Food for thought , The Long Trail

So it begins ,
  . No food to heavy, just add water to most. Before commencing the hike we will have these bagged and tagged ready to go. As a quick go by the days worth of food will be about two pounds. Out initial plan would be to carry for to five days worth,  but the trail will dictate what we will carry and how much we will eat. We have arrived in Bangor Maine and everything we need packed.
  We had an additional surprise before we left the province of Nova Scotia, We had an additional member join us for the first part of the trip. Cant wait to get started.

Sorry to say I cannot add photos right now from the phone, I will try to sort this out in the next few days

The Blackstone Tarveler

Less than a week away from The Long Trail

   The blank slate to capture our trip hungers to be written on , we must feed this with memories gathered along the Trail. The trial will swallow us up , the juicy greens of the trees will permeate our senses. Each foot step will take us away from the main stream. We will sit around the oldest form of entertainment ( A Fire) , breath in the smoke listen to the crackling of the wood as we share stories along the way. Each exhale , each inhalation and each step will touch our soul and change us in little ways.

The BlackStone Traveler
5 Days away

A gift from a friend for the Long Trail

Good Morning,
I received a nice surprise this morning from a a good friend .  As I have been talking about the hike of the long trail ...maybe a little to much lately , he decided that I may need some additional help along the way. You can see it in the photo below what he brought to me.
   It is two charms / crystals, one for myself and the other for my wife. I was going to say happy wife but I am not sure how happy she is to be walking along the trail with me. I sort of talked her into it. Anyway she has agreed and now is a willing participant in this life changing event. The crystals are as shown below,

Black Tourmaline,
   Repels negativity and provides for an increase of physical activity and vitality. I would say I could use all this has to offer.

Selenite,
   This is a good energy stone ,it absorbs and dispels negative energy, also helps to stabilize and balance the emotional body. My charming wife will be using this one. 

   Both have been charged with Reiki so they are like us right now, Trail Ready! Bonus is they do not weight much either! Thank you Ann and Ross

No matter what we encounter the most important part is to stay panglossian.

Jet Boil Stove Test, A Beach Success

  OK this is not the hike but still important step in the process. Checking the gear, Decided to have coffee on the beach. The Jet boil stove was fired up with a couple of cups of water. This will typically heat water within two minutes but with an onshore breeze it was little longer. Once at a rolling boil the stove was turned off and coffee added. A fine grind Tim Hortons blend was what was on hand, I did purchase a French Press for the coffee , as this was pushed into the coffee water mixture, it became infused with the bold fragrant dark roast. After sitting a minute it was ours to enjoy. Sitting on our chairs sipping coffee on a barren beach with nothing around but splashing waves and the haunting sound of a lonely loon in the distance. 

Yes this is living!

Jet Boil Coffee at Hubbards Beach

8 Days to the start of the long Trail, Weight !

Greetings,

   I must say that when I look back to last year when we conceived this Idea of hiking the long trail it seemed like there was plenty of time before the start. We are now 8 days away and to say I am excited would be an understatement. I just cannot believe how fast time goes by. It is really true the older you get the faster time goes by. My only advice on this is to take advantage of every breath and don’t waste time.

   Nearing the start we have been constantly been checking gear and weights. Some folks think we should have heads checked....Our pack weights should be within the 25 to 28 pound range. This will not be too bad and I am sure we will adjust this over the course of the trip. Anytime I think about weight I remember the time when I was purchasing a road bike ( bicycle) while evaluating the weights vs the cost of the bike another gentleman walked and was doing the same thing I was . The difference between the two of us  was that  he had a lot more money than I so he was looking at the most expensive bikes in stock. I remembered he talked about the weights of all the bikes and there were only ounces in the difference. Cost was not the issue but the weight was . I give credit to the salesman as he said to the plump customer. You can save yourself a lot of money by losing a few pounds and buying a cheaper bike. I laugh when i remember this and I think about this when weighing my gear….Do I really need to count the ounces I am carrying or should I lose a few pounds myself…

The Blackstone Traveler

Long Trail GEAR REVIEWS

Good Day,

  Its always a good day to talk about hiking and about the gear used, What is good and What is bad and how things worked. So if you have looked at the earlier posts you will know that we are going to be hiking the long trail in Vermont in September, WOW this is just a mere 10 days away. I will be posting the trip details as we travel along on this BLOG.
  The reason for this update is advise that we will be completing our gear reviews with everything that we used for this Hike.  These will be completed on YouTube as well. A quick list of what has been purchased and what we will review will be as follows.

