Anybody else really nervous?

[Jetpack]

I'm so unreasonably nervous. I'll be starting in March, alone and with not much experience. Mostly I'm afraid that I'll end up having to go home in the first few weeks due to some sort of injury. I know something like 90% of people don't make it to the end, but I want to give it my sincere all. It would be so phenomenally embarrassing to have to go home only shortly after leaving.

Anyone else starting right around March 1st? I'll be needing a hug.

:banana:bananathese bananas are making me feel better
:banana:banana:banana:banana

[gimpat01]

I understand exactly how you feel. I hiked in 2001 and I was so nervous the night before, I barely slept. The first day on the approach trail is bananas but then you realize one thing; you just have to walk. I only hiked 900 that year because I was sidelined with giardia but I don't regret a thing.
My husband and I are planning on thru hiking in 2014 so I'm sure I'll be giving him this same speech next year.
Enjoy your hike!

[soulrebel]

Everyone in my family had bets going that I'd be back in less than 4 weeks, that was seven years ago. Have a great vacation.

[jesse]

No need to worry about how or when you will finish, before you even get started.

[SCRUB HIKER]

"Alone" and "not much experience" hardly matter. You won't be alone for very long going NOBO, and tons of people start out without a lot of backpacking experience. Injury or disillusionment with the day-to-day of hiking I guess are realistic fears, but starting out under-confident is better than over-. Chances are you'll like it so much and meet so many good people off the bat that you'll make it to Virginia before you even realize it's supposed to be hard. That's the way it went for me and most of my (young) new hiking buddies, at least.

[Flachenmann]

I'm pretty nervous too. I have plenty of hiking experience and I'm well practiced in "leave no trace" and ultralight methods (all learned in scouts). I've been planning this SOBO thru for the past 3 years and the nervousness just hit me. Yesterday, I bought my plane ticket to Maine and that just made this trip I've been talking about for so long a lot more real.

[Karma13]

I'm nervous, too! But not as nervous as I was... oh... a month ago. We'll get out there and it'll all make sense. Of course, every once in a while, this little voice in my head suddenly screams, "What the hell are you doing?!" But at this point, I'm just telling it to shut up.

One day at a time! :)

Looking forward to maybe meeting you on the trail.

[rocketsocks]

:banana


don't sweat the small stuff....have a great hike!

[Robin2013AT]

So happy I am not the only one with thru hike anxiety! I keep wondering what the hell I have gotten myself into now? The house is rented, the plane ticket (one way!) bought, hostel ressies made for arrival day. Now the car just broke, the washing machine died, and I can't wait to quit my job (if I don't get fired first due to lack of attention). Hiking day #1 March 17. OMG...

[waterman1148]

So happy I am not the only one with thru hike anxiety! I keep wondering what the hell I have gotten myself into now? The house is rented, the plane ticket (one way!) bought, hostel ressies made for arrival day. Now the car just broke, the washing machine died, and I can't wait to quit my job (if I don't get fired first due to lack of attention). Hiking day #1 March 17. OMG...

HE is telling you to hit the trail! Good luck!

[Karma13]

Hi, Robin2013AT! Welcome!

What the heck is it with the stuff breaking in the middle of pre-thru-hiking anxiety? My dishwasher died and my roof started leaking.

Does this happen to everybody? Or is it just all particularly annoying now, when all my cells are telling me to just toss the keys on the counter and run out the door? :D

[HikerMom58]

I wish the Class of 2013 all the BEST. :) I know u can do it!! PM me anytime for my contact info. I'm in Daleville VA. Daleville has everything at ur finger tips. I'll be happy to help u out anyway I can. If u need a HUG, I've got that covered. ;)

[HikerMom58]

I'm so unreasonably nervous. I'll be starting in March, alone and with not much experience. Mostly I'm afraid that I'll end up having to go home in the first few weeks due to some sort of injury. I know something like 90% of people don't make it to the end, but I want to give it my sincere all. It would be so phenomenally embarrassing to have to go home only shortly after leaving.

Anyone else starting right around March 1st? I'll be needing a hug.

