Bigfoot?

Found this along my hike today, there was a set of 3 and they were a good 2 or 3 foot longer stride than mine  they say there is a Sasquatch in the CVNP.  

All I know is the track was big.

Depends? (AKA Dale) and I hiked the Lamb Loop today and it was a tough 5 miles. It’s a mountain bike trail so there are lots of rollers, up and down mounds that you got to go over but just made it a real grind. But it was a good work out for the legs.

i’ve got my hotel booked in Atlanta, the shuttle to the Trail head booked and ready to go. It’s coming up fast, three weeks until I leave hard to believe it’s finally coming around. All the years that I’ve wanted to hike the trail and always in my back of my mind I would think yes it might happen it might not happen. But now it is going to happen and I can’t wait.

It’s getting real now....

Airplane ticket is bought and it’s starting to get real! I’m making final gear choices, I will start posting what I’m going to live with for the next 6 months.  It’s kind of weird if you think about it that way, everything I need to live I will be carrying on my back for six months. I am counting things down to the ounce because ounces equal pounds and every ounce will count on the trail when you have to carry it for six long months.

Today’s photo is a picture of Brandywine Falls frozen over. It’s been over two weeks since the high temperature has reached above freezing. Makes for a spectacular picture I think.

Trail Angels

Along the AT there is this thing called “Trail Magic”. What is Trail Magic and where does it come from? Trail Magic is anything that happens to benefit a hiker or hikers. First let me say that this is something that a hiker should be surprised by and the hikers should never expect it and always be very thankful for. It shows up in many ways, everything from gallon jugs of water at a trailhead so that you can skip the chore of filtering water, to someone cooking burgers at a trailhead and having a cooler of cold beer. The people that perform these feats of selflessness are called “Trail Angels”. Some people never set out to be a Trail Angel and it just happens, for instance someone picks up a hiker hitching a ride to town to resupply, that’s a Trail Angel. For others is calling in life, they spend the entire hiking season helping hikers. 

 They say the trail will provide! This is what I’m hoping for, I’m a person with some very strong ADHD traits and …. Squirrel ….. Wait, were was I. Oh yeah, the trail will provide, some hikers will make plans for everything all the way down to where they will resupply. I’m going into this with the thought of the trail will provide. The only thing I will have mailed to me will be a gear change from early winter gear to summer gear. Food and everything else I need I’m going to acquire along the trail. 

 If anyone has any questions about the trail and my trip please feel to ask.

Why Reboot?

There is a tradition on long distant trails to take on a trail name. There are some that are earned on the trail and others that just come about. My trail name is Reboot, why Reboot? My wife Cathy came up with the name for me, it embodies one of the reasons I'm doing this hike. As a retired IT person it hits home for me, it's time for a reboot of my mind, body and soul.

PUDS- Pointless Ups and Downs

Today’s hike was 800 feet of total elevation gain, that 80 floors in a normal high rise.  Throw in 8.5 miles and a snow covered train and it makes for a full day.  Feeling stronger and 40 days until I hit the trail..

The sun is here, or it’s a nuclear attack!

The sun is something we very rarely see here in Northeast Ohio, but to be able to get out and hike in the sun is quite a nice thing. Lots of training still to do and lots of gear choices to be made but I’m finally getting ready.

Training, training and more training

so far from the month of Jan I have logged 110 miles. now the goal for Feb is over 200 miles. I'm feeling stronger every day and that feeling of being an athlete is starting to come back to me, and I rather like it. However, training in Northeastern Ohio in Feb has its challenges, the cold snowy days are just not easiest. But, I’m making due, in fact the snow covered trails make it much harder to hike and this should make the southern trails seem nice.