So I just finished whipping up some goodies to send to John Wayne, as he completes his last few weeks of the trail.  I came across a recipe in a trail cookbook that lists bacon grease (gasp!) as one of the ingredients in a trail granola bar.  John Wayne was pretty excited about this one. (Maybe his brother's love of bacon has rubbed off on him? Case?)  Of course, eating bacon grease when I am not hiking 20+ miles a day frightens me, but it's not the topic of this post - and I know JW will love this fattening treat, he can probably count his ribs by now.  Anyways, as I am sending this package filled with love and food to JW, I am also thinking about what to share on this trail blog, as I look back on my months on the trail.  One thing I always wanted to share, which I hope will be interesting to readers, as well, was all of the scary experiences we had on the trail.  Of course these experiences were few and far between, but make for some pretty good storytelling.  Here goes, hope you can retain your composure.

3AM Footsteps
All hikers know that you are relatively safe in the woods at night.  Besides the occasional animal, insect, or snake, you should be pretty safe if you hang your food in a bear bag and zip your tent (or hammock) up nice and tight so no unwelcome critters can get in.  When staying in or near shelters, you feel quite safe, as the AT community is a close-knit one, and hikers generally look out for each other.  The real danger, everyone warns you of, is setting up camp near a town or road, as locals may be up to mischief or want to mess with defenseless hikers.  One evening, as the sun was hanging low in the sky, JW and I had just about reached the end of our day.  We were planning to hike across a road that led to town, and then continue 3 or 4 miles, in the woods, to a campsite.  We figured that walking a few miles past this road crossing would be a sufficient amount of distance, since we were hiking by ourselves, and planning to camp alone too (the shelter was too far for us to travel this evening).  Just before crossing the road, I became aware that I was completely exhausted.  When we looked on the topographic map, about a mile after the road crossing, we had an intense climb.  We had already been hiking for 9+ hours, and I just didn't want to participate in a 7PM cardio session.  We waited on the road for about 10 minutes, just talking about what to do.  As we were waiting there, we saw a disheveled-looking, shirtless, shoeless man, pacing up and down the road, about 20 yards from us.  Now I am the LAST person to judge anyone based on appearance alone, but this guy gave JW and I a strange vibe, and when you are out on the trail, you learn that trusting your gut is the only security you sometimes have.  We decided to keep on going, and crossed the street, into the woods.  We had successfully avoided making eye contact with the man down the road, and he appeared to be walking the opposite direction as us, when we entered the woods again.  We hiked about a mile, when we came to a stealth camping site, complete with a sweet little fire circle, and a few books in a hollowed-out tree stump.  We decided that even though this campsite was close to the road, we were pretty tired, it was getting late and we just had to set up camp before it got too dark.  We set up camp, made dinner, fed the dogs, and were laying in our hammocks in no time, about to fall into a restful sleep.  Before I get to the scary part, there had been something strange that happened on the trail a couple weeks prior to this night.  Most hikers on the trail knew about it; it was basically a confrontation/hostage situation (yea crazy I know) between a local crazy man and some hikers. Here is the full story if you want to read it:

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?id=100221

Ok, back to JW and me on the trail.  So we are snuggled up in our hammocks, and sleep comes very quickly.  Although we knew we were close to a road, I don't think either of us were too worried about it as we were falling asleep. At what felt like 3AM, I woke up with the urge to use the bathroom.  I was trying to shift my mind to something else; I really didn't want to leave the comfort of my hammock, not to mention try to muster up the coordination, after being half asleep, to get out, go to the bathroom, and crawl back into my hammock, without falling or disturbing the sleeping dogs.  I was half-awake, but pretty groggy when I was deciding to get up and find a bathroom in the woods.  Before I started to move around, I heard some rustling that sounded pretty close to our campsite.  I figured it was an animal, but I kept still anyways.  That's when I definitely heard footsteps, the steady and solid footsteps of a human, coming closer and closer.  I was a little scared, but too tired to think of actually doing anything about anything.  The footsteps got closer to our campsite, until, what it seemed like to me, the person making these footsteps was a few feet away from our hammocks.  My thoughts turned to the man we saw on the road.  I grabbed my headlamp out of my hammock pocket and turned it on.  JW was hanging within an arms length of me, so I reached my arm out and gave his hammock a couple swats.  I also, said, "Will, wake up," in what was probably a whisper.  I then heard the footsteps walk away, in a steady rhythm, not hurriedly, just walk away.  I kept my headlamp on for a little while, and JW gave me a few incoherent, sleepy mumbles from the direction of his hammock.  I thought the person who belonged to the footsteps was gone, but after about 2 minutes, the footsteps came back!  Ahhhh! This time, the person didn't come as close to our campsite, but I definitely heard the steady, solid footsteps coming closer to our campsite, and then turning around and leaving again.  I kept my headlamp on for about the next 2 hours, but drifted off to sleep.  I didn't hear the footsteps anymore that night, but remember just how frightened I was at 3AM on that trail.  When I woke up the next morning, everything seemed a lot less scary, and JW didn't remember me trying to wake him up.  I also gave up on the theory that we had two watchdogs, as Molly and Tess slept soundly through the early morning footsteps.  I still don't know who that person was.  I like to think, now, that it was a night hiker, as we met a few die-hard hikers, who would actually enjoy hiking all night.  If this was the case, I obviously had nothing to worry about.  Whoever it was that night, JW and I never camped that close to a road again.