• Z-pack Duplex Tent
• Z-pack Arc-Blast backpack
• Jet boil stove
• sleeping bags ( Nemo)
• mattresses
• Pillow ( Sea to Summit) 
• clothing
• utincels
• Water treatment ( Sawyer Mini)
• Food 
• etc etc.

Our pack weights will also be covered as we go along. Please join us for this adventure.

The BlackStone Traveler.

Getting closer to the Day!

  We are trail ready! Packs are ready it’s now just a matter of time. This is not a long post as I am trying it with a cell phone. This is practice for the trail of course . In 16 days our feet will scuffing along the long trail. We will follow the leave the no trace standard of the green mountain club, the only footprints left will be in our memories and in our hearts. 
  Raise a glass to new adventures !

Its getting close to the Long Trail

  Good Morning , Not much of an update today. We had an expedition meeting , the venue was the same as most of other meetings but held at a different time. 7:30 am so this meant we had coffee instead of beverage. I suppose this was a god thing. With the trip being about 3 weeks out we had to finalize the first couple of hotels, small menu planning and discuss if any additional gear would be required. I don't think we need any addition gear to carry we should be throwing some stuff out. ounces will feel like pounds by the time we are done.
   A brief trail outline.... It will cover the full state of Vermont from North to South, we will be hiking South to North as it is a little easier that way.When I say a little easier I don't mean walk in the park. The length of the trail is 272 miles or for us Canadians its 437 km. oh oh I just threw up a little bit in my mouth....The trail was first completed in 1910 and is one of the oldest hiking long trails in America, it was actually the trail that started the dream for the Appalachian trail. both the trails run together for about 100 miles. We will cross many of the mountain peaks across the state.
    Hotels are now planned , food has been discussed, gear has been tested and most importantly the Bud Light has been arranged for the end. nothing else left to do but HIKE.


Eat,
Hike,
Sleep,
Repeat!

The Power of YES, The Long Trail

   The power of "YES"
Its a powerful word, It will change your life, change your direction change your thought change your mood and eventually change you. According to the dictionary it is loosely defined as
"used as a function word to express assent or agreement " as an example, are you ready? Yes, I am. 
That's just the surface of it though ,it can mean much more than that. For me it is a travel word, a story word an experience word. I have found that saying YES will take you places! Think about it. The day sitting on the beach , it was asked " do you want to hike the long trail?" The answer of course was yes. If the answer was NO the conversation would have ended in silence and the story would have died a death.   
    No good story in life happened by saying NO. After we said yes to the adventure, the next questions were, do you want to hike from the bike and bean to Hubbards, Do you want to go to Boston to purchase some equipment, do you want to go to Vermont to scope out the trail. All these questions had the answer YES and we now have many memories because of it. The word YES has transformed our lives a little bit so far and its not done. I don't want to go back to the NO days. I challenge you to say YES and see where it takes you . Before you answer give some thought to the outcome. Remember YES will take you in one direction while NO will leave you sitting alone wondering what us YES people are doing.

    Do I want another beer.....Hmmm I think the answer is Yes. See what I mean "travel" now I have to get up go to the fridge and get myself a beer. YES!

Bud Light Update! The Long Trail

Ok More news , 
   I am not sure if this will happen but if it does it will truly be the ending to the trip we are looking for. As everyone knows who has read these posts, it was the Bud Light on the beach that fateful day that kicked off this trip for us. I decided just to drop Budweiser a note and let them know how Bud light changed what we are doing this September. I thought what's the worst that could happen. The Canadian company suggested that we try the local distribution company "Farrell Distributing" . To my surprise they responded to the e-mail and said that they would like to meet us at the trail end upon completion of the trail. Not only that they would have cold Bud Light...Hmmm I hope who ever they send can carry a 36 pack. Again not sure if all will line up or if it would happen but I really enjoyed the thought of cold Bud Light being at the finish line. I hope to see them there.
   As I mentioned in the e-mail Bud Light was at the Start and it was only fitting that they be at the end.
The only other question is , Where will Bud light take us next!

More Insight as to WHY, The Long Trail.