:banana:bananathese bananas are making me feel better
:banana:banana:banana:banana


Aww... Yay for the dancing bananas!! *Cyber hug* to you ,Jetpack - from HikerMom! PM me for my contact info.. if u like. :)

[Don H]

Jetpack, pre-hike jitters are normal, don't worry about it. As far as getting injured just start off slow and slowly build up over the first few weeks. Some people I saw busting out big miles in GA ended up with knee injuries. Just do what's comfortable for you and always listen to your body. Baltimore Jack told me "the fastest way to get injured is to try to keep up with someone". Hike your pace. You are in for the adventure of a lifetime, enjoy it! Remember, there's a whole lot of people that wish they could do what you are about to to. Have fun and good luck!

[Capt Nat]

Thanks for this thread! I fear bringing disgrace upon me, my family, my friends, Whiteblaze, my country, and the planet Terra. I jest, but the risk for embarrassment is great. I've thought that if I break my leg on the approach trail, I might just hide out in the woods for 6 months...

[Karma13]

Thanks for this thread! I fear bringing disgrace upon me, my family, my friends, Whiteblaze, my country, and the planet Terra. I jest, but the risk for embarrassment is great. I've thought that if I break my leg on the approach trail, I might just hide out in the woods for 6 months...

LOL! OK, Capt Nat, you're my new hero. I think there are a few of us worried about just ending up lingering near the Approach Trail for six months. Could be a party. Maybe nobody will notice.

[RCBear]

I wish the Class of 2013 all the BEST. :) I know u can do it!! PM me anytime for my contact info. I'm in Daleville VA. Daleville has everything at ur finger tips. I'll be happy to help u out anyway I can. If u need a HUG, I've got that covered. ;)

I always enjoy reading your posts hiker mom. Full of optimism. Not enough of that it seems these days! Hope to see you out on the trail 1 day. :-)

[bigcranky]

Thanks for this thread! I fear bringing disgrace upon me, my family, my friends, Whiteblaze, my country, and the planet Terra. I jest, but the risk for embarrassment is great. I've thought that if I break my leg on the approach trail, I might just hide out in the woods for 6 months...

Not to make you nervous or anything, but one of my friends broke his leg coming down Katahdin on day one of his SOBO hike. Walked out under his own power, but of course his thru ended that day.

Calm down now, climbing Springer is a lot easier and I don't think anyone has sustained a serious injury doing so. The key is to start slowly on the trail -- don't try to keep up with the jackrabbits, they're likely to end up with serious tendinitis problems anyway.

The nervous feelings will only intensify until the night before your hike when you'll be climbing the walls in anticipation. It's okay -- just think of it as being really excited about a new chapter in your life.

You'll be fine. Take it one day at a time -- you can't hike to Maine on the first day, so don't even think about that. Just set a reasonable goal for each day, maybe 8 or 10 miles to start, and do that every day for 5 or 6 months, and you'll be there sooner than you think.

Happy trails!

[Drybones]

I'm so unreasonably nervous. I'll be starting in March, alone and with not much experience. Mostly I'm afraid that I'll end up having to go home in the first few weeks due to some sort of injury. I know something like 90% of people don't make it to the end, but I want to give it my sincere all. It would be so phenomenally embarrassing to have to go home only shortly after leaving.

Anyone else starting right around March 1st? I'll be needing a hug.

:banana:bananathese bananas are making me feel better
:banana:banana:banana:banana

Alone...you'll have more friends after three days than you can shake a stick at...ones you'll probably remember the rest of your life.
Experience...if you can put one foot in front of the other you have experience...as LW says, "it's just walkin".
Bananas...you can dehydrate those and take them with you.
Injuries...the worst injury most hikers get is a blister...they heal.

Have a great hike!

[TheGreek]

What day are you planning on starting? I'm starting solo in mid-late March and don't mind giving a fellow hiker some much needed morale boosts on the first few miles.

Hell, I can probably give you a place to crash the night before you start and a lift to the trailhead if nothing else.

[Northern Lights]

I think everyone is nervous. I am only a lowly section hiker :P But each time I've headed out for a two or three week hike I am nervous. But once you get out there it's all fine. For me it's just not knowing what I'm encountering, different country, different hiking terrain. Don't worry and enjoy your hike!

[fins1838]

Your lucky. I'm worried I'll never get a chance to thru hike, or be too old to do it. Take a deep breath, relax, & have fun. Your not ever a failure for trying. Take the time to enjoy the sights.

[RedRunnerJumper]

Though the trail will be under feet in about 2 months, I am pretty nervous but some of that nervousness is mixed with excitement! But truly can not wait! Class of 2013 lets do it!

