At t-minus 14 days and counting, the trek is becoming more and more real. As many others in the AT Class of 2017, I am riding an emotional roller coaster. Between all the logistics left to deal with as I wrap up at work, and the remaining tasks I have to get ready, I find myself having trouble sleeping and concentrating on the details.
At this point I have to stop looking up other folks’ methods of doing things, their gear lists, etc. No more time to order that cool gadget from Massdrop. I’ve got everything I could need, sometimes two or more of a thing. In fact, I have way more than I could ever carry, so it’s time to make some decisions, it’s time to pare back. I’m into the packing, unpacking, repacking stage.
Meanwhile, train tickets are reserved, and I have my overnight lodging reservations in Harper’s Ferry.
And I’ve been planning out my first three or so nights on the trail, using AWOL’s guide book.
I’ve had to convert mileage from Harper’s Ferry being mile 1024 NOBO to being mile 0; no Flip-flop version of the guide as of yet. 😉
The last part of all of this is disconnecting from the circus that I’m finding in my email and FaceBook feed. I have become so addicted to the minute-by-minute updates, that it’s frightening to think about cutting the cord. But I have to imagine that this will be one of the best things I can do for myself. The following image came through my feed today, thanks to Janis Ian’s post:
This is me, well, me without the beard.
And I won’t have a gun…
or a saddle…
Well, maybe this isn’t me.
More later…
Tom Maynard 
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