   Ok So most are probably wondering, What do you hope to gain from this adventure. I mentioned some before but with a little time on my hands at camp thought I would add to it
I have thought about this for quite some time, I wanted to come up with a meaningful answer that explain why this trip is on the “to do list”. Hmm ….fingers tapping….biting knuckles……..more thought….. Then it hit me, actually Three things came to mind and I suppose I already knew the answer inside but never really gave it that much thought or talked about it. One reason is, and it is no particular order, One reason is no better than the next, you could say they are equal importance. Yes back to the first thing, this would be just too spent time with Anita. At home and at the trailer there is always someone around, it’s rare to be able to have time alone so I guess taking her in the middle of the mountain range in Vermont would cure that. Hardly anyone will be there in fact I am not sure Anita wants to be there. I just hope at the end of it ( whatever that is) we will still be talking hopefully even still married .If not married I think this will be a very expensive trip! When I say “Whatever that is” I mean we plan on finishing the Long Trail But who knows what will take place. I said it before, this is an adventure whether not we finish. As you can imagine when taking a trip like this, making it to your destination is great but it’s all the stuff in between that makes it fantastic. Think about it like an Oreo cookie the outsides are the start and finish and the filling in the middle is the adventure…The Good Stuff. It’s what most of us look forward to; just don’t be in a hurry to finish the first one to have another.
   The next I think I know I mentioned before but will cover it again, this time with a bit history. When you have children from babies until they are out on their own you are constantly teaching them something. Anyone with kids knows this and to be fair it’s not always easy. It seems they know everything anyway. I remember taking the kids to the ball park to ride bikes and decided to show them how to do a jump. My first couple of jumps were alright until I build up a bit of confidence. My next run I did with a little speed. Actually too much speed. A bit sideways in the air to land a total wipe out to the horror of the kids. They came over to make sure I was alright .I was, but just barely alright. As I brushed away the dust, dirt and small bit of blood, I picked up my bike, happy that I taught them to not hit that jump with too much speed. The truth is I wasn’t really happy about that lesson by the way. There has to be easier ways! Another skill I taught them was to skim board. This ended with me showing them how to get road rash on half your leg at the beach. Showing them how to scooter in the drive way was another. By now I think you can guess how this ended, Yes it was over the handle bars with me rolling around the driveway. I guess I may be better at showing them what not to do. At any rate I hope to show them that they can do anything they desire from the small to the big, don’t create limitations for yourself, don’t be afraid to travel don’t be afraid to experience new things and when doing these things Don’t be afraid to fail. I do have scars to prove it.
   All joking aside if I started the sports mentioned earlier in life I think I could have be a pro.

   Last but not least. When sitting around in our later years maybe with grandchildren or at some type of gathering with folks around , who knows where it will be, I don’t want to be telling stories about working 90000 hours of my life in and out of an office. I want to be able to tell the story of how we hiked the long trail and what we had learned and gained from this experience. I want to tell of the people we met, the places we stayed and the obstacles we overcame. The work is just the means to allow this to happen. After all no-one wants to hear about work anyway. I know I don’t even want to talk about it.
I hope that answers some questions of why I decided to hike. I think Anita will tell a different story. She will say that she is doing it to make sure I don’t get hurt. As long as she is along for the ride I will be happy whatever her reasons.
   Now our story of the trail will be different from anyone else’s, ours has been in the making for a year now and is about to commence, How will it end, How it will be told will be up to us. I am looking forward to the day when this experience can be shared. I will tell you one thing for sure! Beer got us into the mess and beer will be there in the end, I hope we can all meet and talk about the newly minted memories in the near future over a Bud Light.

Pre-Hike, The Long Trail

     Greetings , Just another update from the the training session of the long trail, There was a plan in place to complete a hike from Hubbards to Graves Island in Chester on Sunday morning and stay over night at the campground. it was plus or minus 23 kilometres. Sunday sounded like a good morning but we neglected to think about the annual Hubbards Sailing Club auction. Not only was this an auction but also a social event and nothing says social like beer and wine. After having our fill there we went back to the trailer and had a few more for good measure. This was our little way of getting ready fro the trail. I guess we thought if it doesn't kill you it will make you stronger.
    Sunday Morning we woke to gray over cast skies that had been spilling rain down upon our decks and tin roofs , I thought to myself ...No better way to start....Actually I thought did I need those last two beer and can I sleep in!. Of course the answer was NO to both questions as there was a whole team of people waiting to hit the trail, rain or shine or even slightly under the weather...I guess you know which one I was. Anyway lets go.
     A white Kia Sorrento carried half of the team to the trail head at the independent supermarket , as we disembarked and waited for the other half of the crew the rain poured over us like a blanket , a wet blanket. Rain gear on, packs on and the trail was ours. The video below shows some of our points along the way.
      What I find most inspiring from this hike is , it wasn't always easy or pleasant but some how we found humour in what we were doing. OK we didn't always laugh at the moment but when it passed there were laughs that were shared. There was heat and humidity, bugs and bites but when all this was passed we shared a great moment in time that will be remembered by all.
Some people think we are crazy to think about doing this. Is it crazy to set goals? Is it crazy to push yourself beyond what you have done in the past ?Is it crazy to live outside of four walls? Is it crazy to dream big and try to achieve the dream? If so then yes we are crazy .

