Disappointing news

On the verge of beginning my hike I find that I have to postpone until next year because of lack of financing. As disappointed as I am, it wouldn’t be fair to my family to face the hardships that it would cause. So I will drop back and punt and build a better plan and start the hike march first 2012. Please bear with me and I will continue to update this blog with my progress.

PapaBear is testin’ the TRAIL

PapaBear drove out to the mountains the other day to get ready for a three day hike with my cousin. A nice little warm up for the big hike next year. However, I heard from mom that the skies and weather are horrible, and they are supposed to be on the trail at this moment. Apparently there was heavy duty rain and even a chance of TORNADOs. Now, I think my dad is crazier than ever. They are supposed to do 11 miles per day. I just hope he can still walk after the first day. I’ll keep you updated on his status, though at the moment, there is no cell reception or anyway to get a hold of them.

 

Spooky AT Stories

Click on pic above for 3D screen saver!

Lately, I’ve been very interested in reading first-hand accounts of hiking the AT, just to see what PapaBear is getting himself into.  As you all know, Halloween is just around the corner, and I would love to get my paws on the scariest AT stories out there.  So if you, or anyone you know has a really frightening tale to share, email me.  I will post the spookiest of them all, and the writer will receive a little treat from me!  All submissions, as long as they don’t really suck for some reason, will be included in our “Crazy AT Stories” category in this BLOG.  TRICK OR TREAT!

Let the Adventure Begin!

My dad, aka PapaBear, started talking several months ago about hiking the Appalachian Trail.  Honestly, I didn’t know what to think.  Is he crazy or a genius?  I’ll elaborate on this later…  It wasn’t until last week that I finally had to stop denying the seriousness of the situation.  PapaBear drove from the coast of North Carolina to the mountains of Tennessee to meet with my cousins and talk trail speak.  My cousin, who owns and operates a white-water rafting company, and his sister, who runs an outfitter with her husband, provided my dad with some serious equipment to get him ready for the hike.  But it doesn’t end with buying the goods.  They also made plans to do a three day hike at the end of October.  PapaBear also met up with my sister and her boyfriend, Alex (if you look up “mountain man” in the encyclopedia, Alex’s picture will be there).  Ashley (my sister) and Alex live off the land.  Alex can do all manner of things related to survival.  I’ll also elaborate more on their amazing skills at a later date.  I was counting on Alex to give PapaBear the best advice, which can be translated as “talk him out of it for heaven’s sake!!!”  Instead, PapaBear came home energized and inspired.  My mom is apparently pretty supportive of this dream, which is even more crazy than my Paps hiking the trail.

So, without further ado, let the Adventure begin!  March 1st is D-day, so to speak.  PapaBear will begin to make  his own entries into this blog as soon as I figure out how to add him as an AUTHOR.  Our goal is to also stream live video, and posted video entries from the trail as well.  We will also have a countdown to his trail “kick-off,”  and hopefully, some sort of GPS location device that broadcasts his whereabouts 24/7.  Any advice on adding these features would be helpful.