Oops! We Did It Again.

It should tell you something about our personalities that even after our last “trip” – pun intended, we were ready to gear up and do it again. But this time there was definitely something different in our mindset. We were feeling less and less like hiker imposters and more like the real deal. By the third trip, we had our equipment shaked down pretty well and felt much better about our ability to survive in wilderness. We also learned the Appalachian Trail is a physical challenge, but even more than physical, it is a mental challenge. You will fall madly in love with the AT one moment and despise it the next. It will fill your heart with its wonder and immediately shatter it with its harshness. Kind of like a really bad relationship and we were in deep.

This last section hike was relatively uneventful other than some apprehension at having to start at the same rock where I had my previous fall. We had some aggressive goals but listened to our bodies and stop a bit earlier to avoid limping off the mountain again. But little did we know it would be almost ten years before we would get back on the trail. Life has a way of interrupting plans and it seemed there was never a break in the action. We also knew we would never be satisfied continuing as section hikers. We began dreaming about when we might be able to someday take on the entire trail. Then one day, we decided when we both turned 60 we would attempt a through hike. There is never a good time to leave home for six or seven months, but it seemed God was paving the way for us as every obstacle seemed to be resolving, turning our dream into reality.

On Monday, April 15, we will begin our attempt at what is called a flip flop hike. We will start at Rockfish Gap in Virginia and hike north to Maine where we will end the northern part of the trip at the summit of Mt. Katahdin. Then we will arrange transportation back to our previous starting point in Virginia and hike south to Georgia where we will end our southern part of the trip at Springer Mountain. There are lots of good reasons for a flip flop hike – one of which is less crowding on the trail as thousands of hikers start their attempt at the southern terminus. It also takes advantage of the better weather as well as give us plenty of time to get to Mt. Katahdin before the snow falls. We are beyond excited and anxious about this journey and feel incredibly blessed to be able to attempt such a thing! We look forward to sharing it with our friends and family who have been so incredibly supportive. Hopefully, these first few stories have helped you all understand our love for this trail and the adventure that awaits!