Kind regards
Michael

Dr. Phil moment, The Long Trail

   I hope as I go along with this journal people enjoy reading about what has taken place to get us where we are and where we are going. I can say for me I am enjoying the ride! When Anita and I sit and discuss what our plan is I am sure there are times when we can’t believe it ourselves. I suppose its time for a doctor Phil moment. This is what I hope to accomplish. From when Anita and I were young we didn’t have a life plan. Who does? it just happens. My work , her work, houses and kids. With all this going on there is no time just to do. To Do something to Do nothing its different for everyone, Looking back I see I was very busy with working for a living and this has been what has consumed our life. We are now to a point where the children have established their own life and don’t rely on us for much. They are independent and do their own thing….that is except for pick up their clothes from the floor and do the dishes…but that’s a different doctor Phil moment . 
   So what do I hope to gain from this? I think it will be a great personal accomplishment to finish the trail but in reality finish or not I will be happy to do this with Anita beside me! We will go as far as far as we can. That is our expectation. I would like for others to see that great things are still possible in spite of our age. I would like to inspire our kids , not sure at this time if it will make an impact but maybe in a few years they can look back and say , WOW you guys really did this hike , what a great adventure. I would hope this would allow them to dream bigger travel farther based on our adventures dream. To me that would be cool! I guess sometimes you have to lead by example and this is what we plan to do

Almost up to date, The Long Trail

Picking up where I left off ,
   Drive South to Rutland, by this time we were all feeling a bit hungry. Where to eat would be the question of the hour. Lucky for us Tom identified a lovely quaint eatery called the Rutland Restaurant , it was established in 1917 while it holds some charm it wasn’t hard to tell it was old. Mostly the smell and the dust, upon entering the proprietor of the establishment was even surprised they we walked in. He sat us at the cleanest dirty table in our own little section of the building. The owner tried to steer us toward just coffee but we didn’t take the hint. Pauline even suggested to Anita that we dash from here. Anita thinking Pauline was testing her held firm and wanted to stay for the meal. The meal was then ordered, I ordered the open face hot turkey dinner with fries, I wanted mashed but didn’t as I would have no idea when they would have been cooked or mashed. The remaining trio all ordered the minestrone soup believing it was safe! Well they were correct it was safe as it came straight from a can, the issue they had is the can would only fill two bowls but there was three ordered. Pauline and Anita had the bulk of the soup and poor Tom had a half a bowl of soup topped up with warm water. Now the turkey dinner certainly wasn’t the best BUT was very close to the worst I have ever had. The Rutland has been around since 1917 I think it has been due for a change …..at least 30 years ago. I know what you are thinking, something else to remember and you are right. We laughed about this a few times since we left. We made another decision upon leaving as well, it was not to let Tom choose the place to eat. In spite of the Rutland’s historical significance in this New England town it should be avoided unless of course you like can soup.
   Our next stop for the evening was the Best western in Waterbury , the only real significance of this is after we arrive got the room and decided on supper we arranged the most expensive cab ride ever. There is limited UBER so a cab had to be arranged. We had asked the desk clerk to order a cab , he thought that it would take a while as these are limited in this area. 10 min later the cab was out front and we jumped in for the ride to our destination. We travelled to the Blue Stone pub it was 0.8 of a mile from the Hotel and cost $30 American dollars. To top it off the reason the cab took 10 min to arrive the driver was in the pool at the hotel we were staying at! I guess on the bright side he didn’t smell like cigarettes and beer it was just the chlorine that permeated the air as he drove us down over the hill in his velour black leisure suit. It was such a short distance we elected to walk back to the hotel. Anita has warned me not to post to much but while sitting on the plane to Goose Bay I figured I could throw a few things together about the Hiking trip. There were a couple of quotes that ring true that I have read recently, One is “ Travel will make you speechless then turn you into a story teller” I hope this one comes true! Until next time , That’s it for now I promise, You are now all up to date!

