Why am I so late?

It’s ironic because in my family I’m always the one cornering people in the car to make sure we’re not late. To the extreme, I’m obsessive about it. I guess it comes from my dad who instilled 3 things in me since I was little:

1. Arriving early is on time
2. Arriving on time is late
3. Being late is forgetting

In this case, when it comes to this blog, I am VERY LATE! This is my first post and I’m less than two weeks away from starting my NOBO attempt at thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. My excuse for being late is that I only thought about applying for The Trek last week. I didn’t really consider writing a blog until I started thinking about all the time I spent reading other hiking blogs. I do this because I enjoyed reading and learning from other bloggers. So, I hope my blog is useful to someone else…

Who am I?

I was born in Brooklyn, New York and then transplanted to Alabama when I was 6 years old. My parents were born and raised in New York City. My mom probably would have stayed there her entire life; However, my dad had other plans. His father, my grandfather, was born and raised in Georgia. He met my grandmother when he was stationed in New York Harbor during World War II. When my grandparents got married, they stayed in the city. However, every summer they took a train to my great-grandparents’ farm in Georgia. My dad later told me that he always loved that farm, the time he spent there, and even as a child he decided he wanted to live in the south. That’s how my family ended up in Sweet Home Alabama.

I am also a former atheist who converted to Christianity at age 25. This event changed my entire outlook on life and changed me as a person… completely. I am married to an amazing wife and have four wonderful children who range in age from 11 to 21 years old. It wasn’t until almost five years ago, when my wife and I took a 20th anniversary trip to Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton National Parks, that I realized how much I loved seeing and experiencing God’s creation. So I made the decision to learn how to backpack so I could experience more of all that God created.

Burning Gizzard Trail

What is my Hiking Experience?

Here is a summary of my hiking experience:

1. 200 miles of the Appalachian Trail (100 miles in Virginia and 100 miles in Maryland/Pennsylvania)
2. 70 miles of the Pinhoti Trail in Georgia
3. 100 miles of the Colorado Trail from Waterton Canyon to Breckenridge
4. 77 miles of Foothills Trail as a test for my AT hike (my first full hike!)

Midway

Why am I hiking the AT?

The reasons why I am trying to walk the AT can be summarized in these 4 statements:

1. I want to see and experience more of God’s creation.
2. I want to meet, invest in, and encourage people I wouldn’t normally come across in my daily life.
3. I want to challenge myself both physically and mentally.
4. I want to show my children, and eventual grandchildren, that if you dedicate yourself to something and it is God’s Will for your life… You can achieve anything!

Colorado Trail

my biggest fear

I have read and watched many blogs/vlogs where people talk about their fears about upcoming hikes. For a long time (I’ve been planning this hike for over 3 years), I didn’t think I had any fear. I’ve traveled enough to not fear things like being alone, bears, ticks, other people, etc.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized… I have a major fear.

My biggest fear is how much I will miss my family. I’ve never been away from them for more than a week… EVER. Barring a major injury (like a fall and broken ankle), the most likely reason I’ll end my hike early is if I no longer want to be away from my family. The good news is that they will visit me periodically along the way! My wife and two youngest children will come to see me at least a few times, but I’m not sure how or where yet. My two oldest children plan to hike with me for 4 days when I am in Northern Virginia. I’m really looking forward to that!

My family at my oldest daughter’s high school graduation.

Conclusion

I hope this blog is helpful to at least one other person. My goal is to blog daily…but that could change. I’ve never done this before. I don’t consider myself an excellent writer. But what I can say is that I will be transparent and try to write my real experience along the way. I have less than two weeks left! If you can be excited and nervous at the same time… that’s what I’m feeling.

I’m going to try to make a few other posts before I finish talking about my gear, food, and so on. Kunjungi ans8xjk. If you made it this far… Thank you very much for reading!

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