[at-l] Two Years Ago

[spiriteagle99 at hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

kent_gardam at yahoo.com <http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/at-l> 
writes:
Wow, it's amazing to me that two years have passed since the reports of 
Ted's passing. If pressed, I would have guessed that was last year. My how 
time flies. On the good side, if two years can go by that quickly then the 
three years I still have left before retirement when I can think of 
beginning a thru doesn't seem that long.
************
Kent - you will be amazed at how quickly the time passes.  Twice now I have 
been in a position where I had to wait 3+ years for my next hike.  (Longer 
periods than that between hikes, but the first couple of years we have been 
content to stay put for a while.  It usually takes about two years before we 
start looking seriously at where we want to go next.)  At first it seems 
unreal - so far in the distance that you can't really count on it as 
actually happening.  So much can happen to prevent it, that you don't really 
dare count on it.  Then you get to the point where it becomes "next year".  
And you still think, "I have lots of time, and it is going so slowly."  Then 
all of a sudden it's "Oh no, I'm leaving in six months and I have so much to 
do!"  And those six months pass so quickly.
My husband, Jim, is retiring in April of 2006; we will be on the trail (CDT) 
at the end of that month, and probably doing a warm up hike on the AT two 
weeks earlier.  The 'countdown' began at the 1000 day mark - now we are at 
around 400. I have already started picking up my physical activity - walking 
20 miles a week now, and that will increase over the next year.  Because 
older hikers take a long time to heal when they get injured, I am hoping to 
avoid problems by being in top shape when we start.  This spring/summer we 
will begin getting the house ready to sell - painting, carpet, etc.  I have 
done most of my research already, though I am waiting for new editions of a 
couple of the CDT guidebooks to come out next fall - but I have a lot of the 
information on relocations already from other sources.  We'll pay very close 
attention to the journals and forums for changes on the trail that may 
affect our hike.  There is a lot that we can do to get ready now - and that 
you can be doign to get ready now.  It is so much fun to have a firm date to 
start your hike.  Not just 'someday' but 2006 -- or in your case 2008.  The 
only problem is waiting and not letting the thought get to you "Why can't we 
start now?"  At this point, we still have way too much to do to start this 
year, but it is a tempting thought anyway.

An advantage in having lots of time is that you can take your  time buying 
gear - waiting until things go on sale, trying them out on weekend or 
weeklong trips (I'm still not sure whether my pack will do, but I'll have 
enough trips this summer that I should know by fall whether I have to 
replace it), cutting down your packweight etc.  You have three years when 
you can get on the trail often to see whether hiking day after day really is 
what you want.  Take advantage of it.  The more comfortable you are with 
hiking and backpacking, the more you will enjoy those first crucial weeks.

Ginny