Reality Check , The Long Trail

   Well I guess that’s the back story and you are just about up to date. The next phase in the planning of this hike to complete a look at the trail and get it in our heads what was coming our way. I suppose you could call the reality check! The lump in your throat moment, Vermont here we come. This part of our story begins in Bangor Maine at the Bangor motor inn. For those who haven’t been there it is worth a visit. The staff is over the top friendly , the breakfast in the morning is wonderful, at night they serve $2:50 beer and will order you in takeout food, You can’t beat that. Now the rooms are clean but is a bit dated, the fixtures are still the same 1960 blue ! blue sink and blue toilet and blue tub. It is so out of date it almost back in style. 
   So after the consumption of a few beer the maps were reviewed by Pauline and I as we planned the next leg of our amazing race. Tom and Anita just giggled at the two of us when completing the route. Once finalized ,beer and pizza were in order. The next morning we left Maine crossed New Hampshire and entered Vermont. Stopped for lunch at a nice polish bakery on the border of Vermont before making our way to Jays Peak. Jays Peak is near the Northern terminus of the trail. This was not easy to see, the trail was marked but just not as elaborate as any of us had expected. Just a small sign with the letters LT and an arrow very unassuming , in way this makes sense it just blended in with the landscape as you would expect from the folks that lived there. Now I won’t bore you with all the details of this trip but would have a couple highlights. First – Holy shit there are a lot of Subaru’s here in this state! Every time you turned around there was one. There were times when we didn’t even turn around and there was Subaru’s around us. Next one they love there wood piles down here! These finely stacked piles kept Tom entertained throughout the full length of the state.
   One of our next stops was the hike to Camels Hump. This is one of the mountains that we will have transverse during the course of the trip. Pauline wanted to stop at this point and do a quick hike to see what the trail was like and just really get a feel of what it would be like. So there is a back story to this that Pauline was not aware of but played out well for Anita. Why this was so funny ( at least to us) is a few years ago after Janet’s 50th Birthday the kids wanted to know what Anita wanted to do that was exciting for her 50th . Matthew and Nicholas thought that a camel ride would be a great 50th birthday memory. So for about two years she had to endure the discussion about the camel ride. She now has camel decorations camel cards and camel cigarettes but no camel ride. But today we would hike the trail leading to the camel hump mountain. It has been named this due to the top of the mountain resembling the single hump of the camel. Unfortunately due to the ice and snow in the trail we could not make it to the hump. Still a great little hike. Before starting I asked Tom how he was felling. To quote him he said “ It’s a love Hate relationship right now with what we were doing”. We hike about a mile up and back down through ice , snow and bits of mud , when we finally reached the trail head where the car was parked Tom had a smile on that you couldn’t have slapped off. He really did enjoyed the hike this even surprise him. Cup of tea sipped and then on the road again.

