Speck In The Woods

So I got an email this morning from Delta ✈️ saying “it’s time to check in” and I felt a little funny thinking about having a one-way flight out with no return flight scheduled. The reality is that’s it’s here–the time to leave home.
I’ve been excited about this for a long time, but now I’m both excited and anxious. Will I be able to hold up physically? Will I get too homesick and want to come home? Will I have fun? Will I hate it and just want to get it over with? Don’t know, but I guess I’m about to find out because tomorrow’s the day. No more countdown–it’s here. LET’S DO THIS!

So I’m laying there, giddy with excitement thinking about my adventure and suddenly I think about how I’m about to leave all the glorious creature comforts like my snuggly bed; my nice, hot baths; electricity allowing for lights, A/C and heat; running, clean water; soap and shampoo; clean clothes, a chair; a flushing, inside toilet; my pantry full of food; and most importantly, my hubby, who is always my encourager when I’ve had a bad day, or who smiles with me on a good day❤️. What makes one walk away from such awesome stuff. Well, I don’t quite know the answer to that. Read More

As promised, here’s a list of Appalachian Trail lingo.  It’s as if we have our own language out there. These are just a few of the terms. I’ve listed them in no particular order. I listed them as they came to mind. As you can see, the very first one has to do with food.  Imagine that–a hiker thinks of food first. Read More

“I’m like a kid at Christmas.” “I’m like a kid in a candystore.” “It’s like getting to go to Disney World.” Why is it that we relate all exciting things as adults to childhood experiences? The excitement I feel when I think of hitting the trail again definitely makes me think of how my sisters and I use to count down the days to Christmas and Read More

View from Standing Indian Mountain Summit

shake·down (shāk′doun′) n. A test or period of appraisal followed by adjustments to improve efficiency or functioning.

A few changes have taken place since my last hike. My back problems are much, much better, I have lightened my backpack weight quite a bit, and I have a new philosophy on mileage. Read More

I’m often asked, “Aren’t you afraid to hike alone?” or “What’s so special about hiking?”

These are a few quotes I like, that for me, relate to hiking the trail and help answer those questions. Read More

What a treat! I got to meet Gene Espy. He was the 2nd hiker to ever thru-hike the AT. He attempted and completed the trail in 1951 when he was 24 years old. He spoke at Dahlonega Trail Days and to this day he loves to share his passion for the trail. He wrote a book, “The Trail of My Life: The Gene Espy Story”. I purchased one at Trail Days and was lucky enough to get him to autograph it for me.

This journey began back in the Fall of 2009 when my friend, Cathy, called up and said, “Hey. Let’s go hike the Appalachian Trail. There are 14 states and we can do one state a year until we finish.” I replied, “Okay”. No questions asked. We had no clue what we were doing. We bought gear, copied a few pages from the AT Guide, had our husbands drop us off at the approach trail at Amicalola, and off we hiked. Read More