[robertblake60]

I'm nervous. All the normal reasons I suppose.

I'm not at all nervous about finishing the through hike though; not that I'm over-confident, but I just know how I am; I'll crawl up Katahdin if I have to. I'll have quit a high paying job, left my wife for 4-7 months, told everybody I know that I'm doing this...there's just NO WAY I can not finish this.

I'm with the poster that said they'd just stay in the woods for 6 months if they got injured; that'd my backup plan. There is no coming home though.

[Jetpack]

Oh I love that. We can start a community in the woods for people too embarrassed to head home early.

[BrianLe]

I think that one of the things that people do to sort of steady the nerves is to focus that energy on preparing for the trip (and, of course, by reading and posting on this sort of forum ...).
I truly don't mean to flog my book here, but this sort of thing is exactly why I wrote it, to lay out the issues that make the most difference in succeeding on a long distance hike. Whether you read it there or you read ideas collected in various places on this site or elsewhere, I think that it can help to work through the issues that will make the most difference in being able to stay on trail (and hopefully be happy along the way). I.e., address nervousness by explicitly addressing those things that you're nervous about.

Or get involved in something completely different that absorbs your excess time and energy I guess. No bad thing to sort of wallow in the luxuries of indoor living while you still can! :-)

[Son Driven]

Yesterday I did 14 miles with a 30 pound pack, and my confidence is soaring at the moment. I plan on hiking 6 days a week, and averaging 100 miles a week. If I start around the 1st of march and do not have any zero days I should be off the trail around the 1st of Sept. I want to enjoy the trail, and the people on the trail, so I plan on just plotting along about 100 miles per week. I trust I can get a 100 mile training week with a full pack before I hit the trail.

[Magic_Rat]

I'm nervous, for sure! I just officially set March 11 as my start date, and now, after doing that, I am getting more excited / nervous every day. I just finally got all my gear rounded up so I will be doing some weekend shakedown hikes the next few weekends to get some last minute "cramming" in! I feel pretty confident about myself mentally, but am mostly worried about an unwanted injury forcing me off trail. I will be taking it slow to start out, needless to say! Good luck to all see you out there

[Son Driven]

Or get involved in something completely different that absorbs your excess time and energy I guess. No bad thing to sort of wallow in the luxuries of indoor living while you still can! :-)[/QUOTE]

hmm? I have given up TV and radio, started sleeping on the concrete floor in the basement with the heat turned down in an effort to immulate the conditions of the trail. Perhaps I am taking this a little to serously. However, part of the reason I am doing the trail is to go back in time before we had TV and radio. I want to identify with my grandfather who was born in 1907, and lived in a one room log cabin in the woods of Washington state. It is only six months, of a 673 month life. Not even 1% of my life. I will finish one way or another. If I get injured, I will go back to the place I came off the trail with injury in 2013, and finish in 2014.

[Drybones]

Yesterday I did 14 miles with a 30 pound pack, and my confidence is soaring at the moment. I plan on hiking 6 days a week, and averaging 100 miles a week. If I start around the 1st of march and do not have any zero days I should be off the trail around the 1st of Sept. I want to enjoy the trail, and the people on the trail, so I plan on just plotting along about 100 miles per week. I trust I can get a 100 mile training week with a full pack before I hit the trail.

SD...our paths may cross, I'll be starting around April 1 at Hampton (mile 414), you'll be in that area by then. Have a great hike!

[turtle fast]

You will be astonished as to how many other folks in your same situation you will run into. Even if you knew very little, your learning curve rises pretty fast just because you have to (just doing it)...and you see others whom have more experience and learn that way too. Just remember to double check your packs contents before you leave home to make sure you did not forget anything...or pack something twice in your excitement. It happened to me where I found 6 pairs of hiking socks in my pack!!!

[Darwin13]

Is all good everyone. You're already walking in the right direction. Hike on!

[Old Hiker]

Maybe not nervous - just happy anticipation !! One tip though: when you're 300 meters north of Thomas Knob Shelter in VA, walk AROUND, repeat AROUND, the mud puddle.

<<<----------------

Good luck. Post on an online trail journal so we can keep up with you.

["Atlas"]

Yesterday I was out hiking and thought to myself....I still have all my gear from last years hike, most on my back......lets just stick out our thumb and hitch a ride to Southern Utah or Arizona so I can do some hiking in the Sun while I await my Thru Hike in April.

