Well, here we go! It is official now!! We have been talking about, considering, debating and dreaming about hiking the Appalachian Trail for a long time. In fact, we have been telling family and friends for months now that we are going to begin our attempt at a thru-hike on March 1st, 2013. We will be joined by our dog Charlie on Springer Mountain Georgia when our first steps are finally taken. Even though we have been planning, preparing and dreaming about this for a long time, as I write these words, it is feeling finally official. Before the trip, planning, gear buying, dreaming up menus etc. begins, you might be wondering who we are...
My name is Tom Shaver. I am 58 years old and was raised and live in Michigan. After spending 6 years in the U.S. Navy, I returned home to Michigan and began my career as a firefighter. I have been retired for almost 10 years after 25 years on the job. Since that time, I have been starting and building an emergency management consulting company called CEMA. (Comprehensive Emergency Management Associates) I have been married to the love of my life (and partner on the trail) for 32 years. Terri & I have been blessed with three wonderful children; one son "Jesse" (and now one son-in-law "Nate") and two daughters "Emily & Hannah".
Backpacking began for me in Virgina while in the Navy. The first time I ever stepped foot in the woods carrying all my gear was in Virgina on the Appalachian Trail hiking to Rip Rap Shelter. Since that time, backpacking has become a large part of my life hiking with family and friends for many years. Even though I have spent many nights in the woods and hiked many miles over the years, I would consider myself a novice hiker. I have a lot to learn. That being said, my last major hike was with Terri hiking about 350 miles over about a four week period in Virgina. The goal was two-fold: find out if we could physically do a long term hike, and discover whether or not a long hike was something we REALLY wanted to do. (Sometimes in life you get what you ask for.) The result was anticipated, but none the less something we had to do. Hiking 15 - 20 miles a day became common place with no unexpected issues and the pleasant surprise of meeting so many interesting people was a real joy. The love for the trail grew from being a seed I knew existed to a mature plant of desire.
They say there are two kinds of backpackers: those that hike as a vehicle to enjoy the camping, and those that camp in order to enjoy the hike. Terri is of the former, and I am of the later. I love the hike! I enjoy the adventure of discovering what is around the next bend and over the next hill. The camping is nice after a long day, but for me, only a necessity so that I can hike.
As I see it the purpose of this blog is communicate as best we can the experience of planning and preparing for a thru-hike of the AT, and eventually doing our best to describe the experience of actually attempting to hike almost 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine. I have read lots of books, studied the maps, been to seminars, watched videos and dreamed about it long enough; it is time to DO IT! So, all that follows will be my (our) attempt to relate as honestly as possible our adventure.
Stay tuned for Terri's thoughts in our next blog post!
~Dreamer
PS Obviously, I am not a grammar major. If and/or when we write a book, I'll be sure and hire a good editor to fix the mechanics!
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