[at-l] Lister bios

[hikester@mindspring.com (Lynn Setzer)]

Name: Lynn Setzer

Trail Name: Hikester...got it as a joke from office co-workers who think I'm
an alien for liking to hike

Home: Raleigh, NC

Born: Camp LeJeune; daughter of career Marine, grew up moving

Age: 46

Marital Status:  Married to Randall.  A bear that treed us on the AT (where
the Boulevard Trail hooks onto the AT in GSMNP) convinced us to go ahead and
tie the knot.

Kids:  1 black and tan dachshund, Sumo Joe.  This weiner dog has no idea
that he's only four inches from the floor.

Occupation:  first a teacher, then a software writer/pubs manager, then fled
back to academics to join the professional writing faculty at NCSU; on
faculty at Kenan-Flagler School of Business at UNC, freelance writer for
various pubs (whoever buys, really).  Think of me as the word caddy.


Hobbies: hiking, photography, biking (Viva la Lance!), sea kayaking, cooking

Last book read: Rhymin's Worm's book.

First time aware of the AT: Was in summer school at Appalachian SU waaay
back in the 70s and saw what was an ATC meeting.  Was very curious about
those folks in the heavy boots; I thought only students at 'Happy Appy' wore
shoes like that as a matter of course.

First hike on AT:  just up on the Trail at Standing Indian

Favorite soft beverage: After trying to live on coffee during graduate
school (9 cups a day, thank you very much), I've cut back to three and
consume mostly water.

Favorite potent potable:  Red wines, but a slug of Jack Black is hard to
beat at the end of a long day of hiking.

Portions of AT covered: Bits and pieces everywhere except Connecticut

Favorite spots on AT thus far seen:  Cheoah Bald, McAfee Knob

Why I wrote the book:  In the early 90s, like a lot of thru-hikers I felt an
increasing discomfort with the circumstances of my life.  Then in early
1995, my mother's illness, which resulted in the amputation of her right
leg, convinced me that maybe dreams shouldn't be put on hold.  And I had two
dreams: maybe hike the AT, maybe write a book.  The urge to write a book won
over the urge to attempt a thru -- but I reconciled the urge to write a book
by writing about thru-hikers.  So there it was.

After the vicarious -- but nonetheless life changing -- experience I had
courtesy of the '96 hikers, I started implementing an exit strategy from
Corporate America.  Left, finally, in 1998 a job that had me supervising
staff on three continents and flying around in planes a lot.  Gawd, that was
awful (the job, NOT the leaving.  And yes, I did let the door hit me on the
way out.).  Went back to academe because it is better to give than to take.