PREPARING – PART 3
I then take down the tent and pack it in a long, outside pocket where it is readily accessible in a rainstorm. Then I fill the water bottles and call Theo. He was once reluctant to sit for his saddlebag placement but now, I pick up his bag and he comes instantly, eager to hit the trail.
En route, we stop to rest as needed. Theo lies down and I hoist my pack upward on my back to rest my shoulders and then lean over to sling my torso between my hands in the straps of my trekking poles. I have actually fallen asleep however briefly in this position. On our stops, I call Theo to my side so I can help myself to water. Sometimes I remove my pack and take snacks from the pouch on the top of the backpack: a bite for me – a bite for Theo. Lunch is just a slightly longer rest and a larger snack. I cook only at supper.
Waiting for me on The Long Trail, Vermont
Such is the way of the long-distance hiker. Take in the awesome views, enjoy mother nature, rest when you can – but be sure to get in the miles. I hope to average 15 miles per day to finish by late August to mid-September.
It is Thursday, February 11th and Theo and I are almost ready. We’ll be on our way as soon as I finish the hundreds of things I must accomplish before Monday, February 15th, our DEPARTURE DATE!
Of course, doubts have surfaced. The trauma of separation from a large and very active family smarts sometimes. I’ll miss the routines my wife and I have come to cherish. I’ll miss many birthdays and the weddings of two nephews, time at the shore, travels together and countless family meals. And who will build the big, raging fires this winter for which I am famous?
Then there are the bills, handling mail and my law practice which I have intentionally slowed down until I return. And, if there are emergencies, I’ll tend to them during my times in town.
Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks, mid-November, 2014
But, even though I updated my will and wrote my burial wishes, I’m not disappearing off the face of the earth. I’ll be in touch by cell phone and tablet when connected to power and the internet. I will emerge from the forests once per week and hitchhike into a near-by town where “we’ll” stay in a hostel, B&B or motel, get a much-needed shower, do laundry and drink a much-needed beer (or two) with the best meal I can afford. As I recharge, I’ll also recharge my phone, camera, tablet, etc. and resupply at the grocery store if I haven’t pre-arranged for a delivery of food at the next stop.
I don’t believe I have any illusions about this undertaking. I know it will be both exhilarating and very difficult, physically and mentally. I will start at Amicalola Falls State Park which is 8½ miles downhill from the plaque on Springer Mountain marking the official start of the AT. What a sight that will be! And what a miracle to even think of taking that first step! I thank God every day for my good health and good knees, post left-medial-compartment replacement. The stats say we will walk 5,000,000 steps to Katahdin (Indian for “Greatest Mountain”) and when we summit that mile-high peak, we will have climbed 509,000 vertical feet, more than 16 trips up Everest.
We will have hiked and slept out in freezing cold, beautiful snow and ice, sweltering heat, endless rain, frightening lightning, heavy winds and falling branches. We will have survived bobcats, cougars, wolves and coywolves (a coyote-wolf hybrid) near Canada, wild boars, rattlesnakes, copper heads, black bears, tireless little rodents, swarms of insects, moose, high cliffs, rock, boulders, endless roots and raging rivers.
It’s really gunna be fun!