I can hardly believe it, but I am leaving in three days. I’ve been going down my checklist, and it seems like everything is in order. My pack has arrived in Portland, I’m almost done cooking, mail drops are arranged, I’ve got a room reserved at Shaw’s Lodging for when I finish the Hundred Mile Wilderness. There is still a nagging feeling that I am forgetting something, but I guess by this point it will have to be something that I can live without. All that’s left to do now is start walking.
I’ve pretty much given up trying to anticipate what this trip is going to be like, or how I am going to feel once I have started, or any of that really. I’m sure it’s going to have its ups and downs, days where I am loving it, and days where I wish I was back home. I think in many senses, there really is no way to totally prepare for something like this—it’s easier to take it day by day.
If you’re of the praying sort, I would definately appreciate your thoughts and prayers for safety and health and that I may see the Lord and his goodness in the wild.
“Never stop because you are afraid – you are never so likely to be wrong.”
– Fridtjof Nansen, Polar explorer
“The ultimate purpose? There are three things: 1) to walk; 2) to see; 3) to see what you see.”
– Benton MacKaye, father of the Appalachian Trail
