A new adventure begins…in 120 days

I am thrilled to announce the 120-day countdown to a new adventure has begun, an adventure that I would like to document on my blog.

I have been blogging for 8 years, since March 2006, primarily on topics related to theology and Christian ministry. These twin topics occupy most of my time, energy, effort, focus, work, reading, education, conversations, etc., but I do have a few other hobbies. The first would be my undying devotion to the Kansas City Chiefs. I have been a Chiefs fan since High School and I remained loyal to the Chiefs Kingdom even while living in Oklahoma and Georgia. I AM a Chiefs fan, which means I am constantly frustrated..well…to be honest…both frustrated and optimistic. In addition to my seasonal pre-occupation with football, my only other real hobby is hiking in general, and the Appalachian Trail in particular.

My love for hiking began in 2008, when I went with a group of guys from my church in Georgia on a weekend hike on the Pine Mountain Trail, just outside of Columbus, Georgia. I had hiked often in the Boy Scouts when I was a teenager, but I had not done much hiking/backpacking as an adult. The hike in 2008 changed all that. This overnight trip awakened not only my love for the outdoors, but also a love for the freedom (and struggle) of strapping everything you need on your back and heading out into the woods.

This trip became the first of many hiking trips in Georgia, Alabama, Colorado, Nebraska, and Missouri (see pictures of past trips below). I lived, and hiked in South Georgia for a number of years and while I had heard of the Appalachian Trail (AT), I new very little about it.

During Christmas 2011 I had a one-hour conversation with my wife’s uncle, Lyle “Burro” Pettijohn. Lyle completed a thru hike of the AT in 2008. (A “thru hike” is a complete hike of the entire trail.) He told me about his adventure and said if I was interested in learning more about the AT to Google “Appalachian Trail.” I followed his advice, which lead me to online forums, blogs, YouTube Channels, and countless books by current and former AT hikers. The more I read about the AT, the more fascinated I became. (Speaking of books I am currently reading Becoming Odyssa, by thru hike record-breaker Jennifer Pharr Davis.)

The AT is a continuous 2,180 mile footpath through the Appalachian Mountain range across 14 states. It’s Southern terminus is on Springer Mountain in North Georgia an it’s  Northern terminus is on Mt. Katahdin in Maine. Every year thousands of people attempt to hike the entire length of the AT in one hiking season. On average only 1 out of 4 succeed in hiking the entire trail. (More info on the AT is here.)

So here comes the announcement about my new adventure…

No I am not attempting a thru hike, but I am planning on hiking the Georgia section of the AT this summer for my 40th birthday.

My goal is to start hiking on June 8, Pentecost Sunday, and complete the Georgia section in nine days. Yeah I know, a section hike is not as exciting as thru hike, but with family and church responsibilities there is no way at the phase of my life that I could get a way for five to six months to hike the whole trail. (Maybe when I retire?) My section hike will begin in North Carolina, about 7 trail miles North of the Georgia border. Once I hike southbound into Georgia and complete the Georgia section of the AT, I will continue to hike down the Approach Trail into Amicalola State Park. The total distance will be 95 miles. I am not doing this alone. I am glad that I have three friends who have found away to take a couple of weeks away from their work and families to hike with me.

I want to use my blog as a way to document the hike itself with pictures and video ( I did this for a two-day trip last March). I also want to use the blog to document the preparation for the hike for anyone who is interested. With 120 days away before my section hike, there is still a lot to do. I have been planning this hike for over a year, so I have already spend a lot of time trying out new gear, learning to back lighter, learning about the North Georgia mountains, and figuring out a good plan to accomplish the Georgia section. I know, I know…eighteen months of planning for a 9-day trip seems like over-kill. I am a planner, and for me the planning is almost as fun as the trip itself!

Here are some pictures of my past hiking trips: