from Kristen in Garrett County: "Braving the Elements"

With my Monday holiday, I decided beforehand I didn't intend to accomplish anything. I was simply going hiking.
Prefaced by a conversation with my favorite cowboy friend Matt in Montana, and a good night's sleep, I strapped on a pack and entered the wide world on foot, met with full-blown winter in all its glory. I was reminded how satisfyingly secure and energizing it is to hike in a well fitted pack, especially of 30lbs or less, realizing that I hadn't actually 'packed since the Tetons in July.
Presently, the morning was cold. Before the bottom of the valley I was sure a scarf and hooded jacket would've been well-advised. But I wasn't desperate enough to backtrack so soon, mentally adding a scarf to my list of finishing touches, and making do at present with an earband and 2 high-collared jackets.
Government issue Blauer all-weather pants today were on both maiden voyage and on field trial in making the cut for March through the Smokies (which will occur under potentially similar conditions). They're coming. I look like part of the SWAT team, but they're coming - as far as Damascus or so, where my down jacket, insulated gloves, and aforementioned scarf are already slated for mailing back to my brother's place.
By the time I reached 1/2 way mark of my first leg, water in my Nalgene was exceedingly chilled, and by 3/4 mark ice was rapidly accumulating on the entire inside surface area. In temps like these I'll be carrying just one quart at a time and that inside my jacket. A hydration system (ie "Camelbak") is more convenient for regular drinking (yup, caught that), but this becomes a mute point when the hose freezes in the winter (and a potentially risky trade off when in grows green&black fuzzys in consecutive weeks of summer). This is why I'm sticking with the slightly less convenient water bottles (which carried on the outside will never soak your pack from the inside out if misthreaded).
Back at the house, thermometer read 18*F. I stopped for an extended lunch before my second leg of hiking. Outer jacket of the morning was swapped for a bit of a heavier hooded one and I continued on. Consequently, the sun had come out and I was now slightly overheated rather than half a step ahead of chilled. But given the two predicaments, I'll take it. You can always shed more easily than acquire.
All in all, my trek "around the block" and up the Continental Divide & back, totaled aproximately 10 miles and 9 decent hills, in snow with pack, no hiking poles. More ups&downs than I thought of at first, bringing to mind when me and Jeremy bagged 9 of the 7 peaks we were slated for in the Presidentials, with 3 stellar campers and 1/2 a band of mutineers.
Reading and stretching completed the day. And a shower, while I still have the luxury.

from Kristen in Garrett County: "The Enemy from Within"

Chocolate Chips stirred into Raspberry Greek Yogurt is my new favorite snack of the past 2 weeks. One night over the weekend, either I cut my jaw to the bone on a chocolate chip, or I underwent sudden erruption of a wisdom tooth. Both of which seem rediculous propositions on their own, let alone in combination.
I have 6 weeks for surgery and recoup if it comes to that. Not what I expected, but doable. Or in the other case perhaps its my patriotic duty to alert the airports and Depatrment of Homeland Security on screening for a particular method of cocoa transport: chocolate chips are now a weapon.
(FYI so is virtually every other object known to man. Airport Security will never keep terrorism at bay - it will only inspire more creative means of performing it.)
For the record, I'm still a prime consumer of Chocolate Chips and Raspberry Greek Yogurt.

from Kristen in Garrett County: "Pre- Trail Magic"

The Mailbox Faerie came to mine last week, leaving a dozen of this years magazine by the AT Covervancy and Appalachian Mountain Club, these containing trail names, stories and pictures, conservation efforts, local events and culture. Neither of these publications are written to thru-hikers per se, but I nonetheless eagerly perused. This is the joy of being a generalist and and something of a renaissance woman.

from Kristen in Garrett County: "Crazy 8's"

It’s 8 weeks til I start now, and last night I cut 8 inches off my hair. It’s not the first time I’ve cut my own hair, but it’s definitely the first time I ever had any haircut without planning it beforehand.

I’d come home from work to relax and call it an early night for the morning shift to come. Thus far successful, I was almost to the shower and decided on a pre-hike haircut. Right now. Though it hadn’t made the pre-hike list, I should have a trim-up before I go. And I was in a good frame of mind for such at the moment. So, I just – did it.

At first it was only the undermost layer, and with the bulk of my locks pinned up I took that to just below my shoulder. Then, decided that because I had it re-layered in August, there wasn’t as much to bottom, I went for it. Usually I put in alot more time and thought into the haircutting event. But this time I just pulled both halves around to where I could see and freehanded a slant cut to each, then all together in a ponytail rounded the chevron out of the center. And that was that.

Now it looks thick and awesome. It’s about as short as it’s ever been. Short, however, is relative. I deem that it looks rough-cut, but I think that’s a good trail look.

from Kristen in Garrett County: "Break for Butterflies"

I thought that Christmas breaks were a thing of the past. Christmas breaks only come to those in school. But I got 9 consecutive days off, the majority of which I didn’t ask for. Unofficially, I feel like I got a Christmas break, only better, because of what follows. Starting with what time I had planned to travel though, all my gear is now staged at my brother’s apartment, with a few additions, being a summer trail T, some phenomenal mint tea, and a 4G memory card for my camera gifted to me during my stay. Georgia had a white Christmas of all things and I rode an alternate route through the Smokies the day after, which were fabulously gorgeous and doubly exciting for the fact that I will be hiking them ever so soon now.
Also while in Georgia I got a call from a friend of long-time family friends, who hiked the full AT last summer. We planned to talk in more length and detail when I returned to Maryland and ever since the consequent conversation, I’ve been especially enthused about the Hike.

Being eager to do this when it’s months and months or even years away, is a lot different than when you can count the months on one hand, or it becomes a matter of weeks. See, then, reality hits you like a wave of ice, and it’s a little bit scary. And while the world gushes flowery praise at the high ideals of such, the hiker is wrestling with apprehensions and anxieties that will never affect the others, analyzing the impending decisions of life-or-death proportions, conquering the insecurities as "make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt" (That was Shakespeare by the way). There are no concrete guarantees in life so you just gotta do it anyway.

“The Gift of Fear” is a book that was loaned to me recently by a retired NRP officer I’ve known. I would recommend it really to anyone. That, and the answers from Twiggs, combined were my gateways back to beaming anticipation. I’m as ready as I could ever be, and I have all the resources around and especially inside for conquering 2,200 miles of trail, come what may, and I’m feeling good about this. Feeling really good about this all over again.