so i think i've taken the lazy route and decided that i'm not gonna start up a rigorous workout routine to get myself in shape for the AT. that's not to say i'm going to be sedentary until i hike; it's just that the general consensus is that the only way to condition yourself for the trail is just to get out there and hike.

i finished another book today. "long distance hiking: lessons from the appalachian trail." highly recommended... two thumbs up sort of thing. it was written almost 20 years ago, but it's got a lot of really good information in it. i enjoyed it, anyways.

i think i'm gonna try to make it to virginia next month for a two or three day outing. can we say excitement? =)

rei ... check

so i ordered my first rei catalog today... i'm pretty excited about that. =) i probably won't wind up ordering much from them, but it's always fun to build my wishlists. while i would looove to buy all new stuff for my hike and feel like a kid on the first day of school again, i don't think i can necessarily afford to do that (unless i just want to go ahead and name myself max and stay true to my chosen name).

sigh. march, huh? that's not too far away at all.

i have no idea how to get in shape for a thru-hike. i've been thinking that if i stay here in charleston, doing as much walking on the beaches in the sand as i can might halfway prepare me. charleston's just so flat! that would be the one good thing about moving back to bristol...the AT would pretty much be in my backyard. i also have a treadmill that does inclines that i guess i could start practicing on.

i feel like there's so much to learn! lnt practices and freezer bag boiling and bear cabling, oh my!