Why take a walk at this point in the game?

I have two different memories from when I was a child that might shed some light on who I will become as a hiker. (After all, I doubt you’ll want to follow me if I end up bothering you, so now I’m trying to give you some ideas about who I am as a person so you don’t waste your time.) Both come from my life as a swimmer when I was young.

Memory #1:

At the end of each summer swimming season, our team used to hold a celebration at a nearby quarry converted into a water park. With diving platforms, Tarzan swings, tall water slides and even some cliff jumping opportunities, the place had great appeal for children who were comfortable in the water. While I was very comfortable in the water, I was equally uncomfortable on the tall towers that had to be climbed to access the swings and slides. To enjoy the Tarzan swing, a person had to jump from a five-meter platform to catch the first rope and then swing to the second and so on. During our first visit to the park, I really wanted to cross the quarry with the set of ropes, but I didn’t want to or couldn’t jump to the first rope for fear of falling if I missed it. I basically avoided it all day and pretended to enjoy the other features that didn’t scare me as much. However, by the end of the day, I had psyched myself up enough to give it a try. I climbed the ladder to the platform without hesitation. I cautiously made my way to the edge of the platform. I stood on the edge of the platform FOREVER. Finally, when the coaches announced that we had fifteen minutes before leaving, I worked up the courage to jump to the first rope. I missed and fell into the water below. Since I loved water, I didn’t panic. Rather, I realized that the fall had not killed me and ran towards the ladder to make a second attempt. On my second attempt, I successfully grabbed the first rope and started swinging towards the second rope, but couldn’t make the transition and fell into the water again. Eager to make a third attempt, I got out of the water only to be corralled into the locker room by one of our coaches to get ready to go home. I spent the entire bus ride back to our pool agitated at myself for not trying it earlier in the day. I knew I could cross, but I would have to figure out how and I would have to wait a whole year to do it.

Memory #2:

A couple of years later (probably the summer after fourth grade), I was at our summer swim club hanging out with friends, when I overheard a group of seniors talking about a bike ride two of them had recently taken. At the time my family lived outside of Annapolis, Maryland. Two of the older kids on the team had biked from our town to Ocean City, Maryland (~120 miles each way), and back WITHOUT ANY ADULT SUPERVISION. I heard his story and was hooked. I knew at that moment that one day I would ride my bike to the beach. It didn’t happen until I was in college, but I eventually traveled from my new hometown (Wilmington, Delaware) to Fenwick Island, Delaware, with a swim teammate who was up for the challenge. My “I know I’ll do that” experiences didn’t end there. When I was thirteen, another group of older swimmers floated the idea of ​​doing a cross-country bike ride (I crossed it off my list in the summer of 1989), and in 1982 The Wide World of ABC Sports He convinced me that I needed to do the Ironman Triathlon (marked in October 1988).

So what does all this nonsense have to do with AT?

Well, in eighth grade, I was at a wrestling tournament when my coach, Mr. Modispaugh, introduced me to Bill Tighe, one of the coaches on another team. As part of the introduction, Mr. Mo told me that Coach Tighe had hiked the ENTIRE Appalachian Trail after graduating from college. After questioning Coach Tighe about the experience, I knew I would have to hike the AT one day. Mind you, I’m not a young man, so eighth grade for me was in 1976, almost fifty years ago. But, in March 2026, I will finally begin my journey from Springer Mountain to Katahdin. because I always knew I would.

And yes, I finally completed the Tarzan spin through the quarry after a few more attempts the following year.

Since rediscovering my need to climb the AT a few years ago (more on this in a later blog post), I’ve been watching YouTube videos, listening to Backpacking Radio podcast and blog reading The walk. These wonderful sources of content have kept me engaged and energized while I waited for life to open a window of opportunity. I hope to do the same for anyone who decides to follow me.

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