Hey everyone, I returned home from a successful completion of this year’s section hike. The trip went great! I made a video here, just as an intro to the remaining videos I’ll be uploading soon. Hope you enjoy it. Feel free to leave a comment. It’d be nice to hear from ya!
One thing I didn’t mention in the video was that I lost 20 lbs. on my trip. It’s hard not to lose weight when you’re accustomed to hiking 15-20 miles a day. The body is the ultimate fat-burning machine on long hikes, and you simply cannot eat enough. Even the all-you-can-eat buffets in town don’t stay with you!
Thanks again to all for your donations to the Hike For Cancer this year! You helped raise money for a worthy cause. Keep an eye out for more videos of this year’s trip, as well as day by day entries from my journal & reviews on some of the gear I used.
David "Awol" Miller thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2003. He wrote a book recounting his hike entitled, AWOL on the Appalachian Trail. I was thrilled when he sent me a complimentary copy of the book, as well as a copy of Appalachian Pages, a handbook which he & Rick Towle have compiled for both northbound & southbound hikers. I’m headed north, so David sent me the northbound edition.
The book brought back so many memories from my AT hike last year, Georgia to Damascus, VA. The hikers David met on his journey reminded me of so many who I’d come to know. Some of whom I count as friends & hope to see again someday. I hope to meet many more good people on my hike this year. Because I’m leaving so late this year to hike, most of the people I’ll encounter will be section hikers like myself. I may even meet some southbound hikers. All northbound thru-hikers will be well beyond my starting point of Damascus, VA.
Tonight I was going through the Appalachian Pages handbook. Whether you’re thru-hiking or section hiking, this book is an important tool to keep in your pack. I also have the 2007 edition of the ,Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers’ Companion (2009) I bought prior to last year’s hike, though not the current one at the time. I was comparing these books side by side. If you’re planning on hiking the AT this year at all, pick up a copy of Appalachian Pages, or grab the 2010 edition if you’ll be hiking next year. I’ll be bringing my copy with me, referring to it everyday I’m on the trail.
Once again, my thanks to David "Awol" Miller for the books he sent, as well as the check for helping with my travel expenses. Even now as I write this, there are butterflies in my stomach. I can’t wait to be back on the trail.
Last year I was privileged to hike for 5 weeks on the Appalachian Trail. Since I returned, there’s been a burning desire to get back to the trail. In August, if all goes as planned, I’ll return to the trail to hike another 500 miles or more. This year’s hike is dedicated to raising money for colorectal cancer and to the memory of my mom who died from this disease. Mom passed away in December of 2005.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m a whipmaker; I build whips for a living. My whip website is something I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned on this site. The company is Noreast Whips and the site is www.neawhips.com. I also run a blog that’s linked to the site. It refers much to whipmaking & the techniques used in the construction of the whips I build. A full post was written explaining the purpose of this year’s hike on the whip blog. Here’s the post below:
If you can afford to give a little to this cause, it would be greatly appreciated! The donation button to the right will take you to the Paypal website. Once you’ve clicked through & given, you’ll receive an electronic receipt from Hutt Industries. Hutt Industries is affiliated with my whip company, Noreast Whips.
As an additional promotional offer, all who give $25 or more will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a nylon bullwhip. I realize this doesn’t appeal to everyone, but if you know someone who’d like a chance to win a bullwhip, please let me them know about this fundraising event. The ‘09 Noreast Whips Hike For Cancer will be from August to mid-September. Donations will be accepted all through September, with the drawing being held at the end of September 2009. Thank you again to all who’ve given & are supporting us in this endeavor.
