MY NEW JOB

My new Job, I have had the same job for over 45 years. This new Job is by far the most difficult thing I have ever done or attempted to do. I had to learn new things do lots of research  I was looking through one of my book cases and found a Appalachian Champion dated 2006 so I guess I have been preparing for this hike since then. 6 YEARS.
Yes, My new job is backpacking. Long distance backpacking. miles and miles. 6 months at a time. This is the way you must treat a long distance hike, You must get light with your gear but still safe. You must be aware of water were it is and isn't. Which is hard to do when the guide says water and  yuo get there and there isn't any. You always ask south bounders were the next water is. Usually in the spring there is plenty of water but if  a dry winter maybe not. You will learn. The wilderness is not forgiving.  Do not go out there and think you will have a leisurely walk in the woods. As many new Long Distance backpackers think they are going to go for a walk in the woods. Oh I cant wait, I retired ,I quit my job, I got a divorcee, I read this book on the Appalachian Trail, I went to the Smokies or the Whites when I was 7 and always wanted to hike the entire trail.

It wont be anything like that. You will be miserable, you will hurt, you will be hungry, you will be tried  you will be cold, you will be wet. All you stuff will be wet. all your food and your maps will be wet. You will wonder why am I out here, what a I doing?

So if you treat this like your new job. I get up and hike. I get up and hike that's your new job. Hike, hike hike. As you go along day after day you will get better at all the new things you will be learning. Cooking in the rain, eating cold food when you run out of fuel. Packing up a wet tent. Putting on frozen socks and frozen shoes and walking out of camp. Putting up a wet tent. Carrying a wet pack on your back.

Getting into town thinking you will have a room. Ha.
Also when you get to town you think oh finally I get to rest. Well its more tiring then hiking. You cant jump in your car and run to the store buy grocery and come back to your room. You will be walking everywhere. You have to take the much needed shower, wash your clothes. I remember as I was taking a shower I washed my clothes at the bottom of the tub. Like stomping grapes. the laundry at in the hotel was broken. While you are in town you also will be looking for food. Real food you don't have to cook or think about what to eat. I have never thought the AYCE places made any money when hikers came to town.

Lots of people think they are going to read. Most people are to tried to read. I am thinking about a Kindle. They are very light. And if I get held up somewhere I will be able to at least read. Still thinking about that.

You will meet the most wonderful sincere people you will ever meet. And some will become long life friends. Some you will plan more hikes with. Some you will hike away from. But on the most part you will have the time of your life and see yourself for what you really are. Not what your job made you, not what your things made you, not what you have done in the past. No one cares. You wont even care when you keep hiking day after day.
If you are a flower or a tree person there are beautiful places that have wild flowers. If you want to see wildlife in the wild you will. If you want to test yourself to see if I can do this. You will, your hike will be what you want it to be. But I will remember this ITS MY NEW JOB.

Traildino | European Trails

Traildino | European Trails

Summit Sisters

Summit Sisters how did they come about? It all started on White Blazes a Hiking Forum mainly for the Appalachian hikers. I have been reading the forum for a couple of years. Years of experienced hikers are active on there and helped me out a lot when I was getting ready for my hike on the Appalachian Trail.

There is a women group and Connie saw a need to form a club or a group for older women that were interested in hiking and most are first timers. As she befriended each one of the women from White Blazes Forum it evolved into a group of wonderful, independent women all ages and hiking experiences.

One of the group members, Donna opened a Facebook page for all of us. And then all hell broke lose. It was the best think that happened to all of us. We are now a group of 35 hikers. All wanting to hike Long Distances. We all have become great friends and talk almost daily. Start dates are all different and we have some on the west coast hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and most doing the A.T. Even thought we all wont be starting the same date we all have made a pack to meet at Trail Days.We then will all meet in person. Looking forward to that day.

One chat we were having on Facebook it was suggested that we have a name for our group. Well I personally like to have the trail name me (which it did). I thought the trail would come up with a name. Then I said we should have a mark on us a ribbon or something so in case we happen to meet on the trail we would know. Shes part of this group I have been talking to for  6 months on line. Didn't quite work like that.

April one of our members took it upon herself to not only name our group but to make a logo with our group name and the year we hiked. 2013. And another member Susan took it upon herself to find out were to get the logo made into a patch. All with no asking input from other members.

It ended up being the best name and the best patch. So when you see a Summit Sister Patch you can think to yourself. How wonderful the internet brought all these great women together for one purpose.To tru- hike the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. I am proud of our group of women. You will be hearing from all of us.

Perfect

There comes a time when you must stand alone, feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams.. You must be willing to make sacrifices, be capable of changing and rearranging your priorities so that your final goal can be achieved..
There are times when familiarity and comfort need to be challenged, where you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities.
Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better. Be confident enough that you won't settle for a compromise just to get by. Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life...
Do not stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way. ♥ Take one step at a time and keep moving forward ♥ :')

My Fear

Holidays are not my thing. Any of them even Birthdays. What do I like? Thats a good question. I have worked since I was 15 years old. If you want to count all the Babysitting I did well it would be 12.

Sometimes it would be 20 years before I even got a day off. Now in my twilight years I have found Long Distance Backpacking. 

Long Distance Backpacking you say. On one of my most cherished Facebook Page is a group of women all having the same dream. ( I cant say its a dream for me. ) We call ourselves The Sumit Sisters. A few have met. Some have dropped out some have moved to another trail. Some will hike, some wont, some will make it some wont. But on a recent post about the fear of not even trying came to hit me in a way that made me think about my life.

Since I have retired. I have a fear of not having anything to do. Oh yea I have cleaned out my cabinets, etc. But the hiking. Its not even hiking its Backpacking. Everything I will need on my back for months on end. When I come back from a backpacking trip I always think I don't need this or that.

People who have never done Backpacking don't understand and most don't even care. They don't even know how to talk to me. Thats ok  not to much of a people person. 

The wilderness. I crave it I want to be out in it ,to live there. It can be harsh at times and is not to forgiving. But the freedom you get is the most rewarding life you will ever have. Its not the views from the tops. Unless you are in the west. Its not the life long friends you make along the way. But they are nice to have. Its not the fact that you can live on the trail eating and drinking the same thing everyday.

For me. its the inner peace I get from being out in the Wilderness. My fear is not being able to ever do that again.

You now what they say. You carry your fears in your pack.  Well  I must think I going to starve. I always have extra food when I get into town for resupply. I start out with 4 days of food and then I put another day in just in case.

In case of what you ask?

I could be really hungry from hiking all day and eat more then I allotted for that day.


I could have to stay in a shelter for a day because of weather or I'm sore and need a day of rest. So I would eat my 5th day of food then.

I could come across a backpacker that has lost all his food to a bear and I would have plenty to share.


I could come across another backpacker that has simply  ran out of food because they didn't pack enough.

So I want to make sure. I pack food. 4 days of food and one extra day.

Appalachain Trail 2013 4 days of food.