Date: 2002-03-23
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Miles today: 0.0

Well, with a little over a year until I set out again on the AT I figured it was time to get my journal started. I guess the first order of business it to explain how I got my original trail name   ..."Toot"It all began years ago in a galaxy far, far away   ...OK, not really. It was actually in March 2001. My partner ("Turtle") and I set out from Springer Mountain on March 17th headed north with packs bulging at the seams. Turtle's trail trail name came about as a result of a farewell gift from a friend   ...a small jade turtle necklace. I on the other hand was totally clueless when it came to ideas for a trail name and chose to begin somewhat "nameless". As we descended Springer and began to encounter other hikers it became common practice to exchange trail names. We would introduce ourselves as "Mark and Turtle". After a few such encounters I must admit that I felt the need to adopt a trail name. I asked Turtle for a suggestion but she declined and suggested that I either come up with one on my own or just wait until I was given one by another hiker. So, somewhat frustrated, on the next exchange with a couple hikers I proclaimed that my trail name was "Gas Man". Not the most flattering of trail names but one which I came by naturally. Maybe a little explanation is in order here. In all the years of hiking it seems that just about everything I eat on the trail seems to produce "methane exhaust" so Gas Man seemed appropriate and Gas Man it became ! Fortunately for innocent bystanders, my outbursts tend to be of the LBH variety. In common flatus parlance that stands for "Loud But Harmless"We rolled into Hawk Mountain Shelter and spent our first night on the AT. I clearly remember penning my first entry in the shelter journal with a signature that included a little illustration of bubbles next to my name. Satisfied that I finally had an identity, we broke camp and set out on day 2 of our adventure. Along the way enroute to Gooch Gap we stopped for a little breather and a hiker who we had met the day before (Cheerio) approached from behind and exclaimed   ..."Hey, it's Toot and Turtle". I quickly indicated that she had it wrong and my name was actually Gas Man. Without a moments hesitation she looked back and said   ..."Nah, Toot sounds better   ...Gas Man sounds too much like you work for one of the public utilities". She had a point. I gave it a little thought and to be honest "Toot" did have a nice ring when you combined it in the same breath with "Turtle". At that very moment the hiking duet of "Toot and Turtle" was born. There were times when I wasn't too certain that I appreciate being known for a rather crude bodily function but it's single syllable, easy to say and easy to remember. After meeting many other hikers along the way with trail names much more graphic and descriptive than mine I realized that "Toot" wasn't all that bad.Just to set the record straight   ...I did not get to hike the entire AT in 2001. Truthfully, it was never the plan. My partner was hiking the AT to gather research data for her PhD and I was just happy to get in as many miles with her as vacation would allow. It killed me to come off the trail and watch Turtle hike on into the wilderness alone but as I said   ...that was agreed to in advance. Just one more of those things in life that is easier said than done. Meanwhile, back in Marietta, I got busy dehydrating food and organizing gear for Turtle's drop boxes. Rather than an on-line journal per se, Turtle and I had assembled an e-mail distribution list consisting of family, friends and of course, Turtle's doctoral faculty advisors. I compiled progress notes from converations with Turtle as she passed through towns and hostels and published weekly updates via e-mail. In May I joined Turtle in Damascus for Trail Days and caught up with a lot of hikers who she and I had met earlier but after a few days of nostalgia it was back to Marietta for me to resume packing and mailing of Turtle's drop boxes. Oh yeah   ...and did I mention paying the bills and taking care of the cats ?? Tough job, but somebody's got to do it !! Anyway, it finally came time for me to fly up north and hook up with Turtle and hike with her as she entered the 100 mile wilderness and summitted Katahdin. We reached the northern terminus   ...the infamous Katahdin sign, on October 2nd. It was one of the most enjoyable and meaningful experiences of my adult life. After a overnight stay in the town of Millinocket we made our way back to Atlanta.With Turtle's thru hike now completed, she disappeared into a library somewhere in Athens, GA to compile and organize her research data. She just recently resurfaced with a "penultimate" dissertation in hand. In the meantime I have spent the last several months tweaking and refining my gear for 2003 ...my year to hike the AT from end to end. Turtle missed a few miles here and there last year due to an injury and she plans to sneak away from her upcoming professorial duties to hike along with me and fill in those gaps. I probably should mention also that as a result of her injury, Turtle's trail name was modified (by fellow thru-hikers) to "BA Turtle" but for more details on that you'll have to talk to her yourself. Check out her 2001 listing here at TrailJournals.com under the "B"'s.My only wish now is that time will now fly and I think it will. Turtle will graduate with her PhD in May and later this year we will be relocating (destination yet to be determined). We'll be getting settled in our new home and starting our new life. My future career is yet uncertain however one thing for sure   ...It's GA > ME for me in 2003.In my dreams I often see myself on the trail. When I do get a chance to head up to the north Georgia mountains for a weekend of backpacking my mind wanders and I imagine that it is already 2003 and I am headed for Katahdin. Can you tell that I am pretty motivated to get started on my thru-hike ??   ...I could leave tomorrow if only finances and logistics would allow. Fortunately time flies when you are enjoying yourself and energy does flow in the direction of thought so it won't be long before I actually start counting the days. In the meantime I will add journal entries and begin to acquaint myself with other members of the AT class of 2003.