Late Night Knockers
The next story in my trilogy happened in Johnson City, TN.  JW and I were hiking near Johnson City, when I got pretty sick with the Hiker Virus.  Many other hikers were getting sick with this virus, which included lots of trips to the bathroom (for most people, it was coming out of both ends, sorry, gross I know).  I was up all night, digging holes in the woods, and I knew the next day that I just didn't have the energy to hike.  JW and I began to try to think of a solution.  We were so close to Johnson City and we had a great friend there, who we thought could help us out.  We hiked a mile that day, to the nearest dirt road crossing.  I was exhausted, and ready to curl up on a couch somewhere.  We got our phones out when we reached the dirt road, and JW's phone actually had service!  We were really excited and relieved.  JW called our friend, Lisa, who said that I could stay with her and she would pick me up in about an hour, in her VW bus.  (Perfect for a stinky hiker and two stinky dogs).  JW and I waited on the dirt road for about an hour, JW trying everything he could to make me more comfortable, when we saw some gravel flying off the tires of a VW.  Lisa pulled up with ginger ale, gatorade and treats for JW.  She is a mom, and the ultimate caretaker.  I got into the van, with Molly and Tess, and JW continued on (I would see him again in a couple days).  Lisa and I drove to Johnson City, got a great time to catch up and have some girl chit-chat, and spent the day together.  I was beginning to feel much better, so when Lisa made a delicious dinner, I took a small helping for my healing stomach.  We spent time out on her patio, with cold drinks, just talking and sharing fun times with her and her neighbors.  (Lisa lives in the tree street neighborhood of Johnson City; a historic, classy and close-knit community; and Lisa knows EVERYONE)!  When it was time to turn in for the night, Lisa covered her comfy couch with a sheet, and gave me a comfy pillow and blanket.  I was so glad to be sleeping in pure comfort, and drifted off to sleep easily.  I woke up, at about 2AM, when I again had the bathroom urge.  It was at this time that I noticed that all of her curtains in her living room were open.  I felt a little bit vulnerable, as I was laying on a couch, right next to a large living room window.  I began to think maybe I should close the curtains, but thought it would be fine; these were just my half-awake rambling thoughts.  I got up to use the bathroom, and checked to make sure the door was locked (not sure why).  It wasn't, so I flipped the lock and laid back down on the couch.  I pulled the covers over myself and tried to get cozy again.  As I closed my eyes, I heard the loudest, most aggressive, most intense, knock on the door.  Actually, it was more like a fist-bang, that went on for a good 10 seconds.  This was not a polite knock, or possibly a neighbor in trouble.  This was someone who wanted their knock to be loud, and someone who seemed angry/crazy.  I literally sprang up from the couch and RAN to Lisa's room in the back of the house.  Lisa was already out of bed.  "Honey, what WAS that," she asked nervously, with a hint of Tennessee twang.  I just said, literally shaking a little, "I don't know, but it didn't sound good."  We stood there contemplating what had just happened, in a half-sleep stupor, when we heard BANG! BANG! coming from, what seemed to me, was the top of the house.  Even though we both had no idea what the bangs were, I turned to Lisa and sputtered out, "I think you should call the police!"  Lisa called the police and they were there within minutes.  Lisa and I both ventured outside, feeling safe and secure with two strapping Tennessee policemen as our bodyguards.  We searched around the house, with the two police officers, in our pajamas, and were able to find nothing.  The police asked Lisa some questions and looked in her neighbor's yards to be sure no one was hiding out.  The aggressive knocker had definitely travelled on foot.  As the police officers were shining their flashlights around the house, they happened upon two egg yolks, dripping down the front of Lisa's aluminum awning.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  Lisa had gotten her house egged.  Strange for a middle-aged woman, I thought, but at least now we knew it was just some young punks, not any crazy thieves or prowlers lurking around the tree streets.  Lisa thanked the officers and sent them on their way.  We went back inside, and I shared Lisa's bed that night!  Haha, I had been spooked enough to curl up beside her and we both had a somewhat restless sleep that night.  When morning came, Lisa was talking to her neighbors about what had happened.  They all joked that I probably wanted to get back on the trail rather than be in Johnson City.  Lisa then developed a theory as to what she thought the egg-ers motives were.  Lisa is a very active member of her neighborhood, and a very strong and outspoken woman.  In a recent neighborhood meeting, the topic being discussed was the fraternity, of nearby college ETSU, that was located in the historic tree streets neighborhood.  This fraternity had gotten a bad reputation in the community, basically because they were doing fraternity-type things, and this was a family neighborhood.  The residents of the tree streets take pride in their neighborhood, their yards, their community, and the safety of the tree streets.  Lisa was very vocal, during this anti-fraternity meeting, that she believed that the frat should move out of the tree streets.  She was not shy about stating the lewd behavior she had witnessed from this group of people, and felt it had no business in the neighborhood.  After the meeting, she didn't realize that members of this fraternity may pull some pranks on her, just to peeve her.  Lisa thought the egg-ers were some young frat boys, just being punks.  It was funny to laugh about this with Lisa and her neighbors the next day, it definitely seemed a lot scarier the night before, when all I knew was there was someone seemingly trying to break the door down.  I'm glad that Lisa and I could laugh about it together, and now it is just material for a good story. 

