I hope this post finds you well. This past weekend, both Maura and I had off 3 days to go outside to train and hike in basically Maura's back yard. What a delight! When deciding on where to train, the option to walk out her door in Brevard right to the Art Loeb trail (a premier weekend backpacking trail, highlighting the joyous views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Pisgah National Forest) was a no-brainer.
 |
| The view from atop Pilot Mountain (Looking Glass in the middle ground)...what a long climb but a worthwhile view! |
As we prepped for the training weekend, Maura decided to put her new book (The Appalachian Trail Food Planner, Recipes and Menus for a 2,000-mile hike) to good use. I was thrilled to get the easy job - deciding where to hike to, setting up a shuttle, and gear needs. I must say, the result was as great as one could have expected on the trail - with the food being plentiful and tasty enough for this growing man!
One take away I have from this weekend was the sense of teamwork between Maura and I. When one would be prepping food, the other would be packing up gear, etc. I feel we are reading each other's mind more and more. And on that note, I was a bit disgruntled this morning to find myself in front of a computer inside at work for my internship after having spent 3 sunny, sometimes chilly days solely outside. Such as life...for now - only makes thinking of the future that much sweeter!
 |
| High five! |
Keeping inline with our goal on the AT we managed to pick up about 30 or 40 items of trash, ranging from tiny twist ties to beer cans and plastic mountain dew bottles. Thank goodness nothing unusual was found, well, save for the feminine hygiene product that Maura found near one shelter...yuck. Besides that it definitely felt good to pick up items simply discarded by others. For me, it only enhanced the purpose we are planning to take and share on the AT with others.
I also realize the more I pick up trash and other undesirables in the outdoors the more I wonder what the other users of these areas are thinking when they decide to discard? Is it too inconvenient to pack out the trash that you create? Climbers, hikers, locals, and non-locals alike - in my mind we all have a duty to clean up after ourselves...at least from a moral and Karmatic point of view. So besides attempting to restore nature to its natural self, one oddly positive thought I ponder: if people actually picked up their trash, then we would be out of work for the future!
A final shout-out goes to Ozark Sandals! Autumn, the wonderful owner of this small Missouri-based company (started originally by her mother), offered to create a pair of custom colored sandals for us. Perhaps she can do freedom some justice and recreate the freedom sandal?
Till next time enjoy whatever it is that you're doing. And if you aren't enjoying that than perhaps it is time to go outside! :]
Cheers,
Alan
To view more photos from the weekend check here.
If you haven't yet, please consider expressing your support by joining our site (tis free):
No comments:
Post a Comment