Almost There!!!

Good ole Nance-ito Burrito (my mom, Nancy) informed me that we will be leaving the house at 5am for Georgia on Wednesday (3/31/10).  We will be driving from Maryland to Georgia which will take approximately 11 hours where she is going to be dropping me off.  I just can not believe that it is almost here.  Seriously, wow!!!

So, I had to make a trusty old decision about the trail today.  I could not find out if there is a suitable road that leads to the top of Springer Mountain.  I saw that there is a dirt road that may or may not be closed but nothing of the tourist variety.  Arrrgh!!  I guess I’ll be humpin’ it from Amicalola Falls State Park.  For those that do not know, AFSP is the 8 mile approach trail to the start of the Appalachian Trail.  From all accounts of this trail, this is not a leisurely stroll in the park.  The worst part is, the part that I could not grasp, that it doesn’t count on the total mileage of the AT.  So, most people do the approach trail, stay the night on Springer, and THEN “start” the trail.  Is it just me or does this seem weird?  It’s like pre-season NFL football.  The first game is great but by game 4 of the preseason you’re like “come on already.”  After mile one you realize it doesn’t even count on your total mileage. 

I make no apologies to the AT purists.  Guys, lets make Amicalola the start of the trail!  Any who, that’s where I’m starting…I think.  If you’re reading this and I don’t have your phone number and you want to be a part of the text updates I will be sending, shoot me an email with your phone number.  I promise I will only send texts every couple of weeks and not blow up your phone.

Lastly, I just wanted to say that I am sooooo happy with the amount of support I have received.  I am still in awe with how people are reaching out to me and saying “good luck” and stuff.  That really means the world to me.  Please please please please don’t forget me after this week.  I’m the kind of person that thrives off of simple things like a guest book entry, email, or text.  Please remember me in a few months and I promise I will think of you.

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

One Life

9 Days

Well, 9 days until the big journey.  My friend said to me “wow, this has really gone by quickly.”  False, not for me.  I feel like a chained up pit-bull who sees a piece of steak just outside of its reach.  Every day is just dragging.

Friday was my last day at work.  Kind of sad.  I’m going to miss my team at COAF.  I really enjoyed working there and I got along with everyone in my department.  I was sad to see them go but this walk is just bigger than working right now.  My guess is that 99% of all people don’t understand this concept but that a small 1% does. It is kind of scary knowing I don’t have another paycheck coming my way but I have a faith that God will take care of me in one way or another.  There might be some hungry days ahead but I’m ok with that.  Nothing will take my faith away. 

I got to meet The Fugitive today.  That’s Dave’s trail name from when he thru hiked the AT in 1997.  He was a great source of information regarding the trail.  I explained to him my fears and my perceptions and he gave me advice.  I think the best advice he gave me was to not focus on getting to Maine everyday but focus on that particular day’s goal.  It’s easy to lose focus when you’ve walked 100 miles but it only shows that you’ve walked an inch on a map.  My goal will not to be thinking of Maine but thinking of what that day’s journey will bring me. 

I snapped a few pictures of my gear spread out.  I’ll post them up here.  This is minus a few items such as some toiletries and all my food.  It’s too early to buy food especially when I have to drive to MD from TX on Friday. 

“For nothing is impossible with God.” –Luke 1:37

One Life 

Dear AT

Dear AT,

You are all I think about.  Am I ready for you?  I think I am but who can ever be sure until I’m on your beautiful path.  Do I have all of my gear for you?  I am pretty sure I am going to be well equipped for whatever you throw at me.  In fact, I have a feeling that I’ll be over equipped to traverse your mighty trail but I’ll just send stuff home in that case.  Are you totally distracting me in all aspects of my life?  You sure are.  I don’t think I have had an AT-less thought in like 6 months.  You’re in my every waking moments and I just need to be on your mountains.  This anticipation is killing me! 

Also, AT, take it easy on me at first.  Yeah, I spent all of 2009 playing football and baseball for teams around Dallas but I have since let up on my over all training.  I’m fearing that that is a mistake but maybe if I ask you nicely you’ll go easy on me.  No?  Not the plan?  Oh well, I guess I’ll go through it like everyone else.  Also, could you possibly hold off on lots of rain?  I mean, at least at first let me get some miles and experience under my belt before you go showering on me.  I guess I shouldn’t tell you that I am a big wuss when rained on. 