I am nervious about starting a thru hike again. This year I have to finish the hike so I can move on to a few other desires. I too am concerned that I might get injured or just get bored and not finish. But after doing some section hiking this Fall, I convinced myself that I can make the Thru-hike, that I can hike more than just 10 miles a day.

[jgerres]

I am nervous about starting my thru hike. I am nervous about my back holding up (sciatica). I am also nervous about being away from my wife and family for the amount of time it will take me to complete my hike. However they are all very supportive as they know this has been a dream of mine for the past 15 years. I have been hiking most of my life just never any real long distance hiking, my longest hike to date is 80 miles. I know once I get on the trail I will be fine it is just that nagging nervous anticipation in the months leading up to the start that is the worst for me.

[Mountain Mike]

I am pretty sure I am spending the month off in spring my new boss agreed to on the AT on a 25th aniversary hike. To all the newbies, don't sweat it. Hike what you can until you get your legs. So many resupplies you can carry light. Hiking is one foot in front of the other. Watch where you step & you will be fine. If you love the woods & camping the trail is an awesome place to be. Day of rain down south might discourage you, don't let it! Endevore to persevere. One great view can be worth a week hiking in rain! Don't think of it as hiking from GA >ME. It's just a hike from each resupply.

[evan_rolltide]

I wasn't nervous at all until I read this!

[Army Ant]

Thanks for this thread! I fear bringing disgrace upon me, my family, my friends, Whiteblaze, my country, and the planet Terra. I jest, but the risk for embarrassment is great. I've thought that if I break my leg on the approach trail, I might just hide out in the woods for 6 months...


I thought about this too. Except I'm going to hide out in Key West!! It's hard for me to admit to strangers that I too have very anxious days thinking about this hike. Then other days I want to leave now!

[Jerhobie]

To all the 2013 thru Hikers, you about to do the best thing in the world. Choosing to do this hike is already a show of bravery. I hiked last year and wish I could do it again. Don't worry and my advice is this, get your pack weight to less than 32lb, take only the things you need, you will collect things as you go and get stronger, and if you can hold out for five weeks you will be hitting 20+ mile days without a problem. Smile everyday, and say hello to everyone you meet! Jeronimo 2012

[Zmaidment]

I am leaving on the 1st also. I guess most of your thoughts have crossed my mind at some point, but then I just try to focus on the tremendous upside of hiking such a great trail. Just keep it simple. Left foot right foot. Left foot right foot

[topshelf]

The only difference in nervousness and excitement is how you interpret it. It's all an adrenaline rush. YOU'RE ACTUALLY EXCITED!!!:banana:banana:banana:banana:banana


Serious...

[Dash]

I think being scared or nervous is very natural, if you weren't you're not ready. Most of us are thinking what the hell am i doing and although we are not 100% sure. We are sure that we don't want to sit at home staring out the window wondering what if and never trying. You must answer the call of the mountains before He comes calling for you.

[Giantsbane]

I'm so unreasonably nervous. I'll be starting in March, alone and with not much experience. Mostly I'm afraid that I'll end up having to go home in the first few weeks due to some sort of injury. I know something like 90% of people don't make it to the end, but I want to give it my sincere all. It would be so phenomenally embarrassing to have to go home only shortly after leaving.

Anyone else starting right around March 1st? I'll be needing a hug.



:banana:bananathese bananas are making me feel better
:banana:banana:banana:banana


I'm not so much nervous as I am anxious about getting going. I'm not trying to be arrogant in saying this, but I know that I can finish my thru hike. I've had the fire burning in my belly to do it for so long and thats how I know I can do it. And you can too.

[hauptman]

I had to leave the trail early than desired one year because of injury. My achilles tendons seized up and swelled like softballs. It took two week to get back to normal. Do not get fit on trail. I know some folks will say to lose weight as you hike or just stretch a lot, but excess weight has little to do with fitness. Even if you have no extra weight to lose your body just isn't used to going all day for weeks at a time. Give yourself at least a month of walking a few hours a day to prepare. Just my two cents.

[Tree Nerd]

At least your leaving soon.....I don't leave till July (SOBO) and the anticipation is already killing me.

[ChinMusic]

I gotta admit to feeling some nerves. Less than 3 weeks for me.

[TheGreek]

I'm anxious. Little over 5 weeks for me, and I just want to start today. Feels like time is draaaaaaaaagggging on.

