Date: 2004-09-15
To: Information Gathering
Miles today: 0.0

After making the decision to thru-hike we went to the local library to get info on the AT. The only book readily available was Bill Bryson's, A WALK IN THE WOODS. Maybe not the best book to start with but we were anxious to read all that we could get our hands on. There were not that many books available at the library but 2 books were the 2 big volumes of early journals from the first thru-hikers like Grandma Gatewood. She was 67, I believe, when she walked the trail the first time and she did it 2 more times--the last time she did it in 2 different years. I loved reading the accounts of all 3 of hers plus many others that were in the book. Over Labor Day weekend last year we made a trip to Harpers Ferry to go to the Appalachian Trail Conference Center to sign up as life-time members and to get books, maps, videos, and anything else that would help us plan for the trip. While we were there we walked north on the trail for a little way. Unlike so many other people whose journals or books we have read it was our first time ever stepping foot on the trail. It was awesome just to be on it. Of course, the part we were on was flat and smooth as it is a part that is also a bike path. While in Harpers Ferry we went to The Outfitters to just look and get a feel for what kind of things we would be needing for the trip. We were not ready to buy anything at that point as we did not know anything about what kind of pack, sleeping bag, tent, boots, clothing, etc. We were on an information gathering mission only. We had read books on gear and different people's opinions about gear and we were not comfortable making any major decisions at that time. To be sure, though, when we left Harpers Ferry we were armed with many books of people's accounts and books on backpacking and preparing food for sending to ourselves along the way. More on our food preparations later. One of the best books I read was THERE ARE MOUNTAINS TO CLIMB by Jean Deeds. I read it and then gave it to my mother to read and she loved it,too. Then I read it again and loved it just as much. Another book that was good was A WALK FOR SUNSHINE by Jeff Alt. I like Jean Deeds' book because she was 51 when she did it and had never hiked before. My mother has been reading every book that we give her and she is as excited about our trip as we are. She said she would love to do it if she was younger. That is exactly why we are doing it now. There are only a few windows of opportunity to do some things in a person's life and if life is to be experienced you just have to do it. There is risk involved in everything we do. Our son just did a sky dive but he probably was at less risk doing that than driving from Ohio to Tennessee where he did the dive. Hey, I think I might even like to do a sky dive someday. I don't think I could have ever done it when I was younger because I think I would have been too afraid. Having children probably had something to do with that but I guess I just never thought of the risks I took every day when I got into a car. When your children leave home and you face retirement then you have to start thinking about what you want to do with the rest of your life. You can continue to work but then you don't always have time to do what you want to do. But even if you continue to work into your 60's or 70's I think you have to do something that you've always wanted to do even if it is to just grow a big garden or take a trip to see a part of this great country that you've always wanted to see. I see many things happen to people that changes their lives forever. Good health may not always to be there for us to enjoy.