Friday, March 19, 2010

First Update


This update is coming from Cincinnati.

We started on Springer Mountain Monday morning. Then, Monday night I called home from Hawk Mtn Shelter. Rosemarie told me that Amy, our daughter, was hospitalized. She had pain that was yet of an undetermined nature. As she is pregnant I was very concerned. It took me three shuttles and a rental car but I got home Wednesday night. She was released just before I got home but was readmitted Thursday afternoon. As I write this Friday morning ,I am here with her in the hospital. The baby is fine and it apppears to be bladder infection &/or kidney stone related. But still nothing is defined.

Of the hike.........My First Trail Lesson:


The AT is an incredible place for unplanned happenings - (read that as not coincidences).

I can not thru hike and write a book about programs along the way as both tasks require separate focuses that conflict. Thru-hikers write "I" books: I climbed, I walked, I eat the half gallon, I was cold, etc. Very challenging individual efforts. While I would experience all of that it is not where this book needs to be. The book is about others making great things happen with those that need help

In the 1-1/2 days on the Trail I met three incredible individuals with great OEE stories for the book and fell behind in the hike. I filled four pages of notes on just two of those folks and need to find the third, if I can. All three were unplanned meetings and I quickly realized my mind was working in two different directions.

So at this point I am planning to section hike around the schools I have already scheduled to visit without changing the original scheduled dates. Plus I will meet others by doing some casual Trail loafing and also through some contacts I am developing.......like Trail Days in Damascus (May 18th) and camping at other spots along the Trail.

Even the shuttle drivers were giving me leads.. a wife that wants to go back to school for training in OEE, a program up the road. a videographer, and on.

In short the book is more important than the thru-hike. And I need to rearrange my plans.


But first there is Amy.

Pictures will be posted on www.jwhf.org soon.

I will let you know when I am back on the Trail.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Getting Ready


Hikers burn 4,000 to 8,000 calories a day while on the Trail. The challenge is to replenish properly. It is practically impossible to carry that weight in food for three to five days, plus water, plus camping gear. Therefore we ship to selected outfitters, hostels, campgrounds, YMCAs, and friends along the way boxes containing daily foods supplies.

Thursday and Friday Jerry (pictured)and I are sorting the food supplies into day packs and then boxing them into resupply boxes for shipment.