Road Trip Anybody, The Long Trail

Believe it or not you will soon be up to date.
There is more to the story,

   With a few day hikes under the belt the next stage of the plan is to purchase the equipment needed for such a hike. Road Trip! As a group we decided that and REI would be the best option to purchase the main bits of kit that would be the foundation of the hike. We met in Portland Maine for the night before traveling to Boston to shop at the REI outdoor store. The store front didn’t look like much and to be honest I was a little disappointed until we looked inside that is . Once we made our way inside I was pleasantly surprise! Lots of gear and lots of friendly knowledgeable staff to answer our every question , and we had questions. They did have answers to all our questions this made the stop at REI totally worth the trip. As the staff was helping us decide on the gear, they started to talk about the statistics and equipment information such as about temperature/down filled/waterproofing/ sizes /colors/ male/ female ect. , they were RPMing Tom to death. By the way RPMing means revolutions per minute. At one point he grabbed a mattress and a sleeping bag and crawled inside covered his head until Pauline had all the answers required to make an informative decision. As we left our wallets were a little lighter. One of the most stressful parts of this trip happened to Anita and I as we were paying for the equipment that we wanted. The credit card she was using didn’t work, I then tried mine and it didn’t work, debit cards were tried and didn’t work. This caused a major issue as this happened to us while visiting Pittsburgh and our credit cards were locked. To say Anita was pissed was an understatement. I really couldn’t put it into words, what I will say is her face was red and I didn’t want to be the scotia bank representative on the other end of thee phone when she got a hold of them. In the end it was found that it was the REI system that caused the issue and the credit cards were not locked equipment was paid for …likely a 40 minute wait caused by this.
   Can anyone say “BEER TIME” after that it was required. The staff was very helpful through this whole process. Back to the hotel to do a full gear inspection , happy with our purchases we celebrated with , yes you guessed it a few beer. Hmm starting to see a theme here. We didn’t hike while in Boston but we did tour the downtown water front visited a few pubs . We did cover some ground though and the uneven cobble stones were like hiking in the woods.
   The one place that stands out is the pub that Pauline picked out. The name was Bitsey Early , it was located on a side street a few blocks away from the city center. This was a place where the local would gather. We could tell it was classy joint as we crossed the brick threshold of the entrance ,they had a wine list! , it was written on a pizza box that was nailed to the wall. It said Wine list in black marker and below that it said RED and WHITE. That was the list. This as it turned out would not be the last time that we would enter a pub or restaurant that would leave an impression on us during this escapade. The washrooms were cleaned, it was just a shame that it had been a few years ago. Oh well it seems that these are the things that create memories. I signed the bathroom wall before leaving I think I was suppose to. This Hike on the long trail is going to create memories and the visit to this pub is a puzzle piece in the complete picture. Without this memory the picture would not be complete. In Toms words, “ If we don’t do the trip we are going to have one hell of a yard sale!”

Plans in Place, The Long Trail

   Plans were discussed and yes you guessed it , there was more beer and wine that fueled the planning. We sat around many nights at the trailer and talked about how things were going to happen. At first Anita and Tom were not as excited as Pauline and I and to be fair I don’t think they were really interested. Tom did love the research, planning part, Anita joined right in as my support. At first I think Anita was happy that I was planning this and she could be alone at the beach and the trailer. Somewhere along the line this changed for both of them. After all if there was an epic adventure or dare I say a life changing experience that could you could be part of wouldn’t you want to join in ? For Tom and Anita the answer was yes, it may have been because they were worried about us or may have been they were asked to join in at a vulnerable time , yes 8 beer . So again a new plan was started. From this point the Appalachian trail was the one we were looking to hike , to be clear it wasn’t the full trail but a section of it.. One evening while enjoying the Laffords company and talking about you tube videos, camping gear and such ,Pauline asked about the Long Trail. This was the point our focus changed from the Appalachian to the long trail. And yes you are correct again beer helped make this decision. Unfortunately for Tom and Anita only a few beer had been consumed, this meant Pauline and I remembered everything! Now what should happen? A few practice hikes and some equipment shopping. 
   The You Tube videos were watched and they abundant describing everything to take , everything to wear, everything to eat, what to buy where to buy it and the cost of the trip. What it doesn’t tell you is how much  beer you will have during the planning stages. I am not sure what the beer drinking planning record is But I am sure we are in the top ten.We were asked if we worried about getting lost, I really don’t worry about getting lost along the way as Budweiser be out looking for us in September as their sales will slump. Budweiser if you come out for us have the Blue delicious on Ice! I am beginning to think this is a beer drinking story and not about an epic hiking trip.

More to come

The Back Story of our Long Trail adventure.

