Sounds fun, right?
In April, my boyfriend Robb and I will be leaving the comfort of our quiet suburban home to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail; it is a venture that only 1 in 4 complete. While we are both highly-motivated distance runners who tend not to shy away from daunting challenges, this is the biggest thing that either of us has ever attempted.
Simply deciding to give it a go was a challenge. I tend to come up with wildly foolish ideas that I rely on Robb to analyze and redirect into smaller more manageable ones. Robb keeps me grounded -- he's an engineer, capable of scrutinizing concepts and coming to rational conclusions. We discussed all that it would take mentally, physically and financially to thru-hike the trail. It would be a serious financial strain for us and navigating our work situations would be problematic as well. But to my surprise, he agreed that if we had saved enough a year from that day, we would go for it.
Fast forward to a today -- with enough savings in the bank, we successfully rented out our house, moved our lives into 2 storage units and a studio apartment, and secured a cat-sitter for 6 months. There was nothing standing in our way.
I made arrangements to leave my job mid-February so that I could become our full-time AT planner. After just one week of unemployment, it has become quite clear to me that I don't know how to be unemployed. I dove straight into the AT prepping process. I finished 2 books written by former thru-hikers and of course the AT essential read, A Walk in the Woods by the great Bill Bryson. I completed an entire AT thru-hiker planner, began reading and taking extensive notes on the annual Appalachian Trail Data book released by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and did a thorough inventory check on all of the hiking gear Robb and I had already acquired.
Preparing for the trail has proven to be a great challenge in and of itself, but the real journey begins in April. The next few weeks will be a blur of coordinating resupply points and mail drops, gathering the last few items on our gear list, and training until our departure date.
Check back in soon for more detailed posts about our gear, timetable, biggest concerns and more!
Simply deciding to give it a go was a challenge. I tend to come up with wildly foolish ideas that I rely on Robb to analyze and redirect into smaller more manageable ones. Robb keeps me grounded -- he's an engineer, capable of scrutinizing concepts and coming to rational conclusions. We discussed all that it would take mentally, physically and financially to thru-hike the trail. It would be a serious financial strain for us and navigating our work situations would be problematic as well. But to my surprise, he agreed that if we had saved enough a year from that day, we would go for it.
Fast forward to a today -- with enough savings in the bank, we successfully rented out our house, moved our lives into 2 storage units and a studio apartment, and secured a cat-sitter for 6 months. There was nothing standing in our way.
I made arrangements to leave my job mid-February so that I could become our full-time AT planner. After just one week of unemployment, it has become quite clear to me that I don't know how to be unemployed. I dove straight into the AT prepping process. I finished 2 books written by former thru-hikers and of course the AT essential read, A Walk in the Woods by the great Bill Bryson. I completed an entire AT thru-hiker planner, began reading and taking extensive notes on the annual Appalachian Trail Data book released by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and did a thorough inventory check on all of the hiking gear Robb and I had already acquired.
Preparing for the trail has proven to be a great challenge in and of itself, but the real journey begins in April. The next few weeks will be a blur of coordinating resupply points and mail drops, gathering the last few items on our gear list, and training until our departure date.
Check back in soon for more detailed posts about our gear, timetable, biggest concerns and more!
I am super excited to read about your adventures! And the in-tents pun makes me all sorts of happy.
ReplyDeleteYou think Robb comes to rational conclusions? Interesting...
ReplyDeleteIn the mean time, I will be praying for your safety. Much love, Uncle Steve
ReplyDeleteThe late start will enable you to see all of NCAA Basketball March madness. You'll need a mind cleansing break after that! We are so proud of you guys and wish you success and safety and fun on your adventure. "SGF - Mom and Dad". (two sets of parents so I added the SGF so you could distinguish me from the "ORD - Mom and Dad"
ReplyDeleteWow, I didn't know you and Amanda had planned the great escape from school in Morgan Hill, CA. That explains a lot. I remember taking you and your friends on a field trip to the factory in San Jose that made rocket fuel for the space shuttle. All the kids had rides except for a young boy named Sergio. Your friends didn't want us to take him in our car but you and I insisted so we gave him a ride.
ReplyDeleteI remember that! I actually ended up loving my 4th grade class -- Mr. C, the space program unit -- we got to meet a real life astronaut!! I think the escape plans happened before we adjusted to the school -- once I found my place in class and Mom started helping with the music program, things really turned around. I think it was more about the adventure of skippin' school and hitting the town. You know me -- always looking for the next big adventure... :-)
Delete