Please Allow me to Introduce Myself

Hey! I am super stoked that you found your way here on The Trek! I am excited to be here as well. That must mean we share something in common! Maybe it is a thrill for the outdoors, a desire for hiking, or are intrigued how people do thru-hikes for weeks or months at a time. Welcome to the community! This post has been a long time coming, so allow me to finally introduce myself! I am Mike and I will be attempting a thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail starting February 19th. I am a NOBO, going to start in Georgia and work my way up to Maine. If I don’t get to see you out on the trail to introduce myself, introduce yourself in the comments below! I always love meeting new people, especially those interested and passionate about the outdoors.

Give me the Great Outdoors!

John Muir once said, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” In today’s fast-paced world with digital overload and distractions abound, it is challenging to quiet the mind, focus, and give time for self-reflection much less slow down to learn about and appreciate the ways in which nature can benefit us. Spending time in nature allows a person to focus inward. For me, being in nature clears my mind, soothes my soul, and helps put life into perspective. When in nature, I realize I am part of a larger whole. I have always loved spending time in nature for these reasons. I am interested in a lifestyle that our ancestors have lived for centuries, subsistence living. Our ancestors relied heavily on the outdoors for this lifestyle. Whether it is hiking, canoeing, camping, hunting, or fishing, it satisfies me, to be able to go out into woods for this purpose. It grounds me and I can feel their presence while I am out there, performing the same tasks they did long ago.

What I do for a Living

I am teacher. I teach sculpture, design, and woodworking to middle school boys at an all boys private school in Baltimore City and have been doing it for the last 15 years. This past year, I have started a Wilderness Education Club so I can share my knowledge and passion of the outdoors with our student community. The school is a great place and believes whole heartedly in professional development for the faculty. It is this reason that I am able to take off time in order to attempt my thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. I applied last winter for a sabbatical which gives one teacher a paid semester off to pursue endeavors that otherwise could not be completed just during the summer months. By my shock, I won this prestigious award for this school year. The support I have felt from my colleagues, students, and parents has been very humbling and motivating.

The map above was put up in the middle school lobby where I work. As I stated, everyone is so supportive and very excited about my adventure. I love that this support allows me to talk to people about my passions. I find that there are so many others that have similar passions, but have never had the opportunity to get out there do them! One goal I have is to be able to inspire my students to be able to put fear aside and lean into discomfort.

I am a Maker

Not only do I teach both children and sometimes adults in sculpture, design, and woodworking, I practice it myself. I learned a lot when I attended college at Maryland Institute College of Art, but I see myself as a forever learner. While college gave me the basic skills, the drive was up to me. I want to learn as much as I can about a lot of different fabrication processes. What interests me is a traditional way of making objects such as furniture, spoons, bowls, ceramics, and baskets just to name a few. I can carve, knit, weave, weld, forge, and mold all by hand. I even make my own utensils for the trail! Keep an eye out for some hand carved utensils at some trail magic locations, I will be carving as I go along on my thru-hike! As I complete a utensil, I will leave for a fellow thru-hiker to use and enjoy.

Where I do All This Stuff!

I am from that tiny weird shape state known as Maryland, 45 minutes north or Baltimore City. I am leaving behind my very supportive wife and two growing boys (12 &8 years old.) Those two boys are my entire world and I know they are cheering me on from afar. I could not do any of this without their support and their willingness to jump right in on this idea. There was never any hesitation in their voices or trepidation in their eyes.

Follow Along with me on the Trail!

I am stoked for this journey! Please accompany me virtually as I go. I will be sharing with you my preparation work, experiences along the trail, reflective thoughts, and humor! Hope to see y’all out there on the trail one day soon! Please introduce yourself in the comment section down below.