Beard In Transit

Wildcat Shelter >>> William Brien Memorial Shelter

19.6 miles = 31.5 km walked / total AT mileage: 1394.7

Daleville (Howard Johnson Express) (zero day) (my birthday)

Helen (Heidi Motel) >hitch hike> Unicoi Gap >>> Deep Gap Shelter

Photo by loneinthewoods

The departure date is at 3 days ahead.

So soon.

In these days I have been packing and unpacking several times switching gears and wears to reduce my backpack’s base weight under 10kg though…

I do not know how to give up some better-safe-than-sorry items. *sigh*

Years ago, I read Bill Bryson’s A Walk In The Woods and was agog, gob smacked, and inspired.  As a kid, my ma chunked us outside everyday over summer break.  We played in the woods.  I built little huts for my dolls out of sticks & leaves. My friend Janine and I ran up and down trails behind my house pretending we were outlaws on horses, heck, sometimes we pretended we were horses.  I was not extremely outdoorsy or woods-craftsy.  I liked to walk in the woods; but didn’t do much true hiking (outside of Girl Scouts & family trips) until I was young adult and discovered the five-mile Clark Trail outside of Wentzville, MO. It was amazing. (Go! It’s a great day hike.) Rocky in spots, hilly in others, with stream crossings, & small piney groves. The pay off? Views off of three cliffy bluffs over the Missouri River.  Picnicking there and watching the turkey vultures circling the river valley was my definition of almost heaven.  

That was many years ago. Years ago, I ran up that trail with my sound knees and strong ankles and wrinkle free skin.

Then, THE BOOK.  Oh, the book. Bryson came along with his book.  And, I was hooked. I had NO idea there were long trails one could practically live on for months.  Holy macaroni, I didn’t really even understand that it was called “backpacking”.  Back in the day, I didn’t know it. But, I was hooked.