[ever4ward]

Nervous, a little. Excited, a lot. Restless, a WHOLE BUNCH!

[ChinMusic]

I'm anxious. Little over 5 weeks for me, and I just want to start today. Feels like time is draaaaaaaaagggging on.

I'm the opposite. Time is flying. Maybe it's because I have so many loose ends to complete before leaving.

[cliffdiver]

I'm the opposite. Time is flying. Maybe it's because I have so many loose ends to complete before leaving.

There are way too many loose ends for me, but it will get sorted. These are the most pressing: empty townhouse for 6+ months,(security, what if the furnace goes out and pipes freeze?) unused car sitting in the parking lot for 6+ months,(security, not driven for so long) Sophie the cat, (God knows how I'm going to figure this one out) and finally what am I forgetting?

[ChinMusic]

...... and finally what am I forgetting?

I gotta make sure someone at home pays the property taxes and stuff like that. I don't want to come home to a bunch of tax penalties.

[Giantsbane]

I'm getting really anxious at this point. I got let go from my job a month and a half before I was going to leave for the hike (I was just seasonal) and now I'm trying to find some temp work to get a bit more money before I leave. But I really don't want to. I just want to spend the rest of my time here finalizing things.

[TheGreek]

I'm the opposite. Time is flying. Maybe it's because I have so many loose ends to complete before leaving.

My life for the last year has pretty much fit in a suitcase, so loose-ends for me were minimal. I just promised my company I'd stick around till March so they could plan for me being gone.

Also, I'm working towards a specific end-date, and don't wanna start too early. :(

[MDSection12]

Your lucky. I'm worried I'll never get a chance to thru hike, or be too old to do it. Take a deep breath, relax, & have fun. Your not ever a failure for trying. Take the time to enjoy the sights.

This. Very much this.

[Josh Calhoun]

im starting in less than 2 weeks, not nervous but just very excited to go ahead and get this thing going! its been a long time coming!!!!

[slntmnt]

Nervous, and anxious, still a lot to do before I get on the plane (7 weeks to the day), and time is definitely flying. I handed in my resignation last tuesday and was told that there will be a job for me when I get back if I want it, which helps to settle the nerves a bit.

[Karma13]

I'm nervous as hell. And the weather is keeping me off the trail, so I'm not training, either. Just getting soft and fat and biting my nails. :D

Leaving one month from today.

["Atlas"]

There are way too many loose ends for me, but it will get sorted. These are the most pressing: empty townhouse for 6+ months,(security, what if the furnace goes out and pipes freeze?) unused car sitting in the parking lot for 6+ months,(security, not driven for so long) Sophie the cat, (God knows how I'm going to figure this one out) and finally what am I forgetting?

There are several things that you may consider if you are truly leaving your house and car idle while on the Trail. Greensboro should have Realtors who are experienced property managers. They may be able to rent out your place OR have someone who can maintain the property. You may also consider asking your Church or area churches if they know someone who you could help out by letting them house sit. You are in a tricky place with the cat.....you could always hike with it!

[Kanith]

Dear Capt. That was the funniest thing ever. Hiding out in the woods for 6 months!!!! I laughed until I cried.
You'll make it. I hope I do.

[Dogwood]

Anticipation should be expected. You are doing something new and have a lot to learn.

Got some solid advice from Pilgrim staying at Josh and Leigh Saint's Dahlonega GA Hiker Hostel, WORK INTO YOUR HIKE! Don't go out like a shotgun with no stamina. Most hikers, particularly newbie AT hikers, fly out of the gate carrying heavy packs not in hiking condition, never mind thru-hiking condition. As a consequence, OFTEN get injured early on, some seriously enough that they quit. Takes about 2-3 wks to get into hiking shape. Takes another 2 wks to settle into trail life and thru-hiking shape.

Embrace the journey by staying in the moment, not reliving the past or looking far into the future. If you do that not only are you more likely to finish but also have a more enjoyable hike.

[Knndyka]

I'm so glad I found this forum. I'm 34 days out now, and running on pure nervous energy! It can't come fast enough, but I also feel like I'm running out of time. Have i prepared enough?I have so many people who are so excited for me, and I'm glad for it, but want to do more than talk about it now- I want to DO IT ALREADY! Is anyone else feeling overwhelmed with all of the advice, articles, mileage charts, suggested resupply points, and stories about getting eaten by bears? If one more person asks me if I'm nervous about the bears, I think I'll go nuts!!!!

