Every summer our family takes a two week vacation in August. By and large these vacations have included camping in National Parks. We have been out West, we have been out East, we have been up North. However, all but one of these trips have been car camping adventures. Our family is very experienced with car camping in all of its forms - quick weekend trips to Indiana Dunes National Park, primitive camping at Echo Lake in Dinosaur National...
It's officially April 2021...that means that the next time we see March on the calendar, it will be time to head to Springer, Georgia! That's surreal to think about.Matthew had his official meeting with his church council and they voted to allow him to take a 5 month Sabbatical from March-August 2022. That was a HUGE hurtle to clear. He has an incredible Sabbatical Team who support him 100%. A few of them attended the meeting as a support...
It's not just a play on a classic song - dreams of the AT have started to infiltrate my dreams. I have dreamed of heavy packs, many waterfalls, tents, gear, and fellow hikers.We had several weeks of sub-zero weather here in the Chicagoland area and more than 3 feet of snow in 3 weeks. It was a long slog through the month of February. But now March is on the immediate horizon and with it brings 1 year until we leave for the trail!Our future...
A common statement that I am reading when I am researching all things Appalachian Trail is HYOH - Hike Your Own Hike. Don't worry about what other people are doing, wearing, packing, planning. Don't worry about the mileage of others on the trail, the length of their stride, the states they have already passed through. This hike is about you - your journey, your process, your experience.Sounds lovely.But, with a little over a year until our...
Our dream to thru hike the Appalachian Trail began way back in the early 2000s. I already own an AT patch! (purchased in 2016 at the ATC Headquarters in Harper's Ferry, WV)Matthew and I met in Princeton, New Jersey. New Jersey hosts a small, but rugged, stretch of the Appalachian Trail. Matthew had several opportunities to hike NJ and PA sections of the trail, sometimes backpacking, sometimes day hiking. We began dreaming of an opportunity...
