Date: 2009-02-28
To: Duncannon Prep Hikes III
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

January ended up being frigid and hiking was precarious, at best. Many days I went out there and found an Appalachian Ice Luge and decided that it would be in the best interest of myself and my knee to take some time off. During this time I did a lot of quadricep strengthening exercises to try to get them a little stronger. At beginning of February I went on a 8 day trip to Maine and didn't really walk at all. I would rest my knee for a couple weeks and then see how things went when I got back.I returned home to PA to find things had thawed out a little bit and I was ready to see what condition the trail was in. For the first week back I did relatively low milers on all of my familiar routes from the fall. Satisfied with the safety of navigating the newly iceless rocks as well as the total lack of knee pain, I was ready to put on some weight and see what happened. The first day with the pack full was a little nerve racking but it was a good feeling starting out again with a completely changed hiking mentality. I could feel my subconscious trying to 'goose the throttles' and go faster when I wasn't paying attention. But I was steadfast on making myself train into a slower, steadier pace. After a few days of getting used to my new strategy I felt great and decided it was time to do some work on the mountain that I got hurt on.For five consecutive days, I hiked fully packed up Peter's Mountain past the shelter and than back down, about ten miles round trip. I was completely satisfied by my performance this week because nothing hurt and I felt great. It was time for me to move forward with my hike.Its funny looking at an experience like this and finding out what are the hardest parts. I sure thought it would be the physical aspect but that part is easier than the mental game of 'taking the first step' by taking leave at work, ending an apartment lease, and most of all telling your parents who I'm sure constantly re-evaluate what 'unconditional support' was ever supposed to mean. I have lived in 8 states in the last ten years, moved more than twice as many times but it is always so hard to uproot yourself, even if it is to live your dreams.A solid week was spent off the trail and in my 'campaign headquarters' (bedroom) laying down an actual waypoint timeline for the hike. My thru hike is broken down into 38 sections with resupply points in between. An enormous Thank You to 'Baltimore Jack' Tarlin for his extremely detailed and insightful resupply notes on whiteblaze.com. Between his suggestions, studying every page of the Appalachian Pages guidebook, and Google Maps, I found what I believe to be a solid plan for resupply points. I was able to judge what places it would make more sense to send a maildrop. In the case of food, I am a little jealous of (I should say I admire) those who have prepared all of their food and dehydrated it. I am worried about the monotony of eating the same thing every day so I decided to resupply at grocery stores two-thirds of the time to keep things versatile. Also, I'm sure I will learn a lot more tricks while I'm out there so I don't want to get stuck into the food I've planned with maildrops.As it stands now, I am exactly one month away from leaving. Some people have asked why I am leaving a little later than most (April 1) and there are definite reasons behind this decision: I want to stay at this job I love as long as possible to make as much money as I can before leaving. Also, I want to try to make it by with only one sleeping bag and thought leaving later would give my equipment more versatility. Things left to do are to buy food and get the drops together. Also, I need to get my 'Ground Support Crew' up to speed. These people are actually quite experienced at this job because I used to be an ocean-going mariner and was at sea or out of the country for months at a time. After thinking long and hard about the possibility of getting a 'blackberry' type phone and updating journals from the trail, I decided that it would be more cost/weight/peace of mind effective if I just write the journals and send them home every town stop to be transcribed by my mother. It will help keep the language a little more suitable as well!I will plan to post one more journal entry before getting under way in April to let everyone know the final 'state of the ship.' Thank you already to everyone who has signed the guest book with all of your great support and great advice! I am already so excited with the vast sense of community and I haven't even started yet!!