[Karma13]

Hatfield? Are you kidding? I'm in Norristown, and starting on March 7 (Approach Trail).

Small world!

[sgt easy]

Nervous anticipation! Woke up at 0400 today and immediately began obsessively thinking over my gear - aquamira vs steripen?, pack too heavy?, carry extra cold weather gear from the start or mail ahead to neal's gap? Yikes! The dog, cat and girlfriend will all be happy to see me go...

[Rhanis]

Not to make you nervous or anything, but one of my friends broke his leg coming down Katahdin on day one of his SOBO hike. Walked out under his own power, but of course his thru ended that day.

Calm down now, climbing Springer is a lot easier...

As one who's hiked Katahdin many, many times, (spent a lot of time in Maine), I can tell you it's an easy mountian to get hurt on, things just happen and you HAVE to go at your pace. (Which, I guess, is what most everyone here's said already.) One of my friends tore his hamstring near the summit, and as he and my brother were coming down, they came accross an older guy who had been trying to keep up with a group and dislocated his knee.. hello LifeFlight. While the AT trail (the Hunt) is one of, if not the, easiest trail up (and down) the mountain, it's still a toughy, and there's a reason the rangers lend you day packs for this hike (whether NOBO of SOBO). Glad to hear Springer is easier, because, as much as I love Katahdin, I wouldn't want to put myself through that every day for five to six months, and the month or two I spend going through New Hampshire and Maine are going to be enough.

However, for those of you planning SOBO hikes, I have some friends at UMO doing winter assents of Katahdin, and right now it kinda sucks, that is, there is NO snow on the mountain, so it's not really great for winter hiking, but good news if you're looking to get an earlier than normal start in Maine.

As for me, I'm not really nervous, very excited, and there's a little voice in my head telling me that I have no idea what I'm getting myself into, but when has that ever stopped me before? I think I am ready, I have a good deal of ibuprofen, (vitamin I for fellow X-C runners), strong will-power, and a large pile of gear in my living room. I learned a long time ago that it doesn't matter how fit you are, if you don't go at your own pace, the mountain will kick your butt everytime, and the AT is just along train of mountains, (I can see you rolling your eyes, stop it!) I guess the reason I'm not worried is because I keep picturing myself at the top of Katahdin on a beautiful fall day when I finish, and everything in between now and then is a journey that I'll live when I'm there. It's a journey, not a destiniation, but if you don't think you'll finish, or you worry about finishing, my guess is that you probably won't. So maybe the best thing to do if you're nervous is either don't think about finishing, or just picture yourself on top of any mountain you know about, your favourite if you have one, happy, and healthy. It would seem I'm a big fan of visualization.

Happy trails everyone, I'm sure you'll all do just fine, and I can't wait to stumble across you guys on the trail.

[2Ply]

Best of luck to all those starting their adventure.

[punkin pie]

I know how you feel. I'm leaving March 1 and I'm very apprehensive. There are some negative people saying I won't make it, and it works on you. One thing I do Know that once I start walking and have other people around me, I'll forget the naysayers and concetrate on enjoying the walk.
Another way to go is to not look to far ahead on the hike. All I'm concetrating on is the section from Springer to Fontana Dam. When I get through that, I'll pich another section to think about

[middle to middle]

Just do it !

You are ready enough.

T

[tarantolk]

I still have roughly 111 days (SOBO) and I'm starting to feel it too. I feel like I'm going to literally burst with excitement and then I get hit with panic/anxiety. I think it's just the fact that I'm all ready to go and WAITING (hardest part), but once I get going I'll be just fine.

Good luck to everyone!!

[RJ Lewis]

Yup Ive got pre-trail anxiety going on too. I think it's a normal function of stepping out into a new adventure. Embrace it and enjoy your hike!! I'll be starting April 1.

[Mspieraerts]

Hey Robin, Im leaving the 17th also. I live in Jasper GA If you are still leaving the 17th let me know.

[atmilkman]

Nervous anticipation! Woke up at 0400 today and immediately began obsessively thinking over my gear - aquamira vs steripen?, pack too heavy?, carry extra cold weather gear from the start or mail ahead to neal's gap? Yikes! The dog, cat and girlfriend will all be happy to see me go...
My wife just asked me - "did you write that"?