Friday, January 20, 2012

Getting ready to hike the Appalachian Trail 2012

This is Friday 1/20/2012

Last year I hike all of Georgia then cam e home it  took e several weeks since I kept getting off and coming back on. This year I will start at Springer Mountain and hike all the way to the end in Katahdin 2,175 miles. I am thinking 6 months on the trail. You ask Why? Not sure how to answer that. I guess I will find out somewhere on the trail.

The trail name "Sweetspot" was given to me last year by the first people I met. I carry a SPOT. Every night when I would set up my camp for the night I would hit the ok button and that would tell friends and family I was ok and they could look up on the map to see were I was. How far I had hiked that day. And being my name is Candy they deemed me "Sweetspot". Sometimes it takes some explaining but in the end everyone has a trail name. The ones that are given to them by other hikers are so special. One trail journal I was following was Tree Slayer. He said he got his name because he had fallen a couple of times and wiped out a tree each time. So hence the name "Tree Slayer" They all have some story how they got their name and all are very interesting.

This year 2012 the weather has been so strange no winter to speak of. it just makes me want to get out on the trail. I know I will be out there soon. Sign in at the Ranger station. And head north.

Some back ground on me . As I was growing up we moved lot. I was a Brownie, Bluebird, Girl Scout and a Camp Fire Girl. I can not recall ever camping anywhere not even in our back yards. So you ask why this adventure? That's why it's an adventure. I have car camped, not the same. It will be fun. Maybe. Last year there were parts I would of never made it up the mountain. But with the help of some other backpackers I had met. 3 from New York 1 from Gulfport we all made it. We helped each other and we remain friends to this day. i hope they will meet me somewhere on the trail and hike with me for awhile.

The earth is very strange. Have your feet grounded on the earth makes you look at life in a different light.


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