Three weeks (21 days) until I hit the trail.  Packed some bounce boxes today and sorted out medications for the next 100 days.  Everything is packed and ready to go.

I also registered puffinshike.com today, so you can access the blog from that simpler address.

I loved this image of puffins that I found on takeahikephotography, how’s that!

If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself. – Albert Einstein

Hiked the 6 mile circuit around Forest Park with a 20+ lb pack today.  The temperature was 90+ degrees and shade was limited.  Had a great hike and finally broke out the umbrella; what a lifesaver!

The flowers in the park were amazing today.  The fragrance was everywhere and they were in full bloom along the trail.

If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed. – Albert Einstein

In 4 weeks to the day I will be stepping onto the A.T. With Jeff Wingard.  I just keep counting down the days.  I’m in KC racing this weekend and it’s cloudy and cool.  But, it’s awesome sailing weather.  Here’s a mark rounding from last year.  I was off to the right ahead of this conflagration. ⛵️

Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was looking over towns I will go through on the trek from Harpers Ferry to Georgia.  Hot Springs, NC looks like it’s very nice.  It sits at the north end of Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the French Broad river.  Then I looked at the distance to there.  It’s 750 miles from Harpers Ferry!  That’s a long way; and it’s only 3/4 of the way to Georgia.

All our dreams come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. – Walt Disney

I know it may be a little lame.  Cheryl Strayed (“Wild”) did it on her trip along the PCT, but I would like to leave a new quote with my entries in trail registers along the trip.  I downloaded a pdf book, “The Great Book of the Best Quotes of All Time” to use as a source.  Click the image below to download the pdf; there’s also a link at the bottom of the page.

Learn from the mistakes of others. You can never live long enough to make them all yourself. – Groucho Marx