The Storm of Terror
The final chapter in my trilogy happened when JW, Golden (our trail friend) and I were aquablazing.  We had all been paddling down the Shenandoah River, which ran parallel to the AT, in one canoe, for about 4 days, when my next scary story begins.  The day, this day, had been a long one.  We were in Virginia, close to West Virginia.  It was HOT, and I mean HOT.  This day it was about 105 degrees, as a high temperature, which meant that most of the day, it was around 95 to 100 degrees.  The sun was out, the clouds were not.  We were in the middle of the Shenandoah River, which was a wide, shallow river.  We had to stay in the middle of the river, or our canoe would drag against the rocks on the bottom.  The bad thing about the middle of the river was that there was no shade from the riverbank trees, just hot sun.  All we could do was keep on paddling and apply sunscreen as much as possible.  We hadn't taken many breaks this particular day, so we were all wiped out from paddling and the hot weather, when we began to look for a place to stop for the night.  The past few nights, we had found some really good campsites, right on the edge of the river, usually with fire rings already made for us, a flat spot for Golden's tent, and at least three trees to hang mine and JW's hammocks.  So we paddled and paddled, and looked on the riverbank, hopefully, trying to scout out a spot that we could pull over and set up camp.  We looked and looked.  The sun began to get orangey-red, as it hung lower in the sky.  We kept on looking.  Nothing. There were a lot of private residences on the riverbank, but nowhere for us aquablazers to park a canoe.  Finally, Golden spotted a place that looked uninhabited, on the left bank of the Shenandoah.  We paddled quickly over to it, as we knew we were about to lose all daylight.  JW and Golden climbed up the steep hill, blazed a trail through some 6-foot-tall weeds, and were delighted to see a hayfield, complete with enormous circular hay bales, on the other side of these weeds.  Golden had found a flat spot for her tent.  Now were there any trees for JW and I?  Directly past this hayfield, there was a wooded area.  JW and I had found a spot for our hammocks.  We parked the canoe on the side of the riverbank, and tied it up to a tree.  We carried all of our belongings out of the canoe, up the hill, through the weeds, and into the hayfield (over the river and through the woods, haha).  Golden set up her tent quickly, and JW and I made our way into the woods.  We all noticed that there was some menacing-looking clouds to the west of us.  We shrugged it off, as there was no rain in the forecast.  JW and I surveyed the woods, and we didn't like the looks of them.  The forest plants were up to our waist, and we would be sleeping with these plants under us; the perfect home for ticks.  As we were in the woods deciding, I picked two ticks off of JW's shirt.  We decided that being covered in ticks wasn't worth the comfort of sleeping in our hammocks.  We opted to set up one of our tarps in the hayfield, and sleep, wrapped in our bugnets, literally on the ground, next to a hay bale (one end of our tarp was fastened to the top of one of these enormous hay bales, while the other end was staked into the ground).  As we were setting up our tarp, the wind really started to pick up.  The dark clouds that seemed far away were getting closer, and the air smelled like rain.  Golden, who had already finished setting up her tent, had almost finished making dinner for all of us.  We all agreed that it seemed like it was about to storm, pretty badly.  I whipped out my iphone, which almost never had service on the trail.  To my delight, I pulled up weather.com, successfully.  As I pulled this up, the wind began to pick up considerably.  It began to sprinkle.  JW and I put our packs underneath our makeshift tent, and hoped everything wouldn't get too wet.  The rain picked up a bit, and Golden told us to come into her tent, as it was big enough to hold all of us, even though it was a one-person tent.  Golden, JW, Tess (the very large Alaskan malamute, who is afraid of thunder) and I all hurriedly squeezed into Golden's tent, as Golden served us some excellent beans and rice for dinner.  As we were eating, weather.com finally loaded on my iphone.  I punched in our location, and to our shock and surprise, we were sitting right in the middle of what was going to be a major thunderstorm, with the possibility of a tornado.  We tried to eat our dinner, but I know I finished about half of mine.  As we began to eat, the wind went from mild gusts to frightening howls.  The rain picked up, too, and began to pound on the little tent we had taken shelter in.  The lightning crashed and thunder banged.  We continued to look at the only connection we had with the outside world, the storm radar images on my iphone.  We followed the path of the storm, and were pretty scared to see that what we were now experiencing was just the beginning, we were located perfectly for the storm to hit us hard.  We really had no choice but to sit tight in the tent.  I began to think of the houses that were on the river, fairly near to where we were.  Although I knew someone would probably take us in, it was too late, the storm was howling outside, and there was no way any of us were leaving the shelter of that tent.  All of us were trying to feign confidence, and had to make the best out of the situation that we were currently in.  Golden got out some of her delicious dark chocolate, and we did a little stress-eating.  It seemed to lighten the mood, somewhat.  I continued to try to load the weather radar, to see when this storm would finally pass.  The wind continued to pick up, and we heard many trees snap in the woods that were right next to us.  We decided that if we heard the sound of a tree falling nearby, we would try to get out of the tent ASAP, as this could be a quite dangerous situation.  The wind picked up to the point that we were all holding onto Golden's tent.  The wind was trying to pick up the sides of it, and was definitely trying to blow the rainfly off of the top of it.  We grabbed the tent on all sides and didn't let go.  The wind pulled and pulled it, we pulled and pulled it back to the ground.  The rain pounded that little tent, but we had to wait the storm out.  Then, as quickly as the storm blew in, it blew out.  It continued to rain (with lightning and thunder) for about an hour after this, and all 4 of us (Tess included) breathed a sigh of relief.  The rain eventually stopped, at about 1AM, and Will and I moved from Golden's one-person tent, to our makeshift campsite, to sleep on the wet grass.  We were so exhausted from the heat of the day, paddling, and the tension of the intense thunderstorm, we both fell asleep quickly.  We all woke the next morning, and packed up quickly.  We made our way down to the river and were delighted to see that our canoe was fine, and still tied to the tree.  That morning, we saw just how much damage the storm had done to everyone around us.  Many trees were blown down, broken or uprooted.  Some of them were just laying in the river, but many had crushed people's homes and were scattered among well-manicured lawns.  I think we had been kept safe by the fact that we had found a hayfield to camp in, as the biggest hazard of this storm was the wind.  If we had been camping in a forest, like we usually did, it would have been a much more dangerous situation.  We all felt very thankful to have made it through a storm like that, and now, it's just a really good story.

Here's a story of what the storm did that night to residents in D.C. and the surrounding areas:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/derecho-behind-washington-dcs-destructive-thunderstorm-outbreak-june-29-2012/2012/06/30/gJQA22O7DW_blog.html

At the bottom of this page, you can enjoy a post-storm video I took, with my trusty iphone!

