Preparations are well underway!

The spirit of giving during the Christmas season has proven very beneficial for my planned expedition.  Our families have been helpful in our acquisition of the necessary gear for the trip.  In the last few days, we've gotten our stove, cookset, water filter, and several pair of socks.

 I was planning on going by the closest REI store next week and choosing a backpack, but an email from REI this morning took me to their outlet website.  The first thing I searched for was the backpack I've had my eye on.  The only one they had was my size, my color.  It was fate.  It was also a hundred dollars less than the current model (I bought last year's).  So this beauty will be coming to live with me next week:

Except mine also has some nifty blue trim.  I'm super excited.  We still have several things to gather, but we're off to a pretty good start.  =)  My trail guide (David Miller's) was also delivered on Christmas Eve, so now I'm able to start determining exactly what section we'll be hiking this year.  =D

It's Official . . .

. . . at least in my mind.

Sometime last winter or spring, Barry started telling me about the Appalachian Trail.  It sounded interesting and seemed cool for some people, but at the time, I had no desire to acquaint myself further with the notion.  Fast forward to May, and my mom tells me we're going on vacation to Virginia.  To stay at a church camp.  To serve meals to hikers.  I was less than thrilled.

So we drive like 8 hours, across Tennessee, and make our way to the off-season Methodist church camp at the foot of mountain near Bland, Virginia.  Of course, any adventure can be a good adventure once you acclimate yourself to the idea.  On the way over, we took turns reading aloud AWOL on the Appalachian Trail.  We became more familiar with the trail and backpacking, and I grew more optimistic about our week.
As it turns out, it was a very eye-opening and fun experience.  We fed over 20 hikers on the first day, and several more on each following day.  They all looked dirty, tired, self-sufficient, and very hungry.  These people put the food away like you wouldn't believe.  By the time they reached us, most of them had hiked over 500 miles from Springer Mountain, GA.  I was hooked.

From that time, I started thinking of backpacking someday, no specific goals in mind for when or where.  But now I've decided that there's no time like the present.  I have no desire to thru-hike the AT, and no means to do so if I wanted, which means I'll be a section hiker.  Section hikers hike (ready for this?) a section at a time.  I still don't know specific locations or dates, but I plan to do my first section this coming summer, somewhere on the southern end of the AT.

I have started researching and acquiring the necessary gear, which is a challenge of its own.  Aside from a few loaned items, most will be purchased.  I've coerced myself a hiking partner, in the form of my boyfriend.  He's not as gung-ho about the prospect as I am, but he's going along willingly.

As we get gear and try it out, make decisions about time/place, and do some trial runs around home this spring, I'll try to share on here.

Stay tuned!