Well alrighty, AT, that’s all for now.  I’ll see you April 1^st. 

Stay beautiful,

One Life

"I command you- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Less than a Month

Well, the last two weeks have been crazy and at times overwhelming. Today is the first day in almost two weeks I have not felt sick. Yay, no headaches! I got sick last Monday night and proceeded to miss the entire week of work. I never felt like I was getting better nor did I feel like I was worse. Just feeling real crappy. Anyways, I had to move out of my apartment last weekend so I never got a chance to just rest. I officially moved out of my apartment and onto a friend’s floor. If this journey is not real now then I don’t think it ever will be.


I can’t believe in 29 days I will be setting foot on Springer Mountain. Who knows what the weather will be like too. The east coast has been bombed by snowmageddon this year so I have no idea what to expect. I have been reading some hikers who have already left and it doesn’t seem like an enjoyable walk they are on. Their journals are filled with snow stories and coldness. Ick! Not fun to me. I figure once I clear the Smokies I’ll be “ok” in terms of dangerous weather.

This weekend I was going to plan another hike at the North Shore Trail but I am going to take some more rest time. I can still feel something in my chest that hasn’t gone away so I don’t want to push things. I am going to make one of my last trips to REI to get some of the last of the gear.

Influenza

Remember several months ago when the Flu was in style and the thing to have? Everybody had to get it. If you weren’t touched by the old Flu you were a nobody, apparently. Facebook lit up with status updates about who had the Swine Flu and how a particular person felt about their ordeal. Yeah, well, I finally got it. They don’t know if it’s the Swine Flu or just regular Flu because they said it doesn’t matter because they treat it the same. It also costs $300 to determine what kind so I opted for just knowing I have Influenza.




Seriously body, why couldn’t you have contracted this little virus when it was cool? Instead, I had to be the marvel and the worry maker at the doctor’s office because I was Influenza case #2 for the month. Now, everyone at the doctor’s office is in a panic about the next pandemic I am apparently starting. Seriously, it’s like I’m the one who was still wearing a fanny pack in 2000 when it was the super cool fad of 1991. The Flu is totally out of style in almost March, 2010. Now, because I got it a lot later I can’t go into work because I work with mostly moms and none of them want to get sick.



I got to be honest though. The only reason I went into the doctor’s office is because of my AT trek. Otherwise, I would have just assumed I had a cold and moved on. However, two years ago almost to the day I had the same symptoms when I was playing arena football. Instead of taking care of the problem I just thought I’d “tough” it out. Well, I knew I was in trouble when I couldn’t make it through calling a play in the huddle without gasping for breath and hacking up my lungs. Apparently, I had a slight case of both Bronchitis and Pneumonia (let it be known I didn’t miss one practice or game). So, I wanted to make sure I was on top of this before I got on the trail and couldn’t make it after three days. Doc said I would be fine by April 1st.



On a side note, I weighed in, at the doctor’s, at 218 lbs. It’s better than my 230 lbs I was when I started the 300 Mile Challenge on my website in December. I don’t know though. I feel differently because I have spent the last several years weight training for football so now I don’t do that and I feel weird. Oh well, I’ll prolly be a stick figure when I get back from the Trail.

Refocused and Refreshed

Yaaaay, I’m focused and refreshed. Per the prior blog, I opted to take a step back from my constant trip planning and internet research and just kind of re-shift my complete focus back to God. Well, it worked. You see, I do not want to suffer burn-out of my AT trip before I even leave so I had to go back to what I was used…daily knowledge attainment. I had become overwhelmed with planning my trip and gear purchasing and needing some relief. It was very easy to lose focus but once I dedicated myself to getting back on track and staying focused it was just as easy to get back in the swing of things. I strongly suggest that you should do this too!!