Hope you all liked my scary trail stories!  I hope you were all entertained, as I had a lot of fun writing them.  I'm glad that all of these experiences made for good stories, and I can now laugh about them (for the most part).  Look for my next post soon!

I promised another post in the near future, so here it is!  I write this post not from a trail town's internet cafe, but from the guest room of my parent's house in West Allis, WI.  Alas, my journey on the Appalachian Trail has ended for this summer.   Those of you who have been keeping up with John Wayne's blog know that for the past few weeks we have been tossing around the idea of my time on the trail coming to an end.  We bit the bullet sometime around the end of June, and began making plans for me to leave the trail in Harper's Ferry, WV (the trail halfway point).  It was a difficult decision for both of us; we knew if I left that would mean that JW would finish the last half of the trail without me, and I would spend the rest of the summer in Wisconsin, without JW.  Basically, the JW/2-Step trail team would be giving our support to each other not during the miles, but across the miles.  We made the decision for JW to finish the trail alone, so here I am in Wisconsin, with Molly and Tess, already reminiscing about the experiences I had on the trail!

I had an unforgettable time on the trail; sometimes unforgettably enjoyable and peaceful, and sometimes unforgettably painful and difficult.  I am so glad for the experiences and memories I have to take with me!  The new and exciting experiences JW and I were able to share on the AT were amazing (and I know this is just the beginning...as Will has already expressed to me his dreams of hiking many more long trails).  So here are the reasons I (with the help of JW) made the decision for my time on the AT to be done for this summer...

-Not enough time
We knew when we began the trail that we had until the first week of September to finish.  The pace we set together was anywhere between 18-24 miles a day, with about one day off a week.  As the summer went on, we found that the ideal pace we wanted to set didn't always happen.  Sometimes it was injuries (human and animal) that slowed us down, or the weather, or just pure exhaustion when we finally hit a trail town, forcing us to take more than one day off in a week. As we were nearing the halfway point, JW began calculating the miles we would need to complete everyday, to ensure we could be done by the first week in September.  JW calculated that we would need to complete about 22 miles per day, to be done on time for him to return to school in the fall.  JW loves to do big mile days; his longest day was 37 miles, this is how he likes to hike.  He also likes to push himself to see how fast he can go during the day.  I have seen very athletic hikers leave a couple hours before him, do the same distance as him, and JW would come cruising down a hill to the end of the hike, hours before anyone who left after he did; most of the time, he would run down the trail on the downhill sections.  My hiking style is quite different. I do enjoy the challenge and satisfaction that comes from passing people and putting in big mile days; but I also enjoy taking breaks.  I could do a series of 20-mile days, but then I felt that I needed a couple lower mile days to recover a bit.  I could go for over 20 miles, but I would complete these miles at a steady pace of 2 miles an hour.  JW and I realized that our hiking style, for long-distance hikes, was pretty different in this way.  So when JW calculated the amount of daily miles we would have to put in for the rest of the summer, it didn't sound too appealing to me. 

-Molly & Tess
Towards the middle of June, Molly began to limp pretty badly.  We weren't sure what was wrong with her, but she seemed to enjoy the days spent in a hotel's AC much more than hiking days.  She was having a noticeably hard time on the trail.  We ended up making arrangements for her to stay with JW's parents in Washington, DC for a while.  She was glad to be off of the trail, but she was in a very new environment without Tess, or JW or me.  We began thinking of what we could do with her.  At the same time we were considering what to do with Molly, the heat wave rolled through Virginia.  JW and I were hiking with Tess, an Alaskan malamute who was not made for 90 degree heat, with 70 percent humidity.  We found ourselves taking a lot of water breaks for Tess, who seemed to be more and more tired as we would leave the AC in a hotel and begin hiking again.  We knew that the summer was just going to get hotter into July and August, and began considering other options for her.  We just weren't sure of anyone who would want to take both dogs, and we weren't sure we would want to have them adjust to another new situation, especially without us around.  I began to think this would be another reason to get off of the trail.

-The dream of the AT
The AT is something that JW has wanted to complete for many years; it has been a dream of his.  While I was on the trail, JW was always very concerned with my comfort, my enjoyment, my physical well-being...basically, he wanted to take care of me and make sure I was having a good time on the trail.  I appreciated this immensely (and JW's selflessness is one of many great qualities), but I also wanted to make sure that he was living the dream that he had imagined.  I wanted him to be free to go as fast as HE wanted, stop when HE wanted, be able to spend time at camp at night like HE liked to do (when we would complete long miles, we would usually get into camp late; but hiking alone, he could speed through and get to camp earlier).  Although I loved the fact that he was so concerned with my time on the AT, I also wanted to give him his own experience.  Hiking the AT has never been my lifelong dream, but it has been his.  I was and am still excited about the experience I had, but long-distance trails excite JW in an unexplainable way.  I figured that it was an unforgettable time that we shared on the first half of the trail, and he could experience the second half completely on his own terms.  I know that his experience will be so amazing, and no doubt very different from hiking with an entourage.

So these are my biggest reasons for deciding to go halfway on the AT.  I completed 1014 miles, and am very proud to admit that!  JW is already making plans for us to finish the AT together in sections, so I can one day boast of completing the entire trail.  Of course there are many other bonuses of being back in civilization; everyday showers, cooking in a kitchen, AC and once again having feet that are clean and blister-free.

Even though my time on the AT is done for this summer, I still plan on being JW's support team, from a distance.  If you have anything that you want to pass on to him or put in a package to him, but don't want to try to pin down his current trail town, feel free to contact me, as I will be much more accessible.  You can contact me at [email protected].  

Now that my time on the trail is done, I will use this website to go back to revisit some of the most memorable times on the trail.  I plan to update this page at least once a week to tell the stories of the fun (and not so fun) times that I experienced on the trail.  Look for my next post shortly!

