More memories than dreams – The Trek

Lord Huron – Looking BackI’m Hoot, Hooty, Hooter. I am a 50-year-old retired Air Force doctor, father of four amazing children, and for the past five years I have been married to my person: Liz. I live for the outdoors. I have spent my life camping, hunting, fishing and exploring. Adventure has shaped who I am. I once spent a month camping above the Arctic Circle in Siberia, purely for fun, not for the military. I have traveled to more than 50 countries and 49 states. Idaho is the last one left; give me a reason to go.
The Air Force gave me a life I loved. I graduated as a Special Operations Combat Medic, served as a Master Instructor and worked as an International Health Specialist. That chapter shaped me.
Last March, while planning our summer (camping trips, concerts, the usual), I hit August and realized I was turning 50. That realization hit me hard. It scared me and energized me at the same time. I needed to do something big, something that would feed my gypsy soul. I decided to hike the Appalachian Trail.
That choice did not come out of nowhere. I’ve wanted to hike the AT for at least 30 years. I have always dreamed of traveling alone with a backpack and the safety rails of a well-established trail. I started researching, buying equipment when I found deals, talking about it with my wife, and allowing myself to dream again.
My best friend Steve and I talked about going up the AT in 1998. We planned to do something big like that when we retired from the Air Force. After I retired, alcoholism and PTSD (familiar enemies of many veterans) put that dream on hold. I told myself I would do it when my oldest son graduated from high school. Then again when my second did it. Life kept happening. They both would have joined me without hesitation, but I wasn’t in a place I could go.
Now I am.
I am four years sober, healthy, supported and prepared, even if it is later than I ever imagined.
My wife, my children and my friends support me. My parents weren’t surprised when I told them this was something I had to do. I’m about a month away from starting. My team is 98% ready. I have no interest in pursuing the ultralight mentality. I respect it, but I choose comfort over suffering. If carrying a few extra pounds keeps misery at bay, I’ll gladly carry them around. That opinion may change along the way, but for now it’s mine.
I will be starting in March as part of the Appalachian Trail Class of 2026. I plan to write blogs and vlogs for my family, friends, and my special needs students. A few weeks after the hike, I’ll go out of the way to fly to San Antonio to see my oldest son graduate from Air Force Basic Military Training. He couldn’t be more proud of his decision to become a fourth-generation aviator.
I have the desire, the time, the support and the health. When I finally sat down to define my why, I understood it clearly:
I want to die with more memories than dreams.

Hoot

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