Hello (and three months to go).



The journey of 2000+ miles begins with a single list.
 Everything else follows after that.



With only three months and a scattering of days left until our hike begins (shooting for March 13 or 14), I've just set up what I hope will be our main means of sharing our Appalachian Trail hike with family and friends.  I love writing.  I love photography.  Therefore, I *hope* I love blogging.  

:) 

Most of the items on the list are crossed off by now.  Which, of course, is a good thing.  I estimated a couple days ago that I'd already spent $850 on gear for the hike.  I think I have another $350 to go.  I hope I still have enough money to get me to Maine after all the gear is purchased! 

I'm only half-joking.  And, yes, (for all you responsible people out there) that does scare me.  Money is a huge factor and stress issue while planning this adventure.  A voice in the back of my head (the one that usually leads me to make the decisions that parents shake their heads over) is saying "Well, the uncertainty is part of what makes it an adventure."  But too much uncertainty can also ruin the fun of planning.  Selling my car would take a huge load off, because Stew and I decided that whatever we get for the car is automatically going to the AT fund.  I'm also hoping to get some money back on my tax refund.  But of course, that, too, is uncertain.

So what kind of planning have we done?  What is our itinerary and how to we plan to resupply?  And some of you out there may be wondering in general about the trail itself... Well, I'll talk more in detail about the specifics of our hike next time, as I promised to myself to keep this entry short. 

Till then...