So I know you all have been anxiously awaiting my next post. I figured taking a two month hiatus was a great way to keep all of my readers on the edge of their seats, just waiting for another update. Turns out, it is actually the last thing on my list during a town stop, to update a blog. Usually, when entering a town, you have about a half day to get everything done (unless you take a zero day, which you try to do as little as possible). You take that half day, and attempt to run all of your errands in town, knowing that you won't be in town for at least a few days after this day.
First, you scout out a motel to drop your pack off at. Not always so easy when you have two dirty furry creatures next to you. But, it eventually happens, and you drop your packs in the room. Check. Next, you shower. Now in a normal non-trail life this would be a simple task, but a shower becomes more involved when you haven't done it in a week. You are scrubbing off all of the dirt and grime from an entire week, a week that involves a lot of sweat and accumulated grime from climbing mountains and living outdoors. You eventually get it done. Check. Then....you head to the laundromat and wash those horrible smelly clothes that have been sweat in for about a week. Check. Next, you re-supply for the next few days ahead, basically grocery shopping for the lightest & most nutritional (in that order) food you can find. Check. Next, you usually have to head to an outdoors store to see if you can get some fuel for a camp stove. Most outdoor stores sell it by the ounce. If you can find a store, usually you can find fuel. Check. Sometime during all this, your body will tell you it's time to eat some real food. You scout out the nearby restaurants and eat as much as possible, for as cheap as possible. Check. During all of this, you are looking around for libraries/Internet cafes/a computer to use of any kind, for all of your real-world business. Usually you can find a computer, and usually it comes with a time limit or cost, but a computer nonetheless. You get all of your computer business done. Check. After all of this is done, you sometimes have a little time to do what you have been wanting to do after hiking 100-150 miles in the past week - lay down and relax. This is usually how town days go...just to give you all a little glimpse. Sometimes updating a blog is the last item on your list, but it's made the cut this week. Look for another post in the very near future.

The truck's tires crunched the two inches of fresh snow, as Will and I rambled down the street to the Mammoth Lakes Post Office.  We had just spent the past week ordering gear, clothes and dog supplies for our hike on the AT; now it was time to see if any of our goods had arrived.  We jumped out of the car, as the snow fell steadily around us, and hurried into the post office. Will turned the key on our tiny post office box, to reveal four yellow cards...the indication that we had four packages of gear waiting for us behind the counter of the post office.  Since the post office had already closed that day, it was my job to pick up these four packages the next morning, on my way to work.  (Will works at June Mountain, which is about thirty minutes from Mammoth, and wouldn't be around when the post office opened or closed). 

I woke up bright and early the next morning and headed to the post office, just down the road from my house.  I parked the truck and pushed the post office door open to reveal...no line!  This is a rarity at the Mammoth post office, as the entire town uses this one facility to receive their mail.  I hurried up to the counter, and revealed my four yellow cards to the man behind the counter.  He looked at me for a second in disbelief and then reluctantly extended his hand to take my cards.  He stumbled into the back of the post office and came back to the desk fumbling with four large packages.  He gave an annoyed sigh, and looked up at me, as he was scanning in my packages.

"Just remember," he said, with noted frustration, "the internet is the devil.  You really should try to limit your online shopping." 

Now it was my turn for disbelief.  Had I really just been scolded by this guy for making him work?

I sputtered out a response.  "Oh, because then you have to work harder?" 

My retort was overshadowed by the response of a man behind me.  "Oh, come on man, you know, its job security.  We order packages, you have a job." 

The employee snapped back, "Really, we aren't that worried about job security here.  I will have a job whether or not you order this many packages."

Although I had a million snappy comments going through my mind, I said a quiet "thank you" and walked away from the counter.  I then realized that I had not checked my PO Box that day, and walked around the corner to see if I had any more mail.  I opened my box to reveal another yellow card.  I was quite satisfied as I made my way back up to the counter; knowing even if this employee didn't want to help me, he still had to.  As I approached the counter, I extended my hand to give the employee my card.  He shot me a look of anger and craziness, and I felt I was about to witness the reality of the phrase, "going postal." 

"Oh, it's you again," he said in a sarcastically sweet voice, "with another package!"

I just smiled, as he hobbled back to retrieve my package.  He came back with a small package and, as he was scanning it in, I took the opportunity to explain myself.

"I am hiking the Appalachian Trail in a couple weeks, so I had to order most of my gear online. "  I said.

"Wow, that is great.  Where are you starting the trail?" he asked with sweet sarcasm and feigned interest.  Apparently, I had wrecked this guy's day with all of my yellow cards, and he wasn't ready to forgive me.

We talked for about a minute, and I explained to him that Will and I were hiking the AT together, we would be starting in Georgia and hiking up to Maine.

"And how long does a hike like that take you?" he asked.

"Well, it will take about four-and-a-half months," I answered.

He snickered a little, out of, what seemed to me, disbelief and annoyance - I was hiking, while he was stuck behind the post office counter. 

"And how does a person like you take four-and-a-half months out of their life to do something like this?"  He was not hiding his annoyance now.

I suddenly had a million things going through my mind.  How will I be able to take four months out of my life to do something like this?  The answer was too complex to sum up in a couple sentences.  As I watched the post office line grow quickly behind me, I decided it wasn't time to explain all that had gone into this hike, to a man who most likely wouldn't be satisfied with any response.

"Luck," I replied, "I am just a lucky girl."  At that, I smiled and waved, and walked out the front door of the post office.  As I walked away, I heard the employee say to the next customer in line, "Yea I would like to quit my job and do that too...but...grumble grumble....moan moan..."  I resisted the urge to turn around and fully tell this guy off. 

As I was driving home, I really began to think about everything that had gone into planning and executing a hike like this.  The planning actually started over a year ago, and the process that has taken Will and I up to just a week left before we embark on the trail, goes a little something like this...

