Big Plans in 2011

Since now is the time of year that most people are starting to think more about the upcoming year than the present month remaining; I thought I too would share my 2011 plans.  I only have one simple agenda for 2011 - the Appalachian Trail. 

Many of my close friends have known about my plans for a while; considering that it has been in the works for two years now.  First of all, I have no intentions of going for a speed record.  The amount of suffering involved in such a venture is more than interests me.  This is merely for the sake of adventure, the experience, and joy of chasing a dream. 

My plan is to start in early May (tentatively May 5th) in Georgia and finish in Maine under 70 days later.  (I'll share my itinerary with anyone interested in meeting up, but I'm not going to post it publicly).  Kadra will be joining me for the duration and be my primary support - in many ways I'm sure.  I plan to average roughly 50K per day, which sounds sissified to those who are thinking of a speed record, but I have no delusions of even this goal being easy.  I know I will suffer (probably significantly).  This will undoubtedly be the toughest thing I've ever done, but hopefully also one of the most magnificently fulfilling and meaningful experiences of my life.

Many folks have asked the proverbial question, "WHY?" when they learned of my plans.  Although I believe most of the readers of this blog (all two of you!) already get the "why".  This has been a dream of mine for many years.  I'm not sure when I got this crazy idea in my head, but I would imagine it was somewhat subconsciously put in there by this book (I'm sure Horton is to blame for many such influences).  I'm still not sure how to answer the question as to why I would want to do this.  To me it's nearly a rhetorical question.  My mind quickly jumps to, "why would you NOT want to do to this?"; incapable of grasping the lack of desire for such a quest.  In a world so full of daily mundane responsibility and forced mediocrity, people are all too often cajoled into focusing upon things that simply do not matter in the end.  I am happy that I have a God-given desire and ability to strive toward an "out of the box" goal that the world simply cannot find justification.  When I'm lying on my death-bed, I want the memories of people, love, and beauty in my forebrain instead of work, money, and prestige.

Even now the outside pressures of this adventure are mounting.  This will be an extreme financial burden for us making no money for over 70-days, while undoubtedly spending a more-than-normal amount.  The saving has started long ago.  We plan to do this as inexpensively as possible - camping as much as feasible, and minding our budget. - but this will certainly be a known stress.  The time away from work for each of us is also huge hurdle.   I am an optometrist in a small rural primary care clinic.  Luckily, my employer has been very gracious to give me this time away from work and the patients that I have shared this with have been extremely supportive.  I certainly don't get paid the big bucks, but the trade-off is that our office has a laid-back approach that provides me with the flexibility needed to accommodate my lifestyle.  I have been blown-away by how supportive everyone has been.  For this I am eternally grateful!

The truth of the matter is that I'm never going to be this young, this fit, and this free of responsibilities again.  Now is the time to do this and I absolutely psyched for this opportunity.  I just can't believe that it is only 6 months away!  I plan on using this blog to document and update from the Trail (this was the main purpose for starting it in the first place).  I hope for friends to join us along the way to run, simply hang-out, and ultimately join in on the adventure.  The adventure is starting now with all the planning.  I appreciate any advice or words of wisdom and experience.   I'm super excited for this and I look forward to sharing this great journey with everyone!