Date: 2004-02-26
To: Yes, I am crazy
Miles today: 0.0

It's all Tom Venuto's fault, really, this crazy trip I'm planning. Tom was my fitness coach for about 6 months in 2002-2003. I have always exercised and been fairly active, but in recent years my weight crept up as my motivation sagged. I wasn't overweight by any measure, but I just wasn't the best I felt I could be. I found Tom, and decided to work with him because I agreed with his philosphies on fitness and nutrition. I knew that simply having that weekly bodyfat check was going to keep me motivated to reach my goal. It worked. Tom managed to whip my butt into shape, and in the meantime he tried to convert this old cynic into an optimist. He almost succeeded at that optimist thing. Almost. He taught me a lot about goal setting and positive thinking, though, skills that I think will come in handy on the trail. Anyway, as I was nearing my fitness goals, I started worry about maintenance. When you are working towards a goal, making progress every day, moving forward, it's easy to keep going. But what do you do when your only goal is to stay the same? Tom encouraged me to set up some long term physical challenges for myself.   Something like running a marathon, or squatting my bodyweight for 100 reps. Something to work towards. Well, what immediately came to my mind was to thru-hike the Applachian Trail. This was an old dream, long pushed out of my mind until that moment. I decided I would do a thru-hike in 2005, the year I turn 40. I read some books, joined some web forums, etc, to get myself informed. When the new year 2004 hit, I started researching gear. I wanted to do some 'shakedown' hikes in the summer of '04 to prepare myself. I bought a tent and sleeping bag and was just beginning to look into packs and stoves when everything changed. I found out that as of February 27th I would be unemployed. I was devastated. I know how bad the job market is, and I couldn't justify searching for a job for months, finally accepting one, then leaving within a year for my thru-hike. I thought my plans were toast. Then, my friend Doug e-mailed me and said "why don't you go THIS year?" What? Now? But I'm not ready! It soon dawned on me, however, that really it is now or never. I'm debt free, kid free, husband free. Job free. Now or never.So, I'm going. April 1, 2004. I'm giving up my apartment, and selling everything in it. After the trail, I plan to head West. I'll spend time with my brother in Colorado and check out the job market there. Then I may go to California to see my friend Beth and check out the job market there, too. I suspect I'll land ultimately in Colorado. It's so beautiful there, and the weather suits me.I have to change my attitude towards the hike a little. My budget will be considerably lower, my experience will be ZERO, and my fitness level good but not where I had hoped. Instead of maildrops of highly nutritious food, I'll resupply on the fly. Instead of the best equipment, I'll use 'good enough' stuff that I can afford. Instead of taking the 'Katahdin or Bust' attitude, I'm just going to hike as far as I can and hope that the money and the body can carry me all the way. I'm just going to take each day as it comes and enjoy it. I'll be keeping my journal manually (remember pens and paper?), and mailing the pages up to my transcriber (Mom) as I go along. So this journal will generally be a week or so behind once I hit the trail. I don't know if I'll write daily while I'm out there, or if it will be more sporadic than that. Check back often to see what adventures I have to share.