I have been thinking about doing the Appalachian trail for some time now. It started a year ago when people started asking me about school.
person: where do you go to school?
me: North Carolina State
person: when do you graduate
me: next December (2007)
person: what do you want to do when you get out?
me: I don't know?
I didn't really know what I wanted to do. For some time I had been stressing over the importance and validity of being a Parks and Recreation Major and wondered what the hell do I do when I get out? Talking with other students in PRTM I found that a lot of them felt the same way. For some reason or another we all stumbled into PRTM and loved it (except the jocks, no offense jocks).
Anyways, like I said, I thought that doing the entire trail would be an awesome thing to do and what really inspired me was three dollar book that I got back during sophomore year about hiking the triple crown. The triple consists of the three north to south hiking trails in the United States. The Appalachian Trail is the shortest(but not short by any means other than teleportation which the scientists have not invented yet) and best well known, the Pacific Crest Trail is also somewhat well known and also a defined trail, and the Continental Divide Trail running through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana is the longest and best described as an idea in the process at this point in the game. So the book roughly outlined the
all the trails noting certain landmarks, weather and notes of the surroundings as well as trail culture. I read on thinking about what it would be like to be on my own in the woods with no real obligations for four to six months. All in all, after completing 44 million years of school, I figured that I deserved it or at least a shot at it.
WHERE I AM NOW
I am not completely ready for the trail gear wise as well as monetarily. I have worked for the Raleigh Adventure Program for a while now (since summer 2006) and they have been a steady source for trail funds but 18 hours per week in an introductory office job doesn't earn much. I started at the YMCA as a lifeguard in the middle or in the later of January pulling in 13 hours per week and three weeks ago I started at Pullen Aquatics Center in Raleigh also as a lifeguard amassing a tremendous additional 9 hours per week. Since everyone at the YMCA always wants a substitute and getting the extra time working Pullen, the money situation has been looking better and better so at least thats one thing that won't be holding me back. At keast I'm half way there now
Gear wise I scored pretty big with some sales at REI and Great Outdoor Provision Company. I got some hiking shoes, a water filter, a tarp, and a ground cloth. The only additional pieces of gear that I want/need are:
trekking poles
a new pack
a camera
a bowl (preferably a collapsible one)
a pack cover
a couple water bottles
and some p-cord for my tarp
I planned to leave on April 19 but I think that I will leave a week or two later than that, every extra bit of work that I can squeeze in will help. Right off on week two or three, Allison (my baby's momma, but not literally) will be meeting up with me to hike for a week or two. On May 16 [ha! no longer true!] Brittany will be graduating with her Masters in Museum Studies and join up with me shortly after that. We will be finishing it out together as long as all goes as planned. So far these two are the only people that have decided to come join the fun. If you want to join up with me and Brittany and hike, plan to go sometime early in the summer so that we'll be closer by. After June, it'll be a good little ways before you are able to join up with us since we'll be closer to the midpoint by then which is in Harpers Ferry W.Va. We will be sending mail home so that the blog can be updated and you know what is happening with us out in the woods.
That's it for now. I can't wait, only five or six weeks and counting, see you on the trail.
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