From the Rockies to the Appalachians

The realization is really just now hitting me. In ten days I leave for the biggest backpacking trip of my life. Hiking over 2,000 trail miles through the Appalachian Mountains from Georgia to Maine. Crazy, huh?

I say it’s just now hitting me because I have been keeping too busy to think about it. I finished my last day at work last week (previous blog) and pretty much booked it straight to Colorado with Teresa. We spent a great week in Boulder/Nederland seeing my brother, Andrew, and our good friends Etienne and Brittany. Colorado feels more and more like home to me every time I return. The people there are amazing and I have been so lucky to have gotten to know so many of them. But let’s be honest, the reason everyone ends up there is for the mountains. Oh, those mountains.

I have been falling in love with the Colorado landscape for years now. My first few hiking and backpacking trips were to destinations in Colorado. I have been to popular places like The Hanging Lake and less popular places like hidden hot springs way down in river valleys. I have been to great parks like Rocky Mountain, Mesa Verde, and The Great Sand Dunes National Parks. And I have camped in the backcountry with amazing views more times then I can count. However, even with all the time I have spent wondering that state I will never get enough. Every road I see draws my attention and I must drive down it to see where it may lead. I can’t wait to return, time and time again.

However, soon I will be leaving the familiar for the unfamiliar. I will be setting off for Georgia and the start of the Appalachian Trail. With the exception of a few weeks hiking and backpacking around North Carolina and Virginia I have little experience with the Appalachian Mountains. And I have absolutely zero experience with long distance hiking. My next seven months is going to be a life of learning on the fly, and I could not be any more excited.

So over the next ten days as the realization hits even deeper, I will be keeping busy with my final preparations. I am still going through so much gear deciding on what to take. We also have a few things, including a new tent, to try out before we hit to road. I figure I should also get up a gear post, because everyone loves those. I even need to book a rental car to get down south. And then the obvious, spending time hanging out with friends and family before we depart. The list just keeps growing and growing.

Please wish me luck over the next week as things are getting real. Off to new experiences….. soon. Thanks so much for the support everyone!

Afterword

As always, feel free to like and share these posts if you enjoy them, it really helps me keep doing what I love. Also, I am still trying to find my writers voice, so stick with me here. I hope things get far more interesting once I am on the trail. And join me on Instagram for more frequent photo updates. Thanks again.