Az Hiker 2016

Well I am 3 months away from setting off on what is sure to be the grandest adventure that I have ever attempted. For those who are not yet up to speed on my plans, I am going to be doing a flip-flop hike of the Appalachian Trail starting in May. The trail stretches from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. A flip-flop hike is one where you start somewhere in the middle, hike to one end, then flip back to your start and hike to the other end. In my case I am starting from Harper's Ferry, Virginia which is just about in the middle and hiking north to Maine then going back to Harper's Ferry and hiking south to Georgia. Total distance = 2,189 miles. Estimated duration 6 1/2 months. The time and distance commitment is not lost on me, and the enormity of what I am going to do becomes ever more real as I make my preparations.
My underlying anxiety is starting to manifest itself in weird, half-remembered dreams. For example, I recently dreamt that I had arrived at the airport after my flight to Harper's Ferry but couldn't locate my luggage. I finally find what I think is my bag and open it to check if my stuff is inside. What I find is that the bag has my stuff, but it is not the right stuff for my hike. It's the hiking equivalent of the old high school dream where you come to class and realize that you studied for the wrong test.I'm sure that I will have more of these dreams. It's part of my nature to over-analyze and over-plan these kind of things and the fear of missing an important detail makes me crazy. The fact that this trip is so much bigger than anything I have ever done before makes me more crazy. So I will continue to review my plans and recheck my gear. It's what I do while counting down the days.