The Long Trail Journal,

   Well I suppose you asking Why the long trail? Why are these folks planning on the hike through the wildness of Vermont? The Whys are not always easy to explain but I can tell you how we arrived at this particular junction of our lives. I can really only speak about myself and Anita but will give you some thoughts about our hiking partners as I see it. Of course the way I see it may not be the reality of the situation. Without going to far back like to childhood I will start this story a few years ago. I suppose I could blame the adventure on technology, to narrow it down a bit more the internet and to be particular You Tube. I find myself out of town away from home a lot and so to pass some time away I have looked through the content of YouTube , while wasting time searching countless subjects the Appalachian trail appeared and was something that sparked my interest. I have read about this trail years before but really didn’t think much more about it. I did purchase a couple of books about this trail and found it quite interesting. Anita and I have talked about this but not in a serious conversation such as us talking about doing this although in mind it was something that really captured my imagination. So a brief description of the Appalachian Trail for those who don’t know ,it is a 6 month hike from Georgia to maine with a total of 2190 miles give or take. I know “a Lot of miles and a lot of time”
   The next part of the puzzle is Hubbards Beach and Bud light beer, Hmm its no accident that some events in my life happened in part with the consumption of beer. My marriage is not one of those, the proposal happened without beer and has been a great decision in my life….Sorry that is not part of this story, But I suppose it should be noted as after 25 plus years I have Anita’s support and she has mine. Now back to Hubbards and Beer. As with most days spent at Hubbards Beach we sat watching the tides ebb and flow while the libations were consumed. As part of this ritual we always engage in light conversation. Today was a particular hot day and we sat adjacent Tom and Pauline. I was on the outside, Anita to my right and Tom and Pauline to her right as we sat facing the water laughing and talking about trailer life. I wanted to say we were talking about the world events at the time but that would have been a lie. I didn’t want to start this story with a lie as there may be a few as I recount the events. Anita would remember but I don’t know how it came up all I could say is that Anita mentioned to Tom that I ( Mike)would like to Hike the Appalachian, This is the point where tom made the fatal mistake. He could have said , that’s nice Anita, He could have ignored the comment and carried on watching the ocean as the waves lapped towards our feet. But NO not Tom, He said “ Well That’s funny Anita, Pauline wanted to do the same thing” This was the other chance for things to end but they didn’t , Tom could have let it go, I suppose it was due to the amount of beer we had consumed this afternoon and Tom’s willingness to tell Pauline the dream we had in common. Tom rightly or wrongly decided to mention this nugget of information to his lovely wife. In Toms mind he though this conversation would have been over as quick as it had started but this was not to be the case. Pauline and I talked about what each of us knew about the trail and stated that it would be fun to give it a try. This was not the first time that drinking beer got us into trouble and I don’t expect it to be the last. I guess in earnest this was the start of the plan for the Long trial. The long trail was not discussed at this point it was still the Appalachian trail that we talked about. How to do it , What parts to do , what time to do it were some of the questions we asked. Anita and Tom asked a few questions as well like “ Why did I bring that up?” Why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut and enjoy the Beach?” But life is full of these little situations that change the course of how we live our lives, we should be counting our blessings that we are able to make these decisions based on what we think we could do and accomplish and not based on an illness that makes us change direction and forces us to live a different way.

More to come

Now try to explain it all , The Long Trail

   I hope as I go along with this journal people enjoy reading about what has taken place to get us where we are and where we are going. I can say for me I am enjoying the ride! When Anita and I sit and discuss what our plan is I am sure there are times when we can’t believe it ourselves. I suppose its time for a doctor Phil moment. This is what I hope to accomplish. From when Anita and I were young we didn’t have a life plan. Who does? it just happens. My work , her work, houses and kids. With all this going on there is no time just to do. To Do something to Do nothing its different for everyone, Looking back I see I was very busy with working for a living and this has been what has consumed our life. 
   We are now to a point where the children have established their own life and don’t rely on us for much. They are independent and do their own thing….that is except for pick up their clothes from the floor and do the dishes…but that’s a different doctor Phil moment . So what do I hope to gain from this? I think it will be a great personal accomplishment to finish the trail but in reality finish or not I will be happy to do this with Anita beside me! We will go as far as far as we can. That is our expectation. I would like for others to see that great things are still possible in spite of our age. I would like to inspire our kids , not sure at this time if it will make an impact but maybe in a few years they can look back and say , WOW you guys really did this hike , what a great adventure. I would hope this would allow them to dream bigger travel farther based on our adventures dream. To me that would be cool! I guess sometimes you have to lead by example and this is what we plan to do

The Start of something BIG, The Long Trail

   Exploring is a lost art, in this electronic world the arm chair traveller dominates the landscape. It would seem the information highway is the only thing getting travelled , living through someone else's experiences! Some are happy to do this BUT we are not.
   To grow as a person and personally the boundaries of what you thought you could do and where you thought you would go has to be stretched from time to time. its only when you find yourself in a different situation does your mind open and this personal growth begins. I believe that you will realize that life is more than looking at the same horizon, there is actually something else beyond it. Travel is the key.
It may be better although it may in fact not be , but you won't know until you take that step. So take my hand, open your heart and lets live a life to remember. 
   The hardest step will be the first.