Date: 2008-02-01
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Miles today: 0.0

Questions we have been asked:1. Will the two of you be hiking alone?Yes and no.   We are not starting our hike with any other family or friends. As much as we begged our China traveling companions Mom L. and niece Les to join us on the hike, they have both stated that the next 3-generation trip will be a shopping trip, NOT a hiking trip!   I have yet to visualize a single store that would suit all of our tastes, but perhaps there is one out there. I will just not be the one searching for it!But back to the question ¢¦..there will be approximately 1200 other hikers attempting the same journey as us. Some will start in Maine.   Most will start in Georgia.   Some will start in February. Most will start in March and April.So although we are headed out ¢alone¢, you can see that we will meet many other hikers along the way. Some days we may not see anyone else. Other days we may see a dozen people. And depending on our distance hiked each day and our stops along the way; we may be seeing the same people for days or weeks at a time. Perhaps even months.   Many new friendships will be formed.2. How many miles will you hike each day?We plan on hiking fewer miles in the beginning to break our bodies in slowly. Perhaps 10 -15 miles a day.   Later as we get in shape and terrain permitting we will be doing 15 ¢ 20 miles a day.   But we hope to take breaks at each decent sized pond or creek that is just begging for a swim, provided it¢s warm! And if that midday nap is calling, we do expect to honor that request as well.   We¢re in no hurry.3. What will be your biggest challenges?If there were one sure bet for being knocked off the trail, it would be due to medical issues. You name it and it could happen. Stress fracture. Tendonitis.   Lyme Disease. Infected blisters. Hypothermia. Knee pain. Ankle pain. Foot pain. Shin splints. Rattlesnake bite. Giardiasis. A collision with a wild boar. Well, OK, that¢s a long shot, but it actually did happen to one hiker!4. Are you taking a fishing pole?   Weight, weight, weight! Ounces turn into pounds, and pounds turn into a more tired and sore Dave and Marcy as we have to carry it for 5 million steps (literally) to Maine. Actually, being up high in the mountains, there really isn't much in the way of fishing. We'd do better scraping up some grubs from a decaying log, or prying open a few pine cones for the nuts, or snagging a snake and making some rattlesnake jerky. To be honest, Dave is quite the chef out on the trail. He can whip up all kinds of fancy sounding foods in just minutes! No one can tear open a Lipton's pouch and pour it into boiling water quite like him!! ) 5. Have you had your heads examined?   Actually, yes, pretty much. Since we are losing our corporate supplemented insurance coverage and are about to head away from our established doctor relationships for 5 months, we have had all our appointments in the past month or so: eye appointments, dental checkups and annual physical exams.New glasses have been purchased so that if one pair gets damaged we have a backup pair that can be mailed to us.Any teeth there were on a ¢watch list¢ were taken care of so that we do not have an issue surface while on the trail.We have talked to our general doctors about the risk of Lyme disease, infected blisters and Giardiasis, and are prepared to address these issues if they should arise. 6. How are you planning to take your time on the trail? I know walking, but are you pushing for time, any deadlines that you need to meet, places to just hang out, etc.We want to experience the trail and all it has to offer. We have no pressing commitments and no time pressures to push for miles, so our plan is to allow ¢Mother AT¢ to dictate the miles we do each day ¢ dependent on weather, terrain, our bodies, and side trails (called blue blazes) to various sights. We will also accept the generosity of strangers on the trail for a night in their home if one were to come along. These people are called Trail Angels, which we¢ll touch on later. Also, our plan is to not spend much time in towns, but if we are there and our bodies tell us to rest, we¢ll rest. No hurry, no worry. 7. Does Dave know that he will be carrying Marcy the majority of the way?   Does he have the option of rolling her inert body off the trail (in a clump of bushes or something like that) and continue on solo?Hmmmm. There¢re always choices to be made, aren¢t there!! This was such an interesting question, Marcy has allowed me to answer. Now, this raises all sorts of additional questions branching off further than my eyes can see. So, how best to be concise, yet safe? I¢ll just say that I¢ve done solo backpacking, carrying all the gear and having all that time alone, and it¢s just not as fun.