[at-l] Helping a newbie: LAUNCH DATE APPROACHES!

[shane@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Shane Steinkamp)]

For those of you who have been following Bob's progress on his journey to
hike the AT, you will be pleased to know that he will be on Springer on Feb
16th.  That's this Sunday!  He'll be hiking the approach trail starting at
about 10:00 AM.

I'd like to thank Ryan, and everyone on this list for successfully helping
me prepare him for this adventure.  As you know, he was starting from zero.
I think our largest success in this process was to open him up to the
experience, and not let him turn it into a 2000 mile marathon.  (He is a
marathon runner, and came into this with the mindset that miles are just
something you have to do, not necessarily something to enjoy.)  The biggest
failure was to get him to think for himself.  Despite that, he only listens
to me about half the time.  ;)  He'll learn soon enough that the trail
really is a whole 'nother world...

BTW, there is a really good picture of BOB at

www.theplacewithnoname.com/hiking/journals/bob/index.htm

His journal and progress will be updated regularly there.

Thanks again.  I will continue to post updates here.  If anybody sees Bob,
please let me know.  If anyone wants to meet him along the way, he'll be in
regular contact with me when he makes town stops.

If anybody has any last minute advice, I will be seeing him in the flesh for
the last time tonight before he leaves.

Shane