtn GA, around the 1st of july. return to st loo for a week of R+R before heading to baxter ME for a continuation of the trail back to harpers ferry,arriving before the first snow.