February 2011 -

Will and I are living in Johnson City, Tennessee, as Will is attending school at ETSU, a university with a stellar media arts program, specializing in Computer Animation, the program Will was enrolled in.  We had just moved to Johnson City a couple weeks earlier, and Will attends school, while I am job-hunting.  As we are living off of savings at this point, we are constantly on the lookout for fun and cheap things to do.  One day, we venture out to a local state park and spent the day hiking around the forests of East Tennessee.  We soon realize there are some awesome hikes in the area.  We find that there is a beautiful hike, very close to Johnson City, in nearby Hampton, TN.  We look up directions to get to the trailhead and venture out, one day in February. 

March 2011 -

Will is still attending school, I am still job-hunting.  We have started to realize that everything in East Tennessee is different from where we just spent the past five years in California.  The people are very Southern (the polar-opposite of Californians), the economy is incredibly slow, the job market is non-existent and Johnson City is the opposite of the resort town of Mammoth Lakes...it is full of strip malls, traffic and litter.  We find ourselves homesick for Mammoth.  Our retreat from the confines of the city, is to hike on the trails we find in Hampton, TN, Erwin, TN, Hot Springs, NC, and a few we find in Johnson City, TN.  We are pleasantly surprised when the temperatures in Tennessee get up near the seventies in March!  It is hard to believe that the first day of spring actually feels like spring.  After growing up in Wisconsin, and spending five years in the mountains, the first day of spring just meant that you still had about two months of winter left.  Will and I find ourselves hiking everyday.  He would finish his school day, I would wrap up my job hunt, and we would venture off on a trail.  It's amazing how much of a retreat it is to explore these trails.  We venture off just minutes from the city, but feel like we are hundreds of miles away from the gritty towns that we had driven through to get to the trailhead.  We start to realize that our favorite trails are on the Appalachian Trail.  All of these hikes we take on the Appalachian Trail gets Will thinking...

April 2011 -

We are taking hikes everyday...and our weekend hikes are getting longer and longer.  We are exploring more sections of the AT that are close enough to keep gas cheap enough.  I have talked to some local farmers, to see about working on their farm (my dream)...many farmers are happy to have me work on their farm, without compensating me in anything besides free vegetables.  I contact a local preschool, and am hired as their four-year-old teacher.  My job hunt is over, and now I am working everyday, as Will is attending school.  We are still homesick for California, but find solace in the beauty we encounter on our AT hikes.  One day, during a hike, Will expresses to me his lifelong dream of hiking the entirety of the Appalachian Trail.  He explains to me that when he was young, his parents "made him" take long (and beautiful) hikes with them.  He said that at the time, it annoyed him, but really gave him an appreciation for the outdoors and for hiking.  He went on to explain that he would spend his summers at his family's cabin, on the border of the Smoky Mountain National Park, looking at the view of the mountains from the cabin's front porch.  He said that the mountains you can see from his cabin are the mountains that the Appalachian Trail goes through.  Will told me that he always knew he would thru-hike the AT, he just wasn't sure when.  He grew up thinking that one day, he would hike this long trail that he had been gazing at every summer from his big Southern porch.  He told me he really wanted to hike it.  My simple answer to that was, "Let's do it." 

May 2011 -

I am working, and Will is finishing up his semester at ETSU.  We are trying to hike everyday, Will is ready...but my energy is lacking after spending the day with twelve four-year-olds.  We are taking long hikes on the AT every weekend, we can explore, breathe the fresh mountain air, exercise the dogs; and do all this for just the price of gas to drive to the trailhead.  We have talked about hiking the AT, and have discussed it in greater detail; we have decided that we will hike it in the summer of 2012.  We aren't really sure what this will look like, but this is our rough plan.  As our plans become firmer, Will begins to research other people's experiences and advice about their thru-hike of the AT.  He begins to research gear.  On a bike ride with Molly and Tess, Will stops at a neighbor's house, who is an avid hammock camper.  Will and the neighbor (John) talk for hours about hammock camping, lightweight camping, gear, and the Appalachian Trail.  Will starts researching lightweight camping with unparalleled fervor.  After my work days, my time spent with Will consists of him showing me countless YouTube videos about camping gear, discussing trail blogs, looking at gear reviews online...basically I watch Will become completely obsessed with hiking the Appalachian Trail, the kind of obsession that happens when someone is delving full-on into their passion, and working to accomplish a dream they have had since they were a young boy, spending their summers in Cosby, Tennessee.

June 2011-

Will has finished his semester at ETSU, and is now the job-hunter.  I am working everyday, learning everyday about the vast difference in culture between children and families in East Tennessee, as opposed to the families in California that I grew to love and had become so accustomed to.  I am also shocked at how little Early Education is valued in Johnson City...I am discouraged from writing a curriculum at my job or talking about children's progress with their parents.  I am, however, encouraged to make sure the children in my preschool class are quietly watching movies when their parents pick them up.  The differences in attitude and culture are quite shocking to me, and I wonder how long I can last in a work environment and a culture like the one I have found in Johnson City, TN.  Will echoes my sentiments.  Will has also begun to look at classes for the next semester at ETSU.  In addition to this, he has begun to do some research on the careers that someone with a degree in Computer Animation can possess.  He finds that, in most cases, individuals with this type of degree can find a job in Digital Media in some capacity...but it really wasn't his dream to just work in Digital Media.  He wants to make animations, use his creativity to make money.  To obtain this type of career, it is essential to not only have loads of talent, but also to work in New York City or Los Angeles, the two US hubs of the motion-picture world.  Will's apathy towards his current degree grows, as his intense interest in the Appalachian Trail grows.  Will continues to be a man obsessed, and begins writing down the best gear to use on the trail, in his new AT notebook, designated for all things trail-related.  I continue to listen to countless hours of Will's pure passion and excitement.  He has now begun to make a highly detailed spreadsheet, listing all the gear we will take on our trip (still a year away) and begin to wonder if he is pursuing his passion in the degree he has chosen.  While I begin to have these thoughts, Will begins to silently doubt his choice to study Computer Animation.  One night, as we discuss the trail and gear, we enter into a deep conversation.  It was the type of conversation that felt as though all that was said, needed to be said...it seems fateful.  Will goes on and on about the trail and gear...and I just blurt out, "I don't think you should be studying Computer Animation."  Will confesses that he is doubting this choice as well, and we go on to discuss the love he has for the outdoors.  I tell him that what he was now experiencing, planning the trail, was what I think happens when you are fully immersed in something you have tremendous passion for.  He admits that he thinks I am right, and had been thinking this as well.  We discuss that a career, the way he wanted it to be, in Computer Animation, would be a long road...and it would involve a lot of time spent in an office, behind a computer, most likely moving to a big city and working his way up the animator's ladder.  I just didn't see the passion for this venture, as I saw the passion Will had for being outdoors.  We both leave the conversation that night with heads reeling, wondering exactly what could be up the road for us.

