What are you up to?

June is running out of time.

Off the hills of a much needed vacation filled with good friends, good conversation and good beer, the summer is quickly passing along.

The traditional thoughts I hold during summer...vacations, nights spent at Arrington [local winery owned by Kix Brooks of 'Brooks and Dun' FANTASTIC!] camping, hinking, and the world cup...have taken a back seat to planning a life goal.

I live three hours away from one of the most traveled and most famous hiking trails in the world...the Appalachian Trail [AT as the locals call it].

This year I turn 30, not that I am complaining because everyone I know seems to find the wonderful joy 30 brings, unless your name is Tiffani or Chad and fortunately I don't know anyone named Tiffani or Chad!

You probably guessed it, as a birthday present to myself, my hopes are to start hiking the AT. Doing all the research, which includes mapping out my hikes, planning on the gear needed, reading a vast amounts of blogs, I have discovered wonderful aspects surrounding the AT.

Thru-hikier: someone who hikes the whole trail at once. This usually takes 5-7 months depending on how fast you hike. Which translates to 15 miles a day.

Section hiker: someone who hikes sections of the AT. Duh!

Trail magic: finding a cooler filled with goods [soda, candy bars, etc.] left by locals because they know people who hike the AT look like death.

Needless to say I cant hike the whole trail at once, because of life happening, but plan on being a section hiker.

Another aspect of the trail that I find extremely interesting are the nicknames fellow hikers give one another. As I read through the blogs on hiking the AT, there are three ways in which to acquire a nickname...

1. Someone gives you a nickname, which is how most people acquire a nickname.

2. You give yourself a nickname, which is just lame!

3. Someone gives you a multiple choice of nicknames and you chose one.

Reading all the blogs I run across names such as...Buck, Metro, Limerick...typically the names have some interesting fact surrounding why a person has that nickname. The most fantastic nickname I found was 'Bear'. 'Bear' was giving his nickname because one night an actual bear was sniffing around his tent, so 'bear' decided he should scare the bear away by wrestling it, which is never a good idea. Needless to say 'Bear' emerged victorious, meaning he didn't lose his life and the actual bear ran off. So, that is how 'Bear' got his name!

What's the plan?

If you look at a map of the different sections you will notice most are broken up by mileage... 15, 20, 30 miles sections. I plan on breaking up the sections based on state boarders. Georgia section, two N. Carolina/Tennessee sections, etc. My hope is that I can carve out weeks rather than long weekends to hike vast amounts rather that small amounts. Moving south to north the trail begins in north Georgia and only travels in Georgia for about 80 miles till you reach the Carolina boarder. This Georgia section is the first section I plan on hiking.

In light of the question "what are you up to?" I'll keep you posted on the plans and hiking of the AT. I'll also keep you posted if I acquire any sweet nicknames during my journey.

A year ago today

It's hard not to think back to last year at this time.

June 1, 2009 we packed up the U-haul and headed east and south to a different life in Tennessee. The 20 hour drive gave us many conversations about how life would change for us, how life would be both easy and hard. The anticipation of change that has been fulfilled is equal to those things we couldn't anticipate coming to fruition. There have been moments of frustration, tears, laughter and pure undefined joy!

Yet embedded deep within our journey to June 1, 2010, we have not regretted nor desired to go back to the life we once lived. Please don't misunderstand me on this point, we loved the life we lived and it felt that at times, we were kicking and screaming as we tore ourselves from friends, families and loves. A topic of much debate, as we transitioned, was the desire to make our life enjoyable, not dependent on where we lived, but to enjoy the relationship we establish, to enjoy the places we go and, in a sense, to make our grass greener.

In many was we have accomplished these things and, like so many other things in life, in many was we have failed.

The overarching lesson learned this past year - the journey is as enjoyable as the destination.

The only manner in which I can begin to describe the fruits of our journey this past year is the word 'deep'...

-Establishing deeper roots with old and new

-Discovering joys deep within life hidden or masked by distraction

-Internal depth of conversation with self and God in maturing

-Enjoyment and confidence in depth of marriage

This past year and this next one, I believe, will be forever linked together in some magical way, anticipating the fun and interesting way in which the 'the ebb and flow of life' will constantly change depending on the season.

A recent enjoyable aspect of life has been hiking in Tennessee. It's completely different from hiking in Colorado. Tennessee is thick with trees, bushes and shrubs. So as you hike your way along the trail, it seems out of no where, you open up to vast expanse of valleys which are layered with rock, waterfalls, rivers and a blanket of green.

The beauty is breathtaking and frightening in equal portions.

I know it's somewhat comical, considering I live in the south, but as I hike through the beauty of Tennessee, the question lingers deep within "Can God be here? Can God be anywhere but here?"

The rivers I discover hiking in Tennessee, are and always will be a gentle reminder of the ebb and flow of life. Sometimes rushing with vengeance, sometimes calm and refreshing, sometimes an obstacle forever changing the journey and sometimes an oasis during thirst.

Not to jinx or in some way merit God's unfavor on this next year, but I hope it will be as enjoyable as the previous.