Last days

It's finally here. The day of reckoning. My feet hit the trail in less than 24 hours. The gear is packed. The food is stowed. I've spent my last night in my own bed (well on my couch). No more binge-watching TV. No more running to the fridge for a snack. No more PS4. No more comic books, no more cruising in the warm weather, windows down. It all changes.

I'm on my way to Harper's Ferry, where my journey begins. I'm meeting Jeff there, and we set out north. I'm excited to start my journey, and surprised that it's already here. I think that I'm going to point my life in a new direction with this experience. I'm so happy that I'm using it to not only find myself but to raise money for Extra Life. Extra Life has been such a rewarding experience for me, letting me give something back. I feel like it has filled a void in my life that was bigger than I ever realized.

When I set out, true to my geek nature, I'll be carrying a replica of the One Ring from Lord of the Rings. Frodo's journey to Mt. Doom carrying the ring has always been one of my favorite stories, and I can't imagine a better way to honor the feelings that I got from the series, than to recreate it (well, without all the Ring Wraiths and orcs and such). So I'm attaching the Ring to my backpack. Maybe I'll stash it at the end, and hope some other hiker finds it and takes it on another epic journey.

My next post will be from the trail -

Remember, it's about the journey.