Date: 2004-01-18
To: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How
Miles today: 0.0

Before I get into the who, what, when, where, why and how of my journey, I want to welcome all my friends, family and guests who will support and live vicariously through my journal as I begin my sojourn with mother nature. Thanks to Trail Journals.com for making this web site possible, to help record each day's events and give the closest thing to real time to the readers of hikers.THE WHO - My trail name is KrispyKritter. A trail name is a nickname that people call themselves or earn while hiking, by which they are known among other hikers. I got the nickname in the early 1980's during a former life, when I was a member of a group who camped and paddled Fisheating Creek in Florida. One night, while sitting around the campfire on the banks of the creek, someone asked what I did for a living. After a brief description I was baptized "KrispyKritter".THE WHAT- The Appalachian Trail began in 1921 by Benton MacKaye. Mr. MacKaye, a Massachusetts citizen, "who wrote a proposal to preserve the Appalachian crests as an accessible, multipurpose wilderness belt as a retreat from Eastern urban life". By 1937 the AT was a continuous footpath from Georgia Maine. In 1968 the United States government passed the National Trails System Act to protect the corridor of trails from environmental destruction and mankind's greed. The AT was given the distinction of being designated the first of 8 national scenic trails. Today, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (or, the AT to hikers) is a footpath that extends 2170 miles, through 13 states The AT is part of the National Park System and maintained by 31 affiliated clubs of the Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC). THE WHEN - March 15th until late August, early September I will be what is called a thru-hiker. A thru-hiker is an individual who either starts in Georgia and ends in Maine (known as NOBO - Northbound hiker) or, starts in Maine and ends in Georgia (known as SOBO - good guess, southbound hiker) in one continuous walk.THE WHERE - the southern terminus is at Springer Mountain, Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia (where I will be starting) and the northern terminus located at Mt.Katahdin, Baxter State Park, Maine (where I will finish) A NOBO. HOW- I will carry a 30-pound backpack that will supply me with basic needs of survival: shelter, water and food. For 5 to 6 months I will replenish supplies by periodically re-entering the civilized world.THE WHY - Ever since I was a teenager I have had a love for the outdoors. Each year during my youth, weekend family camping trips were taken with the big camping trip planned for the summer. This trip Involved 3 to 4 weeks on the road, visiting states between Florida and the backbone of the United States, the Rocky Mountains. The oldest of five children, my parental units (today, one must be politically correct) would inspire each of us to love and respect nature, as well as one another. As a young adult a newspaper article describing the adventures found on the AT planted the seed to be a thru-hiker. Time after time I would feel the magnetic draw of the AT and hoped to quench this appetite by backpacking different sections for days, weeks at a time. I came home wanting more.Today, the timing is right and with excuses of why I couldn't evaporating, I looked into the mirror of opportunity and said, "Let's go!"I have been asked why? I have two answers.First, I want to awaken my five senses. To see the hue of colors within each day's grandeur, to smell the musty and fragrant aroma of mother nature, to hear her sing, to taste the harmony of continual living with nature, to feel her warmth. I want to experience Mother Nature at her fury and to be caressed by her beauty.The second answer for me is simply described by Colin Fletcher in his book The Secret Worlds of Colin Fletcher. To "just muck about."