Paul's AT blog

Less than four weeks from my planned start date and I'm getting very psyched. Here's a picture of my AT map with various milestones indicated along with target dates for each one. Notice they're post-it notes so they will be easy to move when reality decides to mess with my carefully constructed itinerary. See the color coordinated calendar beside the map. It'll be out of date a week after I start, I'm sure. But this stuff keeps me busy waiting for end of winter. If you have a chance, I'm still looking for more feedback on possible trail names in the post just before this  one.

The idea of a trail name is to essentially become a different person living in the grungy subculture of the Appalachian Trail. It's sort of like a superhero persona without the superhero part. Legend was that trail names are to be bestowed on hikers by others on the trail. But over the last few decades, that has changed and now many people choose their own trail name. Largely because too many people think they are clever namers and as a consequence some good, decent people end up with trail names like Monkey Butt or Stink Foot or, even worse, Butterfly. So I am asking anyone who finds their way to this blog to help me pick a trail name. I am more than open to other suggestions but here are some names that I thought of any of which I could be happy living with for five or six months in the woods. Please let me know what you think.  Nomad Refugee Wastrel Fogey (not necessarily old) Sole Man Gu-Ru (referring to Gu energy gels) Just please don't suggest anything like Buttefl

I attended a workshop at REI this past Friday by a two-time AT through-hiker named Postcard. I picked up some great information but, more importantly, I got really energized to get this thing going. I am totally psyched. So much so that I've changed my original plan. I was going to start in Virginia, go north to Maine, then come back to VA and do southern part of the trail. My thinking was this way I'd be under less time pressure to get to Maine before snow closes Kathadin and if I decided to only do half the trail, I wanted to make sure I got to Maine. But Postcard convinced me that I am going to finish the whole thing and also that there is nothing like New Hampshire and Maine in late summer. So I'm still doing a flip flop hike but I'm starting in Wind Gap (15 miles from my house) and walking to Georgia. Then I'll come back to Wind Gap and walk to Maine. How hard can it be? Meanwhile, I'm messing with my gear every day. Keeps me out of trouble. I just te