Date: 2004-10-03
To: busy, indeed
Miles today: 0.0

i did a little hiking last year on the AT. i kept a journal on this site. i¢ve kept quite a few journals on this site from quite a few adventures.i always tell myself that i¢m going to be diligent in my journaling. i¢ll keep everyone up to date as to where i am and what i¢ve been doing. of course, i usually get sidetracked and quit writing the journal and then no one knows where i am and what i¢ve been doing. i¢m pretty sure this happens with almost every journal i¢ve had on trailjournals.i stopped writing in last year¢s journal. i enjoy writing, but sometimes i just can¢t seem to get it together. i hiked from katahdin to kent, ct, last year before i realized it was time for other things.since that time i¢ve been quite busy. i¢ve done many things and seen many places. here is a short recap of what has transpired in the time that i¢ve been gone:-my old friend gear girl (AT2002), snatched me up in the quaint town of kent and drove me to the thriving metropolis of philadelphia, pa, where i spent a few days laying low before i made my way home to north carolina in time for thanksgiving dinner. the journey from PA to NC was rather interesting. gear girl gave me a ride to washington dc, where i caught a bus bound for charlottesville, va. part way through this bus ride i somehow talked the driver into helping me get on another bus that was headed to harrisonburg, va, where i was supposed to stay the night with xena (AT2004) and her parents. the next day they drove me to meet my other friend, dave, who was heading to greensboro. it really worked out quite nicely. the plan was to eat some thanksgiving dinner, hike in the NC, TN, VA area until Christmas and then return to kent to resume my southbound adventure after the new year. somehow i got sidetracked yet again.-around thanksgiving, i found out that dan ¢wingfoot¢ bruce wanted to use one of my photographs for the cover of the 2004 edition of the Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker¢s Handbook-wingfoot asked me if i had a website that i wanted to list beside my name inside the cover of the book where i was going to get credit for the photograph. i told him that i didn¢t, but i could get one. so, i had a website built to display my photography. www.wacphotography.com-then, between thanksgiving and Christmas, i somehow managed to sell almost forty prints of my photographic work. -i spent the better part of february in new mexico climbing really tall mountains through really deep snow and hanging out in santa fe with girl next door (AT2002), snotrocket (AT2002), and redwood (AT2002). -i made my first trip to traildays in damascus; where jeff, of the mount rogers outfitters, was kind enough to let me set up a booth in the parking lot in front of their hostel to try and pedal my photography. i was pleasantly surprised at how many pieces i was able to sell that weekend. -i took part in the AT photo project on memorial day weekend. somehow i lucked out with what i would consider one of the best 8 mile sections on the whole AT. brown gap to lemon gap. yeah, that¢s the section that includes max patch.-july 4th weekend found me, shoeless jon, and jim triple on a whirlwind weekend roadtrip from north carolina to old mexico- and back.....in just over two days. (a journal that is still in the works and will provide great reading entertainment when finally finished).-also, during july i had my first month long art show in asheville. i proudly displayed 26 of my photographs on the walls of my favorite local bakery. it was a great experience. i¢ve done a few weekend backpacking trips here and there. mostly in the grayson highlands area of virginia (one of my favorite places). we also did a weekend man trip in august for shoeless jon¢s bachelor party. rock climbing on the blue ridge parkway followed by camping in the roan highlands.......a great time, indeed.yes, shoeless jon got married- to miriam, aka mirabelle, the same girl that drove to maine with us last year. the same girl he took on a date in new york city on their way back home. he proposed to her... ¢In Paris, on top of the Arc de Triomphe Jon asked Miriam if she would go to the top of the Eiffel Tower with him. Significant because she had promised to only go to the top with the man she was promised to. He dropped to a knee, pulled out an incredibly perfect ring to fit her finger, and she said yes, a million times over. They climbed the Eiffel Tower to take in the amazing City of Lights and kissed. A most perfect way to start the rest of our lives.¢ (as taken from their wedding page).yep. shoeless jon has pretty much ruined it for the rest of us. that guy is top notch. i was proud to be a part of their wedding and know that they will have such a wonderful life together.i have, indeed, been rather busy. now i am ready for my next adventure. wednesday, october 6th, i¢ll take the train from greensboro, nc, to washington, dc. i¢ll stay the night with my sister, lara. i¢m not sure that i would really consider it staying there, though. my train leaves washington at 3:00 thursday morning. i should arrive in portland, maine, around 3:00 thursday afternoon. the infamous grace (AT2004) and her lovely husband, ross (cheers- AT2004) are going to pick me up at the train station and give me a ride to baxter state park.i¢m thinking that it looks like i¢m going to start hiking on friday morning. maybe catch the sunrise from either pamola peak, somewhere along the knife edge, or from baxter peak proper and walk south from there. the weather is looking a little shady for saturday, which was my original start date, so friday it will be.that¢s all for now.maybe i¢ll be more diligent in my journaling this time around.i wouldn¢t count on it, though.oh, and a quick shout out to my new friends, joy and fun sarah. you girls are great.