CedarKeyHiker

In spite of ourselves
We'll end up a'sittin' on a rainbow
Against all odds
Honey, we're the big door prize
We're gonna spite our noses
Right off of our faces
There won't be nothin' but big old hearts
Dancin' in our eyes. - John Prine w/ Iris DeMent

The weekend's hike on the Florida Trail was great. We accomplished all of our AT training goals and my wife got her trail name. Henceforth, until the end of time, she will be know as "Calamity Jan."

We've been hiking together for over 20 years. She is tough, of strong Norwegian stock. She hiked about 10 miles to Rainbow Falls in GSMNP when she was 3 weeks away from giving birth to our son. She's had consistent habit on most of the trails we've hiked and that was stopping the ground from coming up with her beautiful Scandinavian face. From Big Mountain in Montana to The Overseas Highway Trail in Key West she's made an impression. Like I said, she's tough. She never frets about it. She dusts herself off and she's off.

On our way home we got a text from Lefty. He had just purchased 4 tickets to see John Prine an Iris DeMent at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in March. He informed us that we were going. This type of abduction is not unprecedented. We've placed them in the same position before. This time Lefty suggests that we drive and stop off so I can do a short piece of the Trail. The girls will fly because they have regular day jobs. I posed a question on one of the forum sites asking for help in putting together an itinerary for short shakedown hike. I've been getting back some excellent suggestions.

I've got some business in Jacksonville tomorrow and have to be on the job early so I'm headed over today. I'll stop in Gainesville at Devil's Millhopper to put in some down/ups on the steps into the sinkhole before making my way to Jax and an obligatory trip to REI. I'm still looking for a sleeping bag and a pad. There are just too many options. I want to do something soon so I can use it a few times before I leave out in April...