Date: 2008-11-16
To: FAQ Post HIke
Miles today: 0.0

How was your hike? - Fabulous, wonderful, fantastic!How long did it take you?- A few days short of 6 months...average.Did you get any bad weather?- Snow, a handful of days; thunderstorms; hail, specifically rememebering weather from the tornado in Georgia and Mt. Washington; cold, cold nights complete with friends snuggling in the shelter to keep warm; heat and humidity, and the list does on...It was so much fun, though!!What animals did you run into?- Bears, bobcat, porcupine, deer, squirrel, chipmunks, snakes, orange nymph, worms, fish, turtle, etc...and NO moose (only scat and tracks).Was it hard coming back?- Very, I'll write more in the next entry.Would you do it again?- Yes, I would think about it, but not right away...I can't afford it. People comment I should do it going SOBO next time. If I consider doing it again, I might consider going in the other direction...we'll see. Are you avoiding hiking/backpacking now? Are you tired of it?- No way! A few days after getting home I was right back out there hiking, and also on email with my uncle and cousins about trying to plan our annual backpacking trip over Thanksgiving weekend. Before starting in March, I wondered if this trip would make it too much of a job and make me not want to do it anymore, but that's not so. It did seem like a job sometimes, but even on those days I loved being out there.How much did it cost you?- Around $5,000, give or take. This includes all expenses DURING the trek (trail food, sending drop boxes, town food, hostels/motels, fuel resupply, gear replacement). This doesn't include gear I bought before I started or bills from home I had to pay while away. Luckily, though, I was able to use gift cards/certificates for some of my expenses, to alleviate some of the impact on my wallet. Thanks to all those who helped out in that way.What's your next adventure? -Hehe, I always chuckle at that one for some reason, and say, "I dunno." People ask if I'm planning on doing the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) or another long distance trail. Right now, I'd like to do them, and when I can, I'm looking at section hiking them. I definitely enjoyed thru hiking, but I don't know what the future has in store for me and whether I'd be able to not work and hike for that long again. We'll see.    I would be interested in thru hiking the Long Trail again. I'd be interested in looking into the John Muir Trail or other shorter long distance trails, ones that I could do over the summer, once I get some funds again. I'm also looking at maybe working on the Adirondak High Peaks or those in New England. Maybe I'll spend a summer up there baggin' peaks, if I can do it cheaply. Like I said, we'll see. What are you doing now? - I am substitute teaching for schools in the south Baltimore area, near my house, for the rest of this school year, and will hopefully find a full time teaching job for the '09-'10 school year. On days where I don't have a sub job I hike, kayak, clean, organize, try to stay in touch with people, and look for projects to do....to keep me distracted from how much I miss the trail and most things that come with it, especially the people.