[at-l] Mississippi man plans for AT Hike.

[tfort at jam.rr.com (Tom Fort)]

Alan Lovett are you on this list? 

This article was in today's clarion Ledger, Jackson MS. 

 
http://clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050222/NEWS01/5022
20350/1002

The man will be doing his term paper and class work from the trail.
Goes right in line with the discussion on focus on your hike.  

I thought y'all might find it interesting.  

T. 


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The article, in case above link does not work. 
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Appalachian Trail stiff challenge for Brandon teen


STARKVILLE - Five million steps, five months and the most innovative
academic experience he's ever had are among challenges facing a
Mississippi State University sophomore.

Alan D. Lovett of Brandon, a mechanical engineering major, embarks later
this month to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. The 19-year-old has
been preparing for months to endure the physical demands of the more
than 2,000-mile ramble from Springer, Ga., to Katahdin Mountain, Maine.

To maintain his academic standing, the fall semester Dean's Scholar will
take along course assignments. Working with the University Honors
Program, he has developed a rigorous program that involves intensive
analysis and writing.

"He's proposed an innovative way to integrate his academic and personal
goals," said UHP director Nancy McCarley. "Perhaps one of the most
rewarding aspects of working with high-achieving students is helping
them follow their passion."

The former Boy Scout and son of Charlotte Lovett and Dale Lovett
acknowledged that "nothing about this will be easy," but he quickly
added, "If it were easy, I wouldn't want to do it."

To build physical capacity, he spends at least two hours daily running
between 8 and 16 miles. He also rides 20-30 miles on a road bike, and he
has built a climbing wall at his Rankin County home.

To prove he can complete the walk, he has already hiked 400 miles of the
trail.

"I started in the eighth grade and did 50 miles," he said. Since then,
he's been reading, planning and organizing for his ultimate dream. While
trekking, McCarley said Lovett will complete a demanding range of
assigned essays that culminate in what she describes as "one of the
rarest of term papers."

She emphasized that the assignment, like the physical undertaking, "is
no walk in the park; both are daunting tasks that few would undertake."

Lovett also is working through MSU's kinesiology department to document
all aspects of the trip - from the weather to his daily physical
condition.

"His academic subject will be himself," said assistant professor Trey
Hoyt, an exercise physiologist who is directing an independent study for
Lovett.

He'll write an overall statement and summary of each day and keep a
daily food log.