Date: 2015-01-10
To: Why?
Miles today: 0.0

This posting to my blog is the third posting and that means I now ¢go live¢ and my postings are visible to the world. A question I am asked, usually the first question, when I share with people that I plan to hike the AT is¢¦,¢why¢?   Up until recently my answer was somewhat vague and a bit shallow¢¦,¢ahh, it is something I always wanted to do¢.Recently I read Appalachian Trials by Zach Davis and took stock about what Zach said about people who drop out early. He was pretty clear in stressing that anyone attempting to walk 2,200 miles will at some point find themselves wet, cold and standing in a place they at that moment do not want to be in. It¢s at that point when one might bail on the entire journey. Not wanting to quit, I thought deeply about why I wanted to do the AT so that I had better answers for those low moments and they are outlined below.Intrigued with the trail ¢ I have always been intrigued by the AT ever since I biked across it on a four day mountain bike camping trip 20 years ago. The thought of doing the entire hike from Georgia to Maine just kind of grabbed me. I mean, anyone could hike and camp for a few days, this is an epic journey. Personal goal/challenge ¢ An intrigue is one thing, but having the physical strength is another. Then again, the mental strength is even another factor. I am going into this journey in good health, but whether or not my body can handle it is a complete mystery. Mentally most people I know would say I am relatively sane, but can I stayed focused for that long?   That being said, I look forward to both the physical and mental challenges.Experience a full summer outdoors from spring to fall ¢ This stroll will take six months, April to September. Along the way will be early spring and summer, July 4th, mid and late summer and early fall. It¢s difficult to put in words, but being outdoors through this time span just sounds cool. As an added bonus, it is good to NOT be in Texas in July, August and September.East Coast ¢ When I was 16 I moved from New Jersey to Texas (can anyone say culture shock)? Since then a good portion of my outdoors experiences have been west of the Mississippi Don¢t get me wrong, I have experienced some amazingly cool places in the western United States; Yellowstone, Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Death Valley and of course Deep East Texas, but I have not spend enough time on the East Coast in the woods. Here is my chance to do it. I especially look forward to waking the 76 miles of the AT in my home state of New Jersey.Meet people ¢ The second question I am asked after ¢why¢ is ¢are you doing it with anyone else¢. As of now I am planning to kick off on the 1st of April 2016¢¦ alone. But is anyone really alone hiking the AT? It does not seem so, especially starting in April 1st! I anticipate meeting all kinds of good people and hopefully know some of these people for a long time. Its part of the reason why I am going now, I will be neither the youngest nor the oldest on the trail. I can enjoy the experiences and the friendships longer this way.Take a breather mid-way through life ¢ So far my 48 years on this planet have been good. Real good. Sure, there has been a bummer or two, but there is a whole lot better than there is worse. So I am not embarking on the journey to shake of any recent bad luck or anything like that (and I have gotten over that New Jersey to Texas move a long time ago). I like to look at this as a break in the middle of the ride to take a breather and process all the good and whatever bad and see if something that I can use during the rest of my life bubbles to the surface. Something new ¢ I have started to research and buy my equipment and it¢s all new to me, despite the fact I consider myself an avid outdoorsman. Long distance hiking and the associated camping is a totally different game than schlepping all your stuff into deer camp and bulking up in layers and layers of camouflage in order to stay warm while sitting in a tree perfectly still. That being said, all my hunting, fishing and camping gear that I own (and it is a lot) does not make the cut for the journey. I have learned a lot about ultra-light hiking and camping gear so far and I suspect I will learn more before it is all over.So those are the reasons I am attempting a thru hike of the AT. And besides, think of the stories one can tell¢¦