The full monty

Something has been nagging at me since I made the decision to do the long walk next summer. At the back of my head, it jumps around from time to time, like a housefly buzzing in the window. I tried to ignore it and keep it at bay, but at last I caught it, examined it and acted on it.

Initially, I had planned on doing just the northern half of the Appalachian Trail, from Harper's Ferry to Katahdin. 1,100 miles or so. No easy feat. But there's something about doing half of something. Like there's more to do, like the glass is half empty.  Who wants half a beer? I say fill that bastard up, I want it to be full. So after I finish the northern portion of the AT with Jeff, I'll be heading back to Harper's Ferry and completing the southern portion of the trail, from Harper's Ferry to Springer Mountain in Georgia. It will add another few months to my journey, but I have always dreamed of doing the entire AT, not just half of it.

I also feel like doing a complete hike will help me raise more money for Extra Life, lend more to my ability to find sponsors for gear, and be an important experience overall. I'll get to compare the difference between hiking with a companion to hiking alone (unless any of you crazy people want to join me). It will truly be the adventure and experience that my soul cries out for.

PS I've gotten some responses telling me that I should just go the traditional South to North thru hike. There's a reason, I'm going to do it the way I am-I've been researching the crap out of it and the way I plan on doing it is actually recommended as the best way by the ATC. Starting in GA you have to deal with a lot of overcrowding on the trail and the potential for snow is pretty high. By flip-flopping you end up being able to avoid the nastiest climates on both ends as well as having a week or two of time off in the middle. Hiking south in September is supposed to be ideal conditions.