[at-l] Bio

[bakwudz@rcn.com (Tom Willcox)]

Guess it's about time for this.....


Name: Tom Willcox

Trail Name: Bakwudz, until anointed with one that actually has meaning <g>

Home: Allentown, PA

Born: Allentown, PA, September 7, 1967

Married: since June 21, 1991, to my lovely lady Jan

Children: Son John Paul, 4 yrs. old; daughter, Emily Jean, 2 yrs. old.

Occupation: Truck driver and parts man for truck refurbishing company. Have
been jack-of-all-trades most of my life, but settled into driving for the
past several years.  Worked in Yellowstone Park for a summer in between
unsuccessful college stints(too much wanderlust, not enough serious time
devoted to studies).

Hobbies:  Many.....canoeing, woodworking, carpentry, rebuilding Corvairs
(presently own two, had many), metal fabricating, training my German
Shepherd, and naturally backpacking.  Have given up many other hobbies over
the years.

Books read: All kinds of stuff, but not so much lately due to spending time
with the kids.  Now more familiar with Dr. Seuss, Thomas the Tank Engine,
etc.


First time on AT: Sometime back in the 70s in PA.  My uncle took me hiking
near Bake Oven Knob....my best memory of the hike was when a deer bolted out
of the brush and missed my uncle Dave by mere inches.  Of course, being an
observative type, I blurted out "Did you see that?!"  Perhaps my trail name
should be Captain Obvious.

Portions of AT covered:  PA, parts of NJ, NY, MA, VT

Favorite soft beverage: Sweet tea, for sure.

Favorite hard beverage: Off the trail, Guinness, without a doubt.  On the
trail, I believe in the "more bang for the ounce" theory, so Johnnie Walker
Black rides with me.

AT Goal: I think that I would like to do a thruhike, but I really would like
a chance to do a several-week long hike first.....never gone long distance
before, so I would like to find out if it is really what I want.