My name is Tom, but I am going by the trail name Red Beard. I am 66 years old, and as you can tell from my picture, my beard is no longer red. Red Beard reflects how I see myself when I am not looking in the mirror. I refuse to grow old gracefully. I am a geologist, now retired. I have always enjoyed working in the field and disdained working in the office. I have wanted to thru-hike the AT since 1975 and am finally going in 2017. In the mean time, I will be training physically and mentally (thank you Appalachian Trials) and getting my gear the way I like it. I will occasionally write about my progress. Happy Hiking!