Date: 2006-09-26
To: Prep #50-Just a Hangin'
Miles today: 0.0

Wow...I don't even know where to begin since my last post. Some very cool things have developed in preparation for my hike. The first major thing is that I am now officially a Hammock Hanger. I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER sleep on the ground again, if I have a choice. My crazy good luck showed it's wonderful face again this weekend...here's what happened.I caught wind that Ed Speers (maker of Speer hammocks and VERY nice gentleman) was hosting a Hammock Hanging Campout for this past weekend in Hot Springs, NC (which the AT runs through the town). I really wanted to go, but had to fork out some dough to make some repairs to my truck the weekend before. I was moping and whining to Rachael that I really wished I could go and she said, "Michele...you NEED to get out of here, take a break from working a million hours a week...just GO." (How lucky am I to have such a supporting partner?) So, I decided to throw financial caution to the wind and just go to this event and figure out how to pay for it later.So, I committed to going, requested off work on Friday and even found a fellow Hammocker to car pool with...after I got to Cincinnati, OH. Then..out of the blue, 4 days before I left, one of the people that I'm trying to help sell her house (I'm not a realtor, just a friend helping a friend out), calls me and tells me that she expected her house to sell before now, and since it hasn't, she wanted to give me some $ for all my help! S-A-CORE!!!!!!! I now could really afford to go!!Then, my last piece of equipment I needed showed up on Wednesday. So Friday, I hopped in my truck and went on the 9.5 hour drive to Hot Springs, NC. I was so excited because it was the first time I ever stepped foot on the AT (just in town) and I was surrounded by all the veteran/expert hammockers.As soon as I showed up, everyone jumped up and taught me how to put it up, shared tips with me, made sure everything was set up correctly. It was a fantastic time, beautiful views of the Smokey Mountains, and I was sleeping about 20 feet from the banks of the French River, in which the rushing sounds of the water over rocks lulled me to sleep every night. Paradise really....How did I like my hammock? It was freakin' amazing! I slept like a baby both nights...even dreamed, which rarely happens at home in my bed because I wake up constantly. It was so comfortable, warm, and then the rains came. Lots of little showers, but on Saturday night, it stormed...downpour, thunder lightening....and guess what...I layed there enjoyed the storm, stayed perfectly dry, perfectly warm and had a great night's sleep!!! (can ya tell I'm super overly excited here?) I posted some pics in my photo's section. This changes my gear significantly, and adds about 8-10 oz to my total pack weight vs using my tent set-up....but a great night's sleep is worth every single ounce. There are too many advantages to hammocking over tenting, and I'll post an entire entry dedicated to that topic alone, in the near future.   I'm down to 5 months and 3 days before I quit working, and 5 months 15 days before my train leaves for Georgia. Hard to believe. Going to Hot Springs made this so much more real to me. I was sitting right next to thru-hikers. I saw the AT symbol in the sidewalks of Hot Springs. I visited the infamous outfitter in the town. I just kept looking up into the mountains, wondering exactly where the trail was, wondering if someone was up there right then looking down at me in the town. Very surreal, a huge reality check, and the whole experience served to make me that much more excited.I'm sort of overwhelmed at this point...with excitement, with the feeling that I've finally got the right gear set-up for myself, with facing the reality of how much I'm going to miss Rachael, and all sorts of things. It's all part of the emotional journey we all go on though. It will all be ok, because I know I must do this and I know so many people never get the chance to. I'm so fortunate....I'll never take that for granted.