Date: 2013-02-18
To: Prep Entry #1
Miles today: 0.0

Hi, my name is Mike, I don¢t have a Trail Name yet but have enjoyed hiking on the AT over the past several years. Back in 1979, I had heard about the Appalachian Trail and wanted to hike it after I graduated from West Virginia University with a Social Work degree. I soon came to the conclusion that it would be nice to share the experience with someone so I got married on February 29, 1980 and hoped that someday, my wife and I could share the adventure together. Somehow, jobs, bills and what we call life overshadowed these plans and the AT hike was put on hold.      In June 2011, I was able to hike about 30 miles of the AT in the Smoky Mountains from Newfound Gap to Davenport Gap with my, now young adult sons, Jonathan and Riff. It was one of the best Father¢s Day experiences I ever had! I was hooked ¢ the challenges of the elevation changes (We would be walking through the ¢Green Tunnel¢, come to a vista of incredible beauty but also know that if we saw a hill or mountain in the distance, we would be going up it ¢ or at least it sure seemed that way), Charlie¢s Bunion, looking DOWN on the clouds filling valleys below us, being in what appeared to be in the ¢middle of nowhere¢ without a road or building in sight ¢ just enjoying God¢s Creation. While on the Trail, we heard about a friend from our hometown in Maryland whose Trail Name is Space Cowboy who was Thru Hiking and already well beyond the Mason Dixon Line. The seed was once again planted to pursue a Thru Hike.   In June of 2012, a friend of my sister-in-law, Patty, expressed a desire to hike part of the AT and four of us (Patty, my sister-in-law Sarah, my son Riff and I) planned and started a hike of about 40 miles in the Smoky Mountains from Fontana Dam to Newfound Gap. We ended up with several tales of adventure, starting the hike with a significant uphill grade in a wet, misty/rain mix and ended a little over three and a half days later after experiencing a ¢worthy challenge¢ of elevation changes and meeting several really nice folks also hiking the Trail ¢ the very kind hearted ¢Kilt and Nancy¢, ¢Preacher¢ and the group of guys who could build a much appreciated campfire out of wood that seemed to be as wet as a sponge as well as entertain with their own tales and jokes, Zigfoot and others that we met at the various shelters.   Finally, an overnight hike with my son, Jonathan, to McAfee Knob, VA (the most photographed spot on the AT) that was so impressive that several months later, he took his girlfriend there, proposed, she said yes and after gathering both sides of the families at the Homeplace Restaurant, they plan to be married this coming October after I have completed the Trail. In early November 2012, after Hurricane Sandy dumped a significant amount of snow and had left my home without power, I left that ¢survival¢ experience to join some friends, on an AT hike from the Potomac River in VA/ Harpers Ferry, WV to Fox Gap in MD and end the adventure at the South Mountain Creamery ¢ again ¢ the sights you see and the people you meet and the challenges you face made for a very memorable experience.   Hooked, obsessed, reading Trail Journals (esp. ¢Bomber¢ and ¢Balls and Sunshine¢), attending Trail days in Damascus (meeting folks like Gene Espy and AWOL), the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the AT at Harpers Ferry (hearing about Grandma Gatewood), various books and Youtube videos (if you are interested, I could give you a list) ¢ the time is finally near ¢ with a proposed start date on the Approach Trail on February 28, I am scrambling to tie up loose ends for 6 months and am very much looking forward to the experiences and adventure of the Trail!