Tomorrow I begin my adventure of hiking the Appalachian Trail.  It seemed like this day would never come, but here it is.

What motivated me to do this?  First, it is just something I’ve always wanted to do.  Second, I have a great love for the outdoors.  And third, it is a chance to be just a little bit like Bilbo Baggins.

J. R. R. Tolkien fans might recognize the subtitle of this blog as coming from the novel The Hobbit.  In the book, Bilbo takes an unexpected journey during which he has many fantastic adventures, encountering elves, goblins, trolls, dragons, and the like.  Like Bilbo, I hope to have to have a successful journey from which I will return home safe, wiser and more confident.

My wife has given me the following sage advice: “Ask yourself in all situations – what would Nancy do?  Stay away from high ledges, swinging bridges, river crossings, cliffs, boulder climbing, caves where bears dwell, caves where bats dwell, caves that are dark, hornets’ nests, log bridges, getting off the beaten path, too much marijuana, too little protein and loose women.”  In other words, do NOT be like Bilbo Baggins.  In all seriousness, Nancy has been very supportive of my endeavor –  no small thing considering she will be without her yard man, laundry boy, dishwasher, and best friend for six months.

I will be a “NOBO”, hiking northbound, starting at Springer Mountain, GA and (with luck) finishing 2189 miles later at the top of Mount Katahdin in Maine.  The base weight of my pack will be about 18 pounds.  With five days of food plus water, I should max out at about 30 pounds.  Here is my gear list for anyone interested.  For more facts about the AT, check out these great cookies baked by my talented daughter Shelby.

I plan to post here about once per week.  Since I will have only my phone with which to type, you can expect more pictures and less words.  That is probably for the best, as I am a better photographer than a writer.