Clouds, Life, and Thanks to Supporters

Greetings again. It has been a short little while since Maura or I have put anything up. You could say that life is moving much like the clouds have been here in Boone - quickly! Permit me to indulge you as readers for a short sentence or two on how much I'm mesmerized by clouds. I find it easy not owning a TV because the best sort of entertainment is the tangible; and cloud watching definitely falls into that. You can stare for many minutes and not get bored.

In other news, I've been meaning to talk a little bit more about the companies that have committed help to Maura and I. Tom, aka Big Bear at Ursack bear resistant food sacks has been grateful in donating us a S29 AllWhite food sack. I first heard of Ursack from a friend who hiked the AT a few years back; he had high remarks and a personal story about a guy that left his Ursack attached to a  picnic table in the Shenandoahs to find that the bear(s) had not successfully destroyed or ruined the food within the bag. Made of Kevlar, these bags are meant to handle the big critters and small ones, too (check out their Ursa minor sack). I haven't used it yet, but I'm excited to try it out - hopefully not having to find out if the bears like it or not. Give Tom's website a look: www.ursack.com

the AllWhite sack, smell & water-proof clear saks, and a crush-proof aluminum liner insert

George at Clif Bar hooked us up with 12 boxes of Builder's Bars. These will come in big when our muscles are aching for some high-quality protein after a  big day of  walking mile after mile! Clif Bar takes pride in the products it creates for consumption and they list 5 Aspirations for their products:
1. Sustaining our Planet, 2. Sustaining our Community, 3. Sustaining our People, 4. Sustaining our Business, and 5. Sustaining our Brand. I'll say they have reached a few of these in supporting us...big thanks to George and the rest of the Clif Bar team for helping us out on our thru hike service experience!

Almost a quarter of a fridge full! 

Finally, I'd like to once again throw a shout-out to Yolanda at Little Red Wagon Granola in Chapel Hill, NC. I was delighted to hear a personal story from her about childhood memories of living in a small town along the AT in upstate New York. She could recall hikers coming into town for food, etc. and that memory reconnected her younger years and decide to help us out!

A bit about how Little Red Wagon Granola began: Yolanda first started creating the delicious combinations of granola in 2004 to sell at a local farmer's market. 8 years later, her brand has grown to be featured at health food stores and she has been intentional in maintaining the same attention and quality that first impressed her family and initial customers as Little Red Wagon Granola has grown. My thanks goes out to Yolanda for her support. I've bought some at the local store and I definitely look forward to munching on more granola along the Trail!

 

Well that about does it; thanks again to Tom, to George, and to Yolanda! More updates to follow about some of the details of our service back to the trail. I've been getting a lot of great feedback from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Leave No Trace Center for outdoor ethics - stay tuned! Till then, be well and take a moment to enjoy the wonderfully entertaining clouds of spring time. 

Cheers,

Al