Date: 2009-10-08
To: First staff meeting
Miles today: 0.0

¢To the end of his days Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a hat, a walking-stick or any money, or anything that he usually took when he went out, leaving his second breakfast half-finished and quite unwashed-up, pushing his keys into Gandalf¢s hands, and running as fast as his furry feet could carry him down the lane, past the great Mill, across The Water, and then on for a mile or more.¢ ¢ The Hobbit by J.R.R. TolkeinDetermined not to find myself in Bilbo¢s shoes, uh, situation, I called a staff meeting.¢Alright, everyone,¢ I said. ¢It¢s time to get this meeting underway. We¢ve got a lot of decisions to make and only a few months to go.¢¢Where are we goin¢? Where are we goin¢?¢ the boots asked excitedly, their tongues waving wildly. ¢Can we go? Can we go?¢ they shouted in unison.I looked at them fondly. I had looked many places trying to find something that would fit my feet. I had begun to feel that I was the Imelda Marcos of hiking boots, given the size of my collection. Unfortunately none of the previous pairs had really worked out in a long-term relationship. It had taken Winton, rescuing me on a section hike in northern Georgia from Blue Mountain Shelter, my feet blistered and bleeding, toenails black and blue (or missing entirely) and fitting me for boots at Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap in with a pair of men¢s Dunham boots to get me fit properly. (Thanks again, Winton!).¢Yes, of course, you can come. But are you sure you want to? Don¢t forget what they say about Pennsylvania and old boots¢¦¢¢We¢re not afraid. *We* can go to Pennsylvania and not die. Besides, we¢re not *old* boots.¢¢You will be by the time we get there,¢ I thought to myself, but I smiled and nodded.The rest of the equipment was strewn about the crowded room. From the corner came a deep voice. ¢You¢ll need me, naturally.¢ It was the Green Beast. The Dana Design Terraplane backpack I got when I took up section hiking the AT in 2001. At the time I needed something huge since I was carrying the majority of the gear for me and my then-10-year-old son. It fit wonderfully and allowed me to carry the weight, but at 7 12 pounds empty, it was more than I wanted to carry on this trip. But I wasn¢t looking forward to this discussion.¢I¢m not sure on this one, Beast. I¢m hoping to reduce the weight. I want to go fast and light. It¢s time for me to run with the wolves.¢¢Run with the wolves? More like mosey with the slugs!¢ came a sly voice from a hook on the rack. I knew who it was. It was the Kelty Coyote pack I¢d gotten in an effort to reduce weight. And it certainly does weigh less, but it doesn¢t fit as well. So it feels heavier. And ¢ well, it seems to have an attitude. I decided to ignore the comment.¢But you¢ll need someone tough enough to stand up to the abuse on the trail,¢ argued the Green Beast. ¢Remember all the rocks you¢ve slid down on your butt, dragging me along? I¢m tough. I can take it. Remember me rolling down off Dragon¢s Tooth when I was too wide?¢¢It wasn¢t *you* that was too wide, Beast,¢ said the Kelty. ¢I mean, if *she¢d* just loose some weight herself instead of asking us to do all the work¢¦This meeting wasn¢t going the way I had planned.¢I¢ll think about it and get back to you all.¢I beat a hasty retreat from the room and from all the decisions I knew I would need to make before I leave.Besides, the Kelty had a point. I¢m not in good shape at all. Getting to the gym would be a good thing. A stiff workout would be even better. I know the gym won¢t be nearly as tough as the Trail, but it will be much better training than thumbing through catalogs of camping gear or reading gear reviews online.Equipment preparation will have to wait; personal fitness preparation will, for now, take priority. I may end up outside, walking down the Trail for two thousand miles or more, without all of the gear I need, but at least I will be in better shape than I am now.