[cdt-l] Hello, etc. (First post).

[cdt-l@mailman.backcountry.net (cdt-l@mailman.backcountry.net)]

Howdy.

I'm Devin McGhee, a college student from Chicago
planning on doing the CDT as soon as I get out of
school.

I've got a problem though, due to various things, I'll
be getting out of school smack dab in the middle of
winter (early Dec '03) and I'll want to get backpacking
by early January probably (I know this is a year and a
half from now but...) Obviously this is not the time to
start the CDT from the north or from the south. So
here's what I'm wondering: Is there some way that any
of you know about that I could put together a few
months worth of backpacking in the south (since I'm
going to be packing during winter) that would get me on
the CDT at the proper time from the south?

One more quick thing... I'm planning on doing the trip
solo (assuming I don't meet any one on the trail that I
end up packing with). This will be my first looong trip
(done a number of short trips before, and I have a
series of progressively longer ones planned between now
and when I'm done with school), and is soloing it
patently insane?

Thanks in advance...

-Devin