A New Decade, a New Challenge

Hi! I have enjoyed hiking and camping for many years with my family and my Girl Scouts and have often visited the Smoky Mountains, dreaming of one day hiking every trail in that national park. A year ago I was ruminating over the fact that in 2008 I will jump the hurdle to age 50 and my last child will be leaving home for college. I wanted to do something challenging and remarkable to ease the transition. I came across a book by Elizabeth Etnier entitled Day Hiker's Guide To All The Trails In The Smoky Mountains and ideas began to swirl in my head: I could do this! Here was my blueprint! Well, many people hike all of the trails in the park, some quickly and some over many years. I've already hiked about 100 miles of the 800+ miles myself. How could I make this "remarkable"? The germ of an idea became an obsession and finally I realized what I could do: hike all the trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park...in the one year that I am 50 years old. Okay, now I've told everyone I know and I've put it on the internet, so I'd better go through with it. April 11, 2008...tick....tick...tick... To read the next entry, click here