Well….I’m in Vermont:

Very Eager, Rather Mighty Obstacles Near, Too.

Or…

Voila! Exiting Real Mud, Onto New Hampshire Thursday.

Ok, that one was cheating. Your turn.

In its defense, Vermont hasn’t been as muddy as Massachu– I don’t want to even talk about that state again. VT (which is normally nicknamed “Vermud” on the trail) has been quite pleasant…and a little muddy. We actually had two days of sun in a row to start the week! Something like a phenomenon lately! Everyone on and off the trail is commenting on how unusually wet this summer has been. “Global Wetting” instead of “Global Warming”?

I’m in the town of Rutland, VT, which I’m told is the second largest city in VT, a state with less than 700,000 residents, making it the second-least populated state in the union (behind Wyoming). For those of you who can’t remember the 3rd grade like me, Montpelier is the capital, named after a French city. Parlez-vous français? “La souris est en dessous de la table.” “Le chat est sur la chaise.” “Le singe est sur la branche.” -Eddie Izzard (for Matty).

Many of we first-time AT hikers are a bit anxious at what’s ahead. I’m currently traversing the Green Mountain range of VT — no mountains at 4,000 feet, no climbs much more than a few thousand feet at a time, mostly gradual at that. However, upon entering New Hampshire I’ll begin climbing in the White Mountain range. Mount Moosilauke @ 4,802ft — climb starts 5.5 miles away at 1,140 feet. Little Haystack @ 4,760ft + Mount Lincoln @ 5,089ft + Mount Lafayette @ 5,249 feet = these three occur within 2 miles of each other and the approach to Little Haystack starts less than 5 miles away at 1,450ft. And to name one more, Mount Washington @ 6,288ft — the second highest peak on the AT, as well as being “famous for its dangerously erratic weather, holding the record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth’s surface, at 231 mph (372 km/h) on the afternoon of April 12, 1934.”  That’s just to name a few.

Then Maine happens, which I hear is just as difficult at the start as the Whites will have been to traverse.

However, I’m excited at the same time because everyone acknowledges this last stretch is the most beautiful part of the entire trail! And while I haven’t seen any yet, there’s talk of moose and porcupine! Did you know porcupine climbs trees? Crazy.

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In honor of having around 600 miles left I thought I would create a few Top 6 lists about all things hiking, adventure, the trail, etc. Feel free to leave your own Top 6 anything in the comments, just as long as they aren’t funnier than mine!

Top 6 Reasons to Hike the Appalachian Trail
6. You meet a lot of interesting people.
5. Sometimes it’s pretty.
4. Visit states you’ve previously never been to (VT, NH, and ME for me).
3. You can decide where you never want to live or settle down.
2. The same reason anyone likes running: there comes a point when you get to stop.
1. You get to eat whatever you want and still lose weight.

Top 6 Reasons NOT To Hike the Appalachian Trail
6. You must walk in the rain.
5. The bugs are terrible.
4. Mountains are more pretty to look at than climb.
3. Dirt gets everywhere. EVERYWHERE…
2. When it rains on dirt it turns into mud. EVERYWHERE…
1. Because cars can go faster than 3 mph.

Top 6 Things I Would Have Done Differently In Preparing For My Hike
6. Go backpacking at least once to see if I really enjoy it.
5. Experiment with different recipes.
4. Save more money and plan for more time.
3. Determine the best fitting shoes and buy several pair, including one size bigger than normal.
2. Get in the best shape possible before leaving.
1. Have a hiking partner the whole way

Top 6 Things I Miss About Everyday Life
6. Everything in Franklin, TN.
5. Being in church.
4. I miss driving. I love driving (4 or 2 wheels…)
3. Playing music.
2. STARBUCKS.
1. Seeing my friends/family.

Top 6 Reasons to Sponsor A Child
6. The need still exists…today. 26,000 kids died today and will tomorrow.
5. You’re allowed to feel good about sponsoring. Not boast, but feel good!
4. You get to have an international pen-pal and learn about a different culture.
3. Your sponsored child will draw you pictures!
2. I’m asking you too, please
1. $1 day has a large impact! World Vision’s work affects tens-of-millions of people every year.

Top 6 Reasons NOT To Sponsor A Child
6. You already sponsor more than you can keep up with.
5. You’re adopting a child from a developing country.
4. You don’t agree with World Vision’s practices (please tell me, if so).
3. You’d rather make large one-time donations and build things like wells!
2. You are in unavoidable debt and can’t get out.
1. You and your family already go to bed hungry every night.

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Good afternoon. Thank you. Please take your seats.

It’s that time again to let you know how things are going. But before we begin with the address this afternoon, a word from a friend of mine. Scott will get the honorary trail name “Orange Blazer” because he lead the way; I actually sponsored my first child through Scott way back when!

Scott with sponsored child Mantoto

As a fellow World Vision representative, I have had the opportunity to see firsthand the work they are doing around the world and in our own country. Sponsorship is perhaps the best way for us to connect to that work if we are not able to devote ourselves to full time missions. It connects us to a real person with real needs, and helps keep our country’s current “economic crisis” in humbling perspective. I’ve seen my small sacrifice of about a dollar a day make ripples that benefit more than just the children I sponsor. It blesses their entire communities as well.  Talk about making every penny count!

Thank you, Scott.

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I have so many thoughts and things to say about everything that has gone on the past several days. I thought I would organize my thoughts into the following categories as they relate to my hike: 1.) Hydration, 2.) Nutrition, 3.) Health/Hygiene, 4.) Education/Inspiration, and 5.) Finances

1.) Hydration: I had a big scare the other day. My water filter all but quit working. Like I’ve mentioned before, it’s a pump-mechanism: easy to use, normally quick too. But all of a sudden, it would hardly pump, and not much was coming out. I cleaned the filter as best I could in a gas station bathroom, but I wasn’t optimistic. I wanted to quit hiking because of a broken filter. That and it was raining really hard and unusually cold. Thankfully I got through a few more days, including one stop at a person’s house who lets hikers fill up from their spigot. When I got to the next major town the outfitter was out of replacement cartridges, so I had to buy an entire new filter. He gave me a 10% discount which was nice. Total cost: $70

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