Date: 2008-08-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

OK ok I know, it's been a while since my last journal entry. This summer has been so busy that I have not had much time to get out on the trails and hike. I have had a few day hikes, and one more backpacking trip under my belt. A few weekends ago I spent 3 days on the AT at the Delaware Water Gap in NJ/PA. I had my first close encounters with bears, and lets just say I was a LITTLE nervous at first. I was with two other friends of mine and we had gotten a little bit of a late start, so by the time we were cooking dinner it was getting dark out. I'm just finishing the clean up and I hear some foot steps, so I look up (with my head lamp on) and see a deer, ok no big deal. Not two minutes later I hear some more foot steps, and assuming it's the deer I look up and see two eyes looking back at me. I moved my head a bit to shine the light on it's body and I see a big black body 10 feet away! YIKES! So I did what I have been taught to do if I encounter a black bear, I made so much noise it went off running. Finally we pack it in and get into our tents, and the bear came back, ALL night clawing at the bear box, walking around our tents and keeping the ridge runners up blowing their bull horn. Poor guys, but they did a nice job of keeping the bear away from us every time it entered the site. So that was the major excitement of that trip. I did talk to a few section hikers the next night at the shelter and get a few pointers. Also, this was sort of a shake down hike for me, but I still don't know what I could eliminate, but I DO know that I need to pack differently, putting more weight lower in my pack. It's too top heavy, any suggestions out there?So I think I had said this in an earlier posting, but I said I'd have a very hard time telling my boss I'd be leaving. For one, I will be sad to quit, I do love my work family, and two, her and I are pretty close and we both can be sensitive. Well, things sort of changed up at work, and although we still work together, she is no longer my boss. Anyway, when she told me I'd no longer be reporting to her, I jumped at the opportunity to tell her about the hike. Well, I got really emotional because I got the opposite reaction to what I expected. She said I think that's great, go and do it, be free while you can, this is just a job and you can always come back or find another one. I'll never forget the "be free" line, that will stick in my head the entire length of this trip. Sometimes it takes a crappy event to make you realize that there are no guarantees in life, so live it how you wish and enjoy every minute of it. At some point I'm sure you'll be reading this Sue, so thanks for your support! Go be free! Please feed me when I pass through your neighborhood On another note, my partner Eric and I have nailed down a start date. He suggested February 3 since that's his birthday but I said NO way, not starting in Feb. So then he said how about March 3, sounds good to me! I believe that's the date Kelly and Matt started in 06 also, so maybe that will bring me some luck and good fortune? Ok well that's all I have for right now, stay tuned. I am planning an overnight trip with Liz who's starting the trail next year too. Just so happens we sort of live near by, so it will be good to hang with someone who is on the same path. We can plan and talk gear, ya know, the stuff we obsess over but would probably bore a non-hiker to pieces! Until next time...