Well, went for my check-up today and told my MD what I am doing (he was pretty amazed by it). Besides saying I'm a little overweight (which he said the trail would take care of - haha) he said I was good to go. Gave me a tetanus shot (which is actually a good idea). Also said the backpack was probably good for my sciatica as it helps straighten my spine (I told him how my back felt better after about two hours of carrying my backpack this past Sat). So that ol' clunker is good for something! Lowes Alpine at 6 lbs rocks.
Back to organizing mail drops.
UI've thought about trhis from age 12. i'm 52 so that's been 40 yrs. i'm packed, less food - ready to send my pack to hostel. haven't met many people on whiteblaze, haven't been very socialable, but hope to meet all of you. i know it's Katadin. i know tis, - 40 years in the making
Man, I am so jeleous of you folks. I wish I were hiking this year but I have to get finished with school first although sometimes I think maybe I could not do summer school and do a SOBO but don't have enough cash anyway. Good luck to all. Have a blast. You can do it. Just enjoy one day at a time. I will be doing the Pinhoti over spring break and thinking of you all. (Plus various other short(er) hikes.)
16 days 4hrs and 27 min. to go before we go to the bus station, can't wate
Flowerlady & Cedar
I have 4 months an 7 days or 127 days and I get nervous bouts about going ... keep thinking I want to get up and go now to get over the feeling. Then put myself back in my place by reminding myself that the reason i am leaving in June is I can't afford it now.
There’s no point in the destination if you can't enjoy the journey.
im sitting here reading everyones posts and a tingly feeling keeps going up my spine and then out across my shoulders and my eyes are tearing up. all day everyday i think and talk about the trail. i go to the store and instead of thinking "o this would be good for dinner tonight", i think "hmm, that would make a good meal on the trail, not to heavy, but filling enough, easy to cook"
im sad to leave my life, sad to leave my friends, but overjoyed with the thought of what my life will be in a few months, and excited as hell to get out there.
if this isnt springer fever, i dont know what is.
i hope to see some of you folks on the trail neo
I feel good. I'm ready to go. Just 9 more days.
" You do your thing and I'll do mine"
Four weeks from today.... excited, scared, stoked, antsy.... all rolled up into one...
Scared the bejabbers out of some of my neighbors a couple of evenings ago when I went walking with my pack on. I didn't think to much about it until I was right up on them - when they saw this hiker trash-looking dude with a pack on bearing down on them - they though some vagrant was coming through. She let out a kind of startled "oh" and he looked like he was going to crap. When I told them "good evening" and they realized who it was, all was well... their dog took off running toward the house, though...
four weeks.....
WhoAh
2 1/2 weeks God, hurry up n get here!
"The more unintelligent a man is, the less mysterious existence seems to him." ~ Schopenhauer
Thirty three days (ie March 18th) I will be flying south to Atlanta.
On the 19th after breakfast we will be making a beeline from Canton Ga. to Rd 42 and Springer Mountain.
I wonder what the temperature will be.Will it be raining hard or snowing??
Who cares!!
28 days till my feet are ON Springer (26 before I drive away from this blustery snow-covered state!!!) Can't wait...can't wait...can't wait!!!!
The Most Important Things In Life Are Not Things....
Hey everyone. Yes, the excitement is building! I've still got seven weeks before I leave for ATL, but I'll be BUSY in the meantime. That should take my mind off the Trail...YEAH RIGHT!
"You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters."
~Saint Bernard (1090 - 1153)
17 days until we drive down to GA. 18 days to hit the Approach trail. I have family up this week to check out what we're doing.
I'm back in the same boat as all of you guys now. Started on Jan 15th, and finally decided to come home for a break when I got to Fontana. I will be heading back to the trail as soon as possible, and I can't wait. I think I will be more excited this time than I was a month ago, if that's even possible.
Sorry to hear that. Ive been reading about your journey and if youre around Harpers Ferry in May i'll roll with you. I see the same ambitions as you do in myself because I do the exact same thing. "let me just make it to this next town here" and blah blah but that got me into trouble one time and I got dehydrated which sucked. So now I go slower and dont care if I make it to the next <insert location here>. Also I carry 3L all the time dont care how much it weighs, dehydration is crap as I can imagine hypothermia is too.
Leave of absence starts on 20 March, drive to HF, spend night and start hiking south on 21st with another whiteblazer.
Nervous, scared of the unknown, excited, pumped, worried about wife and home, bills are taken care of, homesick and I haven't left yet and my son joined the Marines and I have to be back for his graduation from bootcamp. OOHRAH!!!
Well see how it goes.
Semper Fi and 73's,
G. L. Cooper
K0OPG (Amateur Extra)
Mountains of WV
I'm getting antsy. I was originally planning late May, then bumped it to early May, and now I'm thinking mid-April-ish. I just need to get grad school acceptances sorted out first.
Patience, patience.
-Mark
Well, 14 days 'til the Approach Trail.
I found out I have to remake our peanut butter trail goodies after learning I might have used tainted PB a few weeks back. I have to throw out several lbs worth that were to go in mail drops. oh, well. better that than Salmonella. Plan to get good PB this time.