The Great Adventure – The Walk

The day is approaching on the calendar for me to start the Appalachian Trail. April 4th shines like a beacon on a hill at night. I get nervous, I get excited again, I get excited again and I say to myself:You really don’t want to do this and then mentally slap myself and remind myself of The Reason. Make a bet on myself and commune with the Good Lord Almighty. Many questions still run through my mind. However, one statement continues to stand out to me… Once you start something… FINISH IT!

In all honesty and deepest truth, I am excited for the adventure ahead. The song that came to mind on Thursday was from Hobbit: The Greatest Adventure. I feel like this song fits very well and as I write this I have it playing. The other song that followed was Send Me On My way by Rusted Root. These two songs will be essential in the adventure that lies ahead. Family and friends have shared their fears with me and, you know, I don’t blame them. To alleviate their fears, I downloaded Marco Polo and gave them Life360. I’ve told you that if that dot doesn’t move after 2 days… well, let’s cross that bridge when we get there. One thing that keeps coming up when I tell people I’m doing this is: Bring a gun. I calmly but firmly tell them that this is frowned upon in the trail community.

Next question… What about Bear Spray? My thought is if it’s Brown, go to bed. I don’t think there are grizzly bears around here. Although black bears… completely different story. The other forest creature that keeps showing up are snakes and mountain lions. I’m prepared to be as safe as possible, but if a mountain lion decided, God forbid, to make me a quick meal… I don’t think I could escape it. That’s how I see it…if it’s my time to go. It’s my time to go. I know it’s dark and morbid but that’s the reality of life. Oh, here’s a comforting thought… did you know that mountain lions squeak? perfect! Can you imagine it? There I am drinking my coffee and listening squeak squeak. Well, I’ll get out of there as fast as these 35-year-old legs will carry me. And if I still have the speed I had when I was in the army, I could have a 1 second advantage. They called me Cheetah Legs in those Golden Age days.

To say I have no fears would be a lie, but I’ll let me fight them alone. Overall, I think this journey ahead of us will be unlike anything I have ever done before. It will be great to meet the people and the stories I will hear will be just as amazing. I have already been talking to a person who is starting the path a day before me. We will meet and move on.

My team: the big five

Store: Nemo Ultralight (the exact one I forgot)

Stove: JetBoil for the win

Sleeping bag: Nemo Men’s Endless Promise

My Pack: Gregory Men’s Zulu 65 (I traded in my ultralight for this one)

Sleeping Pad: an REI brand but it is ultralight and folds up

Footwear: I’m going to wear the Altra

Those are the Big Five. Everything else is what you do. Honestly, your entire team, including the Big Five, is what you do. Remember that it is your journey. I have a feeling that as the journey progresses, I will replace or leave behind some things entirely. Did I pack too much? I don’t say anything. ha ha ha. Am I completely stuck on the exact brand and specks? Not at all, because when you’re on the trail it’s important to be warm, yes, but people really care that your trekking poles are this or that and that you’re carrying this or that. No, absolutely not. Just be you. I’ve realized that my backpack and trekking poles match, so at least I have that going for me. Alright, I gotta go and finish a couple more things. The next time I write to you it will be somewhere along the way. Remember to subscribe so you can follow us for more updates. Also, there’s a tip button above, so if you’re feeling nice and want to tip, do it. this would help with a meal here and there. (I honestly wasn’t going to say anything, but one of my friends said that it would allow you to feel like you were also part of the journey with me…he was right).

yours on the journey,

sentay

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