July 2011 -

After our conversation, life goes on.  Will begins searching for Outdoor Education programs, and is happy to find one at ETSU, the school he is attending.  I continue to work, Will continues to job hunt, with very bleak results.  We continue with our hikes every weekend, and try to hike every evening as well, as the summer days are very long.  Some weekends, however, we can’t hike, as the Southern heat and humidity are oppressive.  During this time, we meet several people hiking the AT, and are able to talk with them about their experience.  The biggest piece of advice from the hikers we meet is, "If it's your dream, just do it" and "make sure you have a lightweight pack."   We heed the advice we receive and continue to go forward with our plan of a thru-hike in 2012.  Will looks into ETSU's Outdoor Education program, and makes several phone calls to the school, with many inquiries.  His calls are never returned by any school representative.  Will and I also discuss moving closer to my family in Wisconsin, as was our eventual plan.  It’s during this time that I remember a school I had heard of with a stellar Outdoor Education program.  I search for Northland College, and begin looking at their website.  I share my findings with Will.  I remember him looking at the class list..."They have a winter camping class, kayaking class...a dogsled class??"  Will can’t believe that such a school exists.  He begins to search the website with greater fervor, and growing excitement.  It is apparent, upon research of this school, that Will has to contact them.  He calls the school and is immediately sent loads of information, as well as appointed a school representative, who would be taking care of any questions Will has.  Will is given this admissions counselor's direct office line.  He goes on to discover that this is a small, liberal-arts college, specializing in Environmental and Outdoor Education.  It is exactly where he wants to be.  The admissions counselor explains to Will, that the school has no deadline for accepting applications, but accepts them year-round.  He tells Will that he can begin in September 2011, if everything goes okay with his application.  Will fills the application out, and is contacted by the school in two weeks.  They tell him that not only is he accepted, but his grades were so good that he will qualify for a large academic scholarship.  We begin making plans to head to Ashland, Wisconsin.

Early August 2011 -

We begin to tie-up loose ends in Johnson City.  I put in my two weeks notice at the preschool; we begin saying good-bye to friends and have reservations to rent a U-Haul.  We are prepared to make the move to Ashland, so Will can begin school in September.  The one missing piece is finding jobs for both of us.  I begin to look at jobs in Ashland, Bayfield and Washburn.  I am delighted to find many organic fruit and vegetable farms in the area, and find that one farm still needs help for the remainder of their season.  I contact Highland Valley Farm, and Will and I are both hired to pick and package blueberries.  (To anyone besides me, this may sound like a strange job to take...but having a farm is my dream, so I was beyond thrilled when the farm told us we could begin the day we got to Wisconsin).  We make the trip to Wisconsin on August 9th.  I am excited to see my family, who I have not seen since Christmas, and we spend a couple days catching up with family and friends in the Milwaukee area.  After a couple days, we make the drive to Northern Wisconsin.  I recognize the sky-high pine trees, lining the road, and am reminded of family vacations my family took "Up-North" when I was younger.  As we are driving on highway 2 en route to Ashland, the gravity of what we have just done hits Will and I at exactly the same time.  "Did I just apply to a school, get accepted, arrange everything and move a few states away in the matter of a month?"  Will asks, looking for reassurance.  "I was just thinking the same thing," I echo in response.  We had gotten so caught up in the momentum of our plan that this seemed like the first time we actually had time to consider what we had just done.  Had we done this all too hastily?  I then remember the simple and logical sentiments of a friend, when we explained our plan to her, who told us, "If it's right, and it's time, you don't have to wait a year to do it."  Will and I both know that this was the right choice.  We decided that even though our bodies are in Ashland, it might take our minds a few days to catch up with the plan we had just executed. 

Mid-August 2011 -

We have begun working at Highland Valley, and Will thinks it's okay, but I am floored.  I am so excited to be on a farm, it is so beautiful, and it is amazing to talk to other employees of the farm, many of who are equally as passionate about agriculture.  We work during the day, under beautiful blue skies, and take walks on the shores of nearby Lake Superior in the evenings.  We have once again found the beauty we were missing from leaving Mammoth Lakes.  Northern Wisconsin reminds us in many ways of Mammoth...a small town, beautiful, temperate summertime weather (no comment on the winters here), and a local population that is young and fun. 

