Date: 2003-02-24
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Miles today: 0.0

As I wind down to the last few weeks of preparation for my hike I figured it was time for me to update my journal. I started by reading back through my previous journal entries and I was amazed at how long these plans have been underway. Then again though, at some level I've been planning to hike the AT for many years of my life. If you believe that "energy flows in the direction of thought", and I personally do, then I guess you can imagine where a lot of my energy has been focused over those many years. You know, I've never been much for letting someone else dictate my behavior or my future. My belief is that we create our own fate in life, either by making decisions or by not making them. Over the years I've often noticed that when all is said and done   ...much has been said but ironically, little has been done. Well, this is one of those times when nothing happens until you stop "talking the talk" and you "walk the walk", so to speak. . My dad, rest his soul, used to tell me that in life   ..."WE make our own beds and WE have to sleep in them". Well Dad, I've chosen to sleep in THIS bed for the next 6 months of my life. Having hiked several miles on the AT already, there is no mystery as to what I am about to undertake or misgivings about what lies ahead. I know full well that there will be good days   ...and not so good days.However, with just a few weeks left now before I depart on my journey, I have started to wonder what affect this experience will have on me. But, rather than try and anticipate those changes, I have decided to just take the energy that has built up inside me and let it flow, one day at a time. Other than reaching Katahdin, I have no specific goals or preconceived notions. I want this journey to be one of discovery and learning, both about myself and the world around me. I am very fortunate to have my health, but even more so to have the love and support of an understanding partner, a best friend and soul mate ...all rolled into one. Since she has thru-hiked the AT herself, she knows first hand what I am about to experience. Over the past couple years, when ever I would have doubts or start to question my decision to hike the AT it was she, Leslie, who would encourage me to stay committed my dream. To say that I was thankful for all she has done in support of this effort would be an understatement. Truth be told, there is absolutely NO WAY that I would have been able to realize my dream without her love, trust and constant support. As many hikers finalize their plans and start to make their way toward Springer Mountain, we were all shocked to hear that a fellow AT hiker, Ted "Soleman" Anderson, had suddenly died the other day. The e-mail traffic yesterday was heavy with words of shock and disbelief. I never met Ted personally, but I had read his many humorous e-mail posts on the "HikersRus" yahoo group list and often exchanged thoughts and ideas with him. I, like others no doubt, spent countless hours sitting quietly and asking myself   ...how does something like this happen   ...and why does it happen to someone who was so full of life, energy and enthusiasm about his upcoming AT thru-hike. No answers came to me. What Ted's death did remind me of though is just how fragile life can be. When I overlaid those thoughts on the concerns and indecision I often had about my own plans to hike the AT, I realized just how "RIGHT" it is for me to be following my dream. We all mouth the words at times   ...that life is so short, but Ted's death was a vivid reminder of just how truly short it can be and how suddenly it can be snatched away. If there is any good to come from a death such as Ted's, maybe it is that poignant reminder of the importance of living life to the fullest. I certainly plan to carry that thought with me as I live each day of my upcoming thru-hike to the max.I imagine that the e-mail messaging among this years class of thru-hikers will shortly begin to fall off. There will be a brief lapse in journal entries until the hikers have all finished the first few days on the trail and send their updates back home to their transcribers I just want to take this opportunity to express my admiration and respect for all those   ...past, present and future, who dream this dream and then make it happen. Hiking the AT, in and of itself, doesn't make a person better or special. However, this is one of those experiences that forges a bond among people, which only those who have "been there, done that" can know. I sincerely look forward to meeting the many hikers with whom I will be sharing this 2,172 mile foot path this year. That includes the spirit of Ted "Soleman" Anderson.My thanks to the many people who have visited this site, read my journal and signed my guest book. I realize that not everyone can, or would even be interested in hiking the Appalachian Trail from end to end. Nonetheless, I invite you to follow along and share in my adventures as I make my way northward.