Date: 2009-03-08
To: No More Work!
Miles today: 0.0

So this is it. I am beginning my journey to become an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker. I have dreamed of doing this all my life, but really never thought it could happen. And now, I am going to be leaving in just over a month. Wow. Most people, when leaving for the trail, have a hard time leaving their job. Usually you always have to quit, because no employer will ever give you a 6 month leave. I have a bit more of a convenient way of doing it. Friday was my last day at work, I was one of the 600,000 people who got laid off in January. Even better, I got paid to leave. A severence package worth about 5 months of pay will pay for my gear, my food, my lodging, everything, with lots left over for when I get back; I am very lucky to be in this position (lucky to be laid off? weird..). However, I liked the company I was working for very much, and it was all I knew (it was my first job and I worked there almost 7 years), so I will miss it very much...well, a little anyways..I will miss my friends.I have never taken off more than two weeks at once in the past 7 years, so 6 months without any kind of 9-5 responsibility will be wonderful. I am looking forward to beginning my adventure. Over the next month I will be preparing and collecting gear, training, and spending all the time I can with loved ones before I spend all that time in the woods.Speaking of training. Yesterday I went for a hike with my friend, Justin (AT Thru in 06). Wow, one of the single most challenging hikes I have ever done (and I've done a few). We drove up to New Hampshire, to the Presidential Mtns., and we each completed our first 5000' winter hike. It was amazing. We climbed Mt. Madison, the northernmost of the presidentials, up one of the most physically demanding trails in the area, the Airline Trail. The Airline would be really hard in the summer, and it was down right brutal yesterday with 4' of slippery snow filling the trail. We took the trail, which was highly exposed to the winds along Durand Ridge all the way up to Madison Hut, completing some 3000+ feet of elevation gain in 3.5 miles. But, motivation came when the clouds parted. It had been cloudy/no views all morning (and it ended up clouding back over later), but while we were up at the Hut and the peak, it was a bluebird day and absolutely gorgeous. I will post pictures later. After a short lunch outside of the Hut, where the winds were calmer, we pushed on to make the summit attempt. The last half mile contained 1000' of vertical gain, a brutal climb by any measure. We were fortunate enough to have exposed rocks the whole way, and did not need to wear our crampons (although my stabil-icers came in handy). At the very top of the peak, we rounded a corner and became fully exposed, the views were amazing, but it was about 15 degrees with 60mph sustained winds, with 80mph gusts. I was having a hard time walking because the wind was so strong. With much pain in our bodies, we descended back to the Hut and found the Valley Way, and followed the trail down. It was about 4 miles up and 4 miles down. It took 6 hours to get up and 2 hours to get down. The disparity was amazing, we simply flew down the Valley Way.This hike helped remind me what real, crushing leg pain felt like. And it tested me mentally, you can't ever stop for too long without the cold setting in, but sometimes it feels like you can't take another step. I have given myself a glimmer of confidence as I head off to the Trail, I have proven to myself that (at least a little bit) I can handle the strenuous demands of pushing myself to the limits. Wow, great hike.Today is Sunday, this week I will be getting as much errands done as I can while still trying to walk a few miles each day. It's mostly bills and insurance stuff I have to take care of, boring but necessary. I will talk to you all soon, good luck to those already out there!Happy Trails,Matt