I am hitting the A.T. Finally!

After working 70 hour weeks for the better part of 2015 I have decided to put the books to the side for a year – in all senses of the word. I have taken a leave of absence from my thesis, from teaching and from all things pertaining to the world of academia. I have put my book collection into storage and given up all pretense of writing any kind of book reviews. It appears I suck at book reviewing (with a grand total of 0 reviews written in 2015). I read a lot last year, but simply didn’t have time to reflect on what I was reading in any kind of meaningful way.

The trail is calling. Walking has been all I’ve been able to think about in my spare time over the past year. It’s very difficult to write a thesis on wandering without the urge to embody your subject taking over your heart and mind. So I am heading to the U.S. in early March and will be walking Northbound from Georgia to Maine, with a possible side trip into the High Sierra along the John Muir trail if time and weather permits. I can’t wait to meet the community of other hikers on the trail.

I welcome any tips on the AT, the JMT, long distance hiking, places to visit within reasonable distance of the trails, what to eat as a vego on the trail, astronomical happenings in the northern hemisphere sky, how to keep your pack light, books about the areas I’ll be passing through and really, well, anything at all to do with walking.

For those who can’t join me on the trail, this is where you can follow my journey. Let’s see if I can blog about hiking more frequently than I have about my books…

I’m heeding the call to adventure!