Friday, December 31, 2010

Out with the Old but Amazing 2010 Hiking Journey

Wow. 2010 saw me on a wild adventure AT-wise I did not plan to do. I had begun section hiking the AT in my home state of Virgina, as you can see from previous posts here on this blog and on trail journals. But some writing projects fell through and the time opened up for me to tackle a major portion of trail southbound this past summer and fall. So by May I quickly had to put things in gear for a long distance hike, literally. Thankfully I had most of the gear itself that I needed. But I did need to plan out food and also gear up for my husband Steve who planned to hike Maine with me.



Here we are atop Saddleback Mountain in Maine just before he left the trail and I continued on solo. For the next few months I doggedly hiked southbound through the states of NH, VT, MA, CT, NY and NJ. At Delaware Water Gap at the PA border, with it getting late in the season and time running short, I made the decision to skip down to where I left off with my spring hikes and finish the trail all the way to Springer Mountain, GA. Then I would return in 2011 to hike PA and MD southbound, with a completion at Harper's Ferry.

Along my journey I met so many wonderful people - hikers, townsfolk and trail angels alike. I enjoyed nights alone and nights with others. I saw beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and endured near hypothermic conditions. I learned a lot



about the trail and what it means to hike it both north and south. I hope in 2011 to share more about what I learned on this blog, as well as sharing my excitement of completing the trail from Maine to Georgia. And we are also planning this year to hike the John Muir Trail in July.

So stay tuned for an awesome year 2011 of Blissful Hiking Thoughts. And may the new year see you on a hiking adventure of your own!

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