Take a hike!

This is a picture of me on my first section hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2000. That year, I completed 380 miles and was hooked for life. In the following 2 years, during graduate school, I managed to return and complete Virginia and Maryland, 600 miles total. Then Kenya came, and I was beginning to wonder whether I'd ever complete the long walk and see Mt. Katahdin in Maine.

On Monday, I was coming back from a visit to my mom's in Roanoke and decided to stop and do a 7 mile hike near the Blue Ridge Parkway that crossed the AT for a mile. It was a fairly miserable hike - limited views, clouds of gnats and flies, and stinging nettle creeping into the path. Still, by the end of it I was pretty convinced that I needed to get back to working on my goal.

As of today, I'm officially announcing my plan to hike from Georgia to Virginia (450 miles) starting around September 1. I realize this throws a wrench into my plans to find a job, but what better diversion while I wait to hear from prospective employers? The way I see it, I'll spend less money hiking than I would driving around Virginia and eating out with friends all the time. And besides, when will I have 6 weeks off in a row ever again? If I don't do it now, it may be years before the opportunity arises. And by then, I'll be too decrepit to enjoy it!

I haven't set any plans in stone yet. I ordered the maps and guidebooks, though, which was a $50 investment. And I'm working on roping a few people into coming with me for part or all of the time. Tina is a definite maybe. And Dad and Deb are thinking on it.

I'm really looking forward to challenging myself again. And I can stop that silly diet!