Well, the day of reckoning is almost here.  After a year and a half of planning, my trip to Amicoala Falls State Park to start the Appalachian Trail is rapidly approaching.  I leave this Friday, April 5 – about a year later than planned.  This thing called a career stopped me last year.

I have zero backpacking experience in the last 40 years.  My last trip was to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM in 1976, so you might imagine that I have been asked why am I doing this? Of all the answers that I’ve given (it’s an iconic trail, my mom did part of and I want to experience it, it’s on the East Coast so it will be different than out West, etc. ), I think all the answers are summed up in “It’s a chance for an adventure.”  I may regret that attitude at some point in the next two weeks, but we’ll see.

After multiple hikes in driving rains storms up Windy Hill in Portola Valley (3 miles long with 1400 feet of vertical), falling down in the mud with a full pack (it was raining so hard that all the mud washed off by the time I reached the car), finishing hikes after the park ranger  had closed the gates, I hope that I am ready.

My trek will take me from Amicoala Falls State Park to Springer Mountain (the Southern terminus of the AT), to Bryson City, NC, some 144 miles north.  This will be about 13 miles a day.  When my brother asked about this average mileage, his response was: “Is that normal or are you just slow?” My response: $%&!

Joanne is glad to see the preparations come to an end as every trip to REI is 2-3 hours, even to buy the simplest of equipment (how long can it take to buy a shirt and water bottle). I always seem to run into someone there who has walked the Trail.  One lady spent half an hour walking me around the store to fill my basket with essentials – I now own a pair of socks that have individual pockets for each toe – kinda like gloves-they are supposed to inhibit blisters.  

My plan is to post photos with an image of my written journal as often as I can.  I will also post my daily hiking plan, so you can follow along if you are interested.