I still had some trials last week to which I can apply the lessons learned to my AT thru-hike. I opted to drive from Dallas to Atlanta on Friday for a wedding. I started the 820 mile trek at 6am on Friday morning of last week. When I got to Louisiana, my AT day-dreaming was rudely interrupted by a flat tire (please note that I was listening to A Walk in the Woods on CD). How dare my car have a blow out without my permission!!! Anywho, instead of being filled with a lot of anxiety, anger, and stress I just promptly changed the tire and continued my journey east all the while thanking God that I was safe and me or another person were not hurt. I think that had I not had the refocus session last week there could have been more anger and anxiety involved. Anyways, to answer most people’s questions…yes, driving is cheaper than flying. No, driving is not cheaper than flying when having a blowout and finding out you need to buy two new tires for an additional $273 on top of gas. What can I learn from this? Well, I will face adversity while on the trail but I will always keep God as my number one! Because I kept a positive attitude I had the best time at the wedding and I did not allow it to ruin my time even if I can’t afford new tires. Yay for Faith!!

With my priorities back on track and my stress levels down, I will now be able to start the next leg of my AT preparation. I will be moving from my apartment this weekend to the floor of a friend’s living room for about 3 ½ weeks. I thank God everyday for the friends I have and I am very appreciative of the things they do for me. This move is a little different though. I am basically throwing away or donating all of the momentos from the past…stuff I have kept for endless moves and now its all going bubye. Sad in a way, especially when you are sorting through a box and come across a picture or two. Oh well. The memories in my brain will have to suffice.

So, the moral of this journal is: yay God, yay getting back in His word, yay refocusing, yay great wedding, yay two new tires, yay I am alive, yay for friends, yay for moving, yay for tossing or donating a lot of stuff, yay for AT planning, and yay for the chest cold I now have. Ok, kidding about the chest cold. Just seeing if you were paying attention.

GEAR UPDATE: So, last week I received my University of Texas (couldn’t find UK ones) crocs. Yup, they will officially be my camp shoes. So light indeed. I also got my Marmot Sawtooth 15 degree sleeping bag. Seems light and easy to pack. Havent tried it out yet. Also received my Tuli’s cups. These are heel inserts that go in my shoes. They have worked wonders on my for football and baseball in the last few years so a new pair are taking the trek with me. Google them if you don’t know what they are. I also got my Marmot Precip rain jacket. I’ve worn it every day so far. Love it.

On a side note…I went to the Coke Museum in Atlanta. Pretty cool but the taste testing at the end should come with a warning. There are 64 flavors of coke but they don’t taste like any of the Coke that you buy here in America. There was Banana/Mint from Zimbabwe and other fruity tasting Cokes. There were also bitter tasting ones from like Germany and stuff. I walked out pretty sick so I suggest not trying all 64 flavors.

God Bless,

One Life

Refocusing on Him

I guess when you plan something as enormous and life changing as an Appalachian Trail thru hike you are not aware of the tiny little details that need attention on top of the obvious big ones. I knew I would be buying gear, planning routes, deliberating over what I’m going to eat and all of that jazz but I had no idea of the other stresses associated with this such as moving, where stuff and dogs are going to go, bills, and all the while working a full time job. Last week, I guess I thought it was all on my shoulders to make decisions for my future and on top of everything I had a presentation at work that needed my care and dedication to. Besides that I spent over $600 dollars on all sorts of stuff related to my hike. Spending large amounts of money always makes me nervous. With all of that, I guess I just lost focus on what I really need to focus on…God.


This week, I’m taking a hiatus from the computer, hiking gear, internet, updating websites, moving, and anything that gets my focus away from my true purpose…God. I am dedicating the next 5 days to refocusing on God so that I can stay on track when things get stressful again. Instead of spending countless hours on the internet searching for gear, reading equipment reviews, worrying about this or that bill, how am I going to get to point A to point B, and distressing about work presentations, I am just simply going to be with God. How, you might ask? Simple, I’m just going to dive into His word, pray, and simply just relax. I’ll start eating right and not just “quick” meals that end up providing my body with no nutrition and I need to start sleeping at least 8 hours again.

I guaranty when you give your worries to God, He will take care of you. As a Christ follower I fervently believe that God will take care of my needs and show me ways that I did not think about. I guess for those non believers out there this might not make sense but I challenge you, who do not believe, to give your heart to Him and you will see life in a whole other beautiful way. You can’t say it’s not for you until you try it.

So, with that being said, I am dedicating this week to putting my priorities back in place with God and taking a vacation or hiatus from planning and worrying. I leave you with my favorite verse:

Proverbs 3:5-6

5Trust in the LORD with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

6In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.