It’s getting near time to go back to the AT for another section hike.  This time I’ll be starting with “Optimist” as he begins his 2017 Flip-Flop attempt at Harpers Ferry.  Here we are on a practice hike at West Tyson Park.  (Yes, I’m back there again.  The 4 mile loop is about the closest to the AT I can find in St Louis.)

Look for updates from our hike starting in late March.  🚶🏻🏕

Time is very slow for those who wait,  Very fast for those who are scared, Very long for those who lament, Very short for those who celebrate, But for those who love, time is eternal. – William Shakespeare 

Here was my first step on the trail yesterday.  Unfortunately it’s going to be a bit before there are many more.

After a short but surprisingly difficult 2 mile hike yesterday, I set out from Tom Leonard shelter early (before 7 am) this morning with the goal of making it to the next shelter 14.3 miles away.   It wasn’t long before I realized something was terribly wrong.  I was not even able to cover 1 mile an hour on moderate terrain. It could have been the heat, humidity and lack of water but experience tells me I shouldn’t have had such trouble.  And then the NOBOs I met today couldn’t tell me where the next available water would be. 😖☠

So I’m off the trail.  🙀  Crap…

I’ll be visiting relatives on the east coast for a bit and then heading home later in the month.  Hopefully I’ll be able to figure out what happened.

Be a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings
away all the same, knowing she has wings. – Victor Hugo

PS – if I had to guess I’d say that that its multi factorial but I’ll find out.  Sorry to disappoint everyone but it just isn’t going to happen at this time.

I actually have a cell signal at the shelter, so here’s some more.

I’ve meet lots of NOBO thru-hikers:

Cold Taters, Panda and Whiplash

Nums / Tweedy

AT Thru-Hike Stats
Section Day # 1 (7/7/16)
Today’s mileage: 2.0
Total section miles: 2.0
Total miles on AT: 514.4
Avg daily miles (section 3) – 2.0

People do not lack strength, they lack will.
– Victor Hugo

I start hiking in a short while.  Finishing up lunch with my trail angel, Nick Rathert, at Barrington Brewery.

Planning to do just a few miles to the first shelter tonight.  Tomorrow will be 14+ miles in a heat wave! ☀️

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. – Walt Disney

Today I head back to the AT for another section.  This time it’s Great Barrington, Mass to Deleware Water Gap (236 miles).  Plans to do Maine and New Hampshire this year changed, but then it’s all about being flexible.  Assuming I finish this section (~7/29) I will have completed 750 miles of the AT, 1/3 of the trail. You should see daily posts from me for the rest of July! 🚶🏻

Here’s a watercolor of the east coast countryside to get started.  It’s a Puff Button original.

Walked through the WUSM campus on the way to the Metrolink to get to the airport.

And by the way, I’m done packing.

I think I repacked 10 times!

If you’re not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you’re not a conservative at forty, you have no brain. – Winston Churchill