My first Blog...

Well, my first Blog...hmm. I suppose writing will get easier with time. Starting is the hardest part.  I suppose a brief intro to the plan is in order, so here goes...


In 2012 I will complete a dream. A dream that has been 7 years in the making and will overcome many illnesses, hardships and tough decisions. In 2012, I will complete the 2,184 miles of the Appalachian Trail.


Being born in Florida, I was raised with a love of the ocean. I knew nothing of the snow, the changing of the seasons and the mountains. However in 2003 my mother bought property in Eastern Tennessee, where she decided to build a small cabin with her husband. In 2005 my mother decided to leave the house in Florida and the cabin would become her permanent home. During this time she constantly battled with Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia and numerous other health problems. Before long, the phone calls became too painful and I left Key West in order to help my mother in Tennessee. I was there for two years. 


Many good things came from this unexpected time in Tennessee. First and foremost, I was able to spend a great amount of time with my mother and help her with daily chores. Secondly, I adopted a wonderful hound-mix puppy from the Sheriffs Rescue. She was quite sickly, ridden with worms and a heart murmur. After two blood transfusions and wormers and supplements, she grew to become a healthy and happy puppy....( more on her later ). Last but not least, I was introduced to the mountains, the change of the seasons and the beauty of the wilderness. I had found my new love. While my mother rested, I got lost in the woods with my furry friends. I soon discovered that there were trails that met trails, thus becoming loops. I also discovered that there were very long trails, trails that could take a week to finish and trails that could take 6 months to finish. I set my heart on the Appalachian Trail. My shelves became full of books about thru-hiking, my internet favorites were filled with the same. I researched towns, food, gear, preparation and ability. My mother grew tired of the mountains and relocated to her home in central Florida and I, to Key West. The mountains would have to wait for me. 

Being a single parent, I knew that this dream could not become a reality until my daughter graduated high school. This began the 6 years of planning. I knew the trail towns by name. I began accumulating the necessary gear. I ran dehydrators 24/7 as well as utilizing the oven in the winter . I vowed to eat properly on trail. I planned for 41 drop boxes, which included a resupply of food for both my self and my furry companion, Bailey. It was a daunting task, as I was not only dehydrating meals for my self, but dehydrating meals for Bailey as well. The numbers were staggering...a 6 month food supply entailed Bailey required 360 meals alone, I needed a mere 180 for dinners and tons of homemade GORP for snacks. 


During this planning I was reunited with the love of my life (for the past 13 years, it is another long story...sailors :) )and we began a new life together. All the while I still planned for my thru-hike. This became difficult. My boyfriend, Nick is a Merchant Marine, thus meaning a "career" and did not have the freedom to "take off for 6 months to walk in the woods". I, being in the service industry, am granted with that freedom.





After a year or so of watching me plan and organize for the trail, Nick decided to put in for an extended leave of absence from his career and join us on the trail. This would become a turning point in our relationship. How wonderful it would be to share this experience with someone you love. Wait a second...we are going to need more food. The workload doubled. Nick's career is 2 weeks at sea and 2 weeks at home, so basically he could only help 2 weeks a month. Our kitchen and dining area became a conveyor area, almost industrial. Dehydrators, measuring cups, freeze dried veges, vacuum sealers and the 41 boxes all labeled and waiting to be filled.

In 2010, my beautiful daughter graduated from Key West High. We set our begin date for the trail: March 17, 2011. Our lease was nearing it's end. We had yard sales and donated items to charity. My daughter moved out on her own. We loaded what was left, along with our 41 drop boxes and headed north. The boxes would then live in a climate controlled storage unit. My mother would send one 1 or 2 a week to the designated location on the label. My daughter drove us to Amicolola Falls, GA and sent us on our way north. 


Two months into our trip we received horrible news. Bailey's vet had left a message stating she was heart worm positive. The news hit us like a brick. We were in the middle of the woods and our dog was sick, our dog who, for the past two months, had hiked 10-15 miles a day, carrying her 2-5 lb load. We knew we had to take care of her, which meant getting off trail. We hitchhiked into Damascus, VA we rented a car and headed south. We bought a small, old RV and called it home. We were off trail for nearly 3 months. 


 The treatment nearly killed her. She suffered and allergic reaction (.03% of dogs suffer this) to the treatment and again we thought we were going to loose our dog. The vet chose the "slow-kill" method, meaning the first treatment killed 50% of the worms. Bailey would have to take steroids and continue monthly heart worm medicine in order to kill the rest. We waited for the "OK" from the vet and weighted out our options for returning to the trail. It was August. 


The Northern terminus of the Appalachian trail is Mount Katahdin, located in Baxter State Park in Maine. This park closes for the season on October 15, 2011. What this means to a north-bound thru-hiker is simple...get to Katahdin before this date or you cannot summit. We were not going to make it to Katahdin. Our plan then changed a bit, we would drive north to Katahdin and hike south to Damascus where we left the trail. The boxes had to be reversed.


My daughter came along this time and not just to see us off. She joined us in climbing Katahdin and hiked the 100-mile wilderness in Maine. We then drove her to Camden,Maine where she began working on a schooner (that Nick actually used to captain). Nick, Bailey and I continued our hike through muddy Maine. Bailey was doing wonderfully. We had no time restraints, we hiked at a slower pace. 


Just north of the New Hampshire state line, we, again, received bad news. This time from Nick's family. His mother had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. We hitchhiked 50 miles to the nearest town and once again, rented a car and drove south. This time for good. To relief of everyone,the tumor was benign. Yet, there was still brain surgery to undergo. Nick spent a month with his mother and father in Key West during her surgery and intensive rehabilitation. I was with my mother in the RV on her property.


After his mothers recovery, we were again reunited and drove our RV up to North Carolina where have since been living at a campground in the mountains, working menial jobs and spending as much time in the woods as possible. The past few months have been challenging, mentally and financially. 


It is now February 2012 and we have decided to go back to the trail. To finish what we started. To complete the last 1470 miles. To close the gap.