September 2011 -

Will begins school at Northland College, where he immediately meets like-minded students, and loves being surrounded by those equally passionate for the outdoors.  He also gets a job at the Northland College Outpost, an outdoors rental shop where he can spend hours ogling and caring for outdoors gear, a growing interest of his.  I continue work at Highland Valley, and am excited to bring home my free 10 pounds of blueberries.  I learn from a co-worker, that a nearby apple orchard needs help with their fall harvest.  I contact the orchard, and begin working at the Bayfield Apple Company.  I, once again, am beyond excited to work on a farm.  We try to find some hikes in the area, and are directed to a hike in a forest, directly next to Lake Superior.  The hike is beautiful, and so different than any hike in California or Tennessee.  Will continues researching gear for the AT, and continues to update the gear spreadsheet.  We are saving any bit of money either of us can, to put into our AT fund.

October 2011 -

I continue to work at the Bayfield Apple Company; Will continues to attend classes at Northland College.  We are both enjoying ourselves...getting experience and education to make our individual dreams a reality.  We have been knowing for awhile that Will is going to have to take a leave of absence from school for Spring 2012 semester (as we plan to hike the trail, beginning in April) or somehow work the trail into an independent study, and receive school credit for it.  His semester ends in December 2011, my job at the Apple Company ends in late-November 2011, so we know that we both need to find jobs for January through April 2012.  Our minds turn back to Mammoth...January to April is basically the ski season in California.  We both contact our old bosses, who are happy to give us our jobs back for the 2012 ski season. 

November 2011 -

I continue to pick apples, pack them, and help to make apple cider.  I couldn't be happier.  Will continues to work hard at Northland College, where he is pulling a 4.0 GPA.  He begins to discuss plans of an independent study with his academic counselor and some of his professors.  He writes an independent study proposal, and his professors approve his proposal.  Will can now receive school credit to hike the AT.  He couldn't be happier.  And since he is technically enrolled in school, he will not lose his stellar scholarship, and can continue at Northland College in September 2012, with a full credit load.  We take a trip down to Tennessee for Thanksgiving, and stay at Will's family cabin in Cosby, TN.  We are encouraged by Will's family, who are just as excited about our AT trip as we are.  We continue to pinch any pennies we can to go towards our AT fund.

December 2011 -

Will is winding down his semester, and my job at the apple company has just finished.  I spend my time making goodies out of all of my free blueberries, and taking long walks with the dogs.  Will informs me of a holiday art fair at Northland College.  I then begin making plans to sell my handmade candles and lip balm in the art fair (another one of my dreams).  I pour candles for two weeks straight and Will and I set a table up at the holiday art fair.  I begin talking to local artists, and see how they make a living off of their creativity.  I am as equally excited to sell my handmade products as I am working on the farm.  We sell almost every candle and lip balm.  We both have such a good time at the art fair, and are so excited that everything sells, that we get a bottle of champagne to celebrate.  All the rest of our earnings go into our AT fund.  We spend the holidays with our families, in Milwaukee, WI and Washington, D.C.  We enjoy the holidays, and make a road trip out to Mammoth Lakes on December 26th.  We both begin working in Mammoth on December 29th, knowing we only have a few short months to make all the money we need for the summer and for our gear.

January 2012 -

Will is working at June Mountain, supervising Lift Operations.  I am working at a new Mammoth Mountain childcare facility in the village.  We are both working as much as we can, as often as we can, and volunteering for any overtime.  We are catching up with friends, but turn down many invitations to go out to restaurants or bars, instead inviting friends over for a home-cooked meal.  We are trying to save money for the AT, any way we can.  Will creates a website for our preparation and journey on the trail.

February 2012 -

Working, both of us.  Saving, both of us.  I begin to aggressively research foods and read a couple backpacking books, relating to health on the trail.  I research good hygiene practices, and the best vitamins and supplements to take on the trail.  I look into the health of dogs on the trail, and decide to invest in some pet supplements, to make Molly and Tess' time on the trail as enjoyable as it can be.  I begin to write a detailed budget for the trail, and am walking the dogs two miles a day.  (Will is working 40 hours a week, at a physical job, so this is his physical preparation for the trail).  Will and I both begin to take vitamins and supplements, in preparation of the physical toll that hiking the AT will take on our bodies.

March 2012 -

We both continue to work and save.  We are happy to get our tax returns back...and happy that our savings for the trail is finally becoming substantial.  We order all of our gear, based off of the research we have both been doing for the past year.  We make our travel plans, and make a plan on where to store the truck for the duration of the trail.  We establish emergency contacts, in case of any issues with the dogs.  We begin to prepare to leave Mammoth and begin the trail.

April 2012 -

Work and save...until April 15th.  We have packed our bags and made our preparations.  We are ready to get going on the trail.

So you can see, we have planned, prepared, saved and worked.  It has been amazing that Will's passion for planning the thru-hike of the AT has actually directed him in a path.  He has used this passion for the outdoors as fuel for his career, which is so exciting.  The journey we have had in the past year has brought me closer to many of my passions as well, and for this I am beyond excited and grateful.

There is, however, another side to this equation.  All of this planning and preparation has not been entirely in my control.  I have not accomplished this alone, and Will has not accomplished this alone.  And for that, I have to admit that I am an extremely blessed person.  I am blessed because I have the physical health and presence of mind to try to accomplish a feat such as this.  I am blessed because, even though my family may not understand my desire to walk 2200 miles, they full-heartedly support me.  I am blessed because Will has an equally supportive family, who has welcomed me and is amazingly excited for Will and I to embark on this journey.  I am blessed because I have been able to make money in the pristine Sierra Nevada Mountains, working with friends.  I am blessed because I have so many loved ones who are reading this right now, interested in what I am doing.  I am blessed to be able to embark on this journey with someone who has found his passion in the outdoors, and shares that infectious passion with me.  My only response to this type of blessing is pure thankfulness. 

So, as you can see, my response to the disgruntled postal employee was severely incorrect.  This hike of the AT has nothing to do with luck, but is rather the combination of hard work, careful planning, preparation and blessings for all of those things out of my control...that is how this four-and-a-half month hike of the Appalachian Trail will be possible.