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View Full Version : Howdy - Long time no see.



kythruhiker
12-11-2002, 17:19
Hi guys, just wanted to post and say hello, many of you I haven't conversed with in quite some time. Some of you may remember me from the atbasecamp.com site, which I put up right after ATML/TP went offline around a year ago. I had planned a 2002 northbound thru, but in February an unexpected illness in my family caused me to cancel those plans, and also kept me away from work (and the atbasecamp site) for quite some time tending to family needs. Finally things in life are getting back to normal (not that I've ever been happy with normal!)

I just found this site this week and it looks great! Many familiar names and posts chock full of AT information! I look forward to learning and conversing with you all in the future. As to my thru plans - they are up in the air right now as to a 2003 or 2004 thru. Part of me thinks it's smarter to wait until 2004 (solely to save up more money for AFTER the hike), but the other part doesn't want to wait any longer to fufill this dream I've had for so long. Time will tell - I hope to make a decision within the next few weeks so I can get on with things.

At any rate, just wanted to say hello to all my old friends, and hopefully meet some new folks as well.

Take Care,
Ed

Easyhiker
12-11-2002, 18:37
Welcome back Ed. If it wasn't for AT Basecamp this site would never be here. When I got off the trail last year and couldn't find AT Basecamp anymore, we started the AT forum. Glad things are better.

PushingDaisies
12-14-2002, 21:51
Good to have you back! Good luck on your hike whether you get to hike this year or next.

kythruhiker
12-28-2002, 04:47
Thanks guys for the support. I've decided to thru-hike in 2004. As MUCH as I'm aching to hit the trail in 2003, I just won't be ready financially and physically by then, not to mention that I’d probably have to take my old job back (or one similar) once I finish the hike, just to make ends meet. It’s long been my dream to get out of my corporate nightmare and get back into what I truly love doing – making music. So – with some careful planning for an AT 2004 hike, I’ll be able to do my hike, and have enough cash reserves afterwards for at least one year back in college to finish a music performance degree. All in all, a good trade off I think! It’s been a long road in making the final decision, and I feel as close to being “free” as I have in a LONG time!

One question for you long term planners out there – WHAT did you do to keep sane for a year and 3 months before you were able to start hiking?

Hope everyone’s holiday is treating them well!
Ed
GA -> MA 2004

SGT Rock
12-28-2002, 10:04
Nothing, I lost my mind about 2 years ago. Just ask my wife.

Honestly I hike somewhere every chance I get. I treat every hike like it is a section of my upcomming thru-hike whenever possible, trying to keep the dream up and alive. I go over maps, read journals, tweak my gear, etc. I sound pathaetic LOL. If I lived near the trail, well I would probably get to be an expert on whatever section was there and all surounding trails.

Except for the gear, hikings pretty cheap as sports go, so if you already have the stuff, then all you really need is food and fuel, which you will probably need anyway, so why not spend a weekend here or there on a trail, or take your vacations being a long distance section hiker.

Hammock Hanger
12-28-2002, 10:57
Once the commitment is made and the planning starts you will lose it. I became an obsessed mad woman. Everything was around the upcoming trip, which was way way off. Good luck holding it together. HH

kythruhiker
12-28-2002, 15:38
SGT - I'll definately be hitting the trails hard in the next year. I'm also a volunteer coordinator for a local trail crew here in the Red River Gorge, KY., so that gets me out there at least once or twice a month for crosscut work and trail brushing. Something so refreshing about a hard days work in the middle of the woods.

HammockHanger - LOL, I told my girlfriend (who had supported me in my 2002 planning) that I was going in 2004 and her first response was "Oh my God, here we go again". She had never hiked before we met, but fortunately for her, lol, I set her up with some gear and she loves it now.

Ed

Blue Jay
12-28-2002, 18:23
To get through "multiple Zero Days", work a lot. Try to work two full time jobs or one full and two part time. You will not have time to spend any money. Have the money directly deposited into a "Freedom Fund" which you cannot touch unless you are hiking. When you are not working, exercise, but you have to find something fun. Be creative.

Easyhiker
12-28-2002, 18:38
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