Date: 2014-01-19
To: The Beginning
Miles today: 0.0

OK, why am I hiking the Appalachian Trail?My hike has been many years in the making from fleeting thoughts over the last 30 years or so; to dreams of doing it as I met people who had either done it or who were planning to; and finally to the "bucket list" of something I actually did want to do (about 10 years ago); and then of course to reality of doing. Retirement was necessary so that enough months could be stacked together to create the journey and trail experience I'm hoping for. Retirement happened in mid-2012. I have spent most of the time since becoming a long distance hiker vs a cyclist and kayaker. Thanks to friends I have made hiking the Sheltowee Trace in 2012/2013 and the experience they imparted I feel ready. Regardless this still begs the question, why?In reality there is not one reason but many. All however get to how I'm "wired" and how my growth as a man got me to this point in life. The list is long.The beginning no doubt originated with my joy of being outdoors. From camping, paddling, fishing, hunting and hiking with my Dad and the Boy Scouts of Troop 23; to spending summers outdoors with my family at our cabin on the Ohio River in the woods of northeast Oldham County; to more recently, but still several years ago, taking up mountain biking after almost 20 years of road cycling. Upon entering the woods on a bike I instantly realized that the pleasure came not only from the bike but from just being in the woods. In the meantime I also got back into paddling and did more hiking (day hiking) with Cathy (or Catherine to many of our friends) my fantastic wife of 40 years.   More "fuel" so to speak has been added to my fire to hike the AT as I have embarked on learning more about my ancestors who traversed the Appalachians during the earliest years of settlement of Kentucky. The most noteworthy being Daniel Trabue. My family is most closely related to his younger brother, Edward, who followed him to Kentucky after the revolutionary war to land they received as payment in Woodford County, Ky.   Daniel Trabue became somewhat famous as a prot©g© of Daniel Boone and an early long hunter/explorer in Kentucky. Reading his journal and a book "Westward into Kentucky, the Narrative of Daniel Trabue. Reading accounts of the journeys made across the mountains sharpened my interest, although over 200 years later, to experience the mountains, to the extent possible,as they did. In addition to recognizing how much I liked being outdoors and in the forests one other thing has drawn me to this journey. When in the woods I feel closest to God and his creation. I feel sort of embedded into his work or the portion of it that pleases me the most; where I find solitude and where my thoughts...the good, bad and ugly can be sorted out. So sort of like Jesus I'm heading to the mountains partially for an extended time with God in the midst of what is to me the most beautiful and wonderful part of his creation. So is this all the reasons why? of course not. The physical challenge, the technical aspects of learning and using equipment are also a part of the draw. Kayaking, camping and early experiences in my life and even cycling have added to the my knowledge base but the shear necessity of becoming a long distance hiker is also part of the allure of this challenge. Well now you know a little bit more about why I'm doing this. But truthfully, the final answer to that question remains somewhat unknown as it too is one reason I will be hiking... to first hand try to figure out why this trail or any other, such as the Sheltowee attracts me and others to accept the challenge of doing it. God Bless