good news all around...
To update you all on the good news (hence the title of this post), I have completed the majority of my pre-trip coordination.
My employer and supervisors know about my trip and are very supportive. I have a lot of respect for my bosses and how they manage. I have been fortunate to get an opportunity to hike the Appalachian Trail and be gone for 6 months, and they support me 100%!
As far as the home life goes, the wife has taken my opportunity and turned it into something to keep herself busy as well. She has taken on the role of my “marketing manager.” She will build, update, maintain, and handle all the logistics of the various social media sites on which I will broadcast my journey. All I have to do is send regular content and be the more or less “Talent.”
The finer details of coordinating this trip are a bit boring so I’ll spare the readers; however, the future of this journey is far more exciting to think about. Hopefully soon we will receive our first shipment of gear from the Warrior Hike staff and when that day comes you better believe it will be like Christmas! There will be shoes, pants, shirts, and even a camera…so I am led to believe.
In minor preparation for this upcoming adventure, my brother and I have begun to hike the back roads near his house again. We stopped for a while until the weather warmed up but now there is no time to waste. The clock is ticking and we need to get in hiking shape. They say the only way to prepare is to actually hike the trail. No doubt this is true but I would rather that “prep” period go smoother because my feet and legs were used to the shoes and weight of a pack then suffer the couple weeks it would take to acclimate to just carrying a pack.
Most importantly I am excited! I think about the trail constantly. Every time I go outside I wonder to myself “What does it feel like on the trail right now?” Truth told…its freezing! The east coast is getting record snowfall and I can’t help but think what all that moisture will do to the trail. A million thoughts about the trail and the people I will meet clutter my mind all day long.
Speaking of people on the trail, after being accepted to the Warrior Hike we were given the contacts of the other applicants we were going to hike with. A private Facebook page has been made so we can meet, discuss travel plans, share info, and generally just get to know one another before REALLY getting to know each other. I am very pleased so far with the personalities in this group; that being said I haven’t had to live with them for 6 months. Time will tell but I got a good feeling about this group.
Until next time, I will continue to hike and prepare